Trailering a R-31CB

R

RonB

Active member
Joined
Sep 3, 2015
Messages
35
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
I know that trailering has been discussed in previous posts, but in particular, I'm interested in how many tow a 31. If you do, what challenges and problems have you encountered trailering such a big boat? If not, do you cruise to far flung destinations or boat in the same area every year?

Thanks,
Ron
 
Ron,

We have a R31 Sedan and tow regularly. We haul out every month just to clean the bottom when in salt water and every 6 months we tow between Buffalo and Punta Gorda, FL (1500 miles). Launch and recovery can be done by yourself but it is nice to have a second person to drive the tow vehicle in / out of the water so you can stay on the boat.

No major malfunctions but have had a few issues along the way. Salt water is the biggest culprit. I always rinsed the trailer off after coming out of salt water but seems that wasn't good enough. We had disc calipers seize up and had to replace 3 out of 6 calipers. The trailer had a 2 year warrantee so they covered those replacement parts (Float-On Trailers). They mentioned it has happened before to others so they recommend using Salt Away or something similar to flush the salt. Water alone is not adequate.

Since 29s and 31s are 10 ft wide, tow permits are required. Each state has different requirements and you can file for them yourself but I just go thru Mercury Permits and use the USBoat discount. I tie a "Wide Load" sign off the transom hand rails but I don't bother up front. There is no where to tie one onto the front of the truck without scratching it so I carry an extra one with me and just leave it in the truck in case I do get pulled over.

We are looking to pull next week from Buffalo to the Thousand Islands. Instead of allowing extra days for weather if we were to cruise over and back, we can make the trip in 4 hours and use those extra days enjoying sight seeing.

Bottom line: once you get used to seeing a big blue monster staring at you every time you look in the rear view mirror, its all good. You get real good at using the side mirrors - especially going thru toll booths since the widest part of the rig is well above the trailer wheel tracks.
 
" especially going thru toll booths "

You are my hero :mrgreen:
What truck do you tow with?
 
Thanks for the detailed review of trailering a 31. Two questions:

1. Do you use a 5th wheel hookup on your triaxle trailer? It would seem safer for such a big boat.

2. What is the total height of the boat on the trailer?

Ron
 
We did a lot of research and reading pros and cons before we bought. Most thoughts were on duallies or not. What we settled on was a RAM 3500 single wheel axle w/ Cummins diesel. Turns out, that was the perfect answer. She laughs as I hook up the trailer and asks " is that all you got?" as we pull the boat out of the water. We get 10-11 mpg under tow and 16-18 mpg normally. Couldn't be happier. The thing is dressed out better than a Cadillac and is a pleasure to drive (even under tow) with my 6 ft plus frame. We just have a normal Class 3 hitch and haven't had a problem. Pics of the rig if u want.
 
I think the 31 should have a class 5 hitch on your truck. It may just work as is but if something fails the insurance may bow out due to that undersized hitch. The have a tendency to wiggle themselves out of paying 🙂
 
I had a 31 pass me at about 65 on I-5 today going through Portland in traffic. The driver of the truck was also on the phone. I'd say he was very confident in the Dually he was pulling it with.
 
Just heading back to Ontario from Victoria BC with my 29.. I have a dodge 2500 HD diesel and pulled it fine through the B.C mountains today. And was equally great taking the boat across in October. The engine brake slows it so very little braking needed . I found very little difference between the specs from a 2500 to a 3500. I have heard the dually's are great and if you try one you won't go back to normal trucks , but I can see them being a pain in the city. I have found much more enjoyment driving at 55 then at 65 - 70.. Most of the time we tend to forget the boat is there 🙂
Good luck
 
Make sure that you have enough truck to pull (and stop) the boat! 😉

One of the other threads suggests that a loaded R-31 (on the trailer) weighs around 16,000 lbs.

When considering a tow vehicle, both the maximum trailer weight rating AND the payload capacity are important. With a 3/4 ton truck (2500 series) payload will often be the limiting factor. A boat (or RV) will almost always weigh more and have a greater hitch (or pin) weight than listed by the manufacturer. A truck (due to options) will often have a smaller payload capacity than listed by the manufacturer.

I've been browsing the RAM towing charts as I'm interested in the towing capacities for a fifth wheel toy hauler that I hope to one day own. Here is a link for the 2016 RAMs 2500 - http://www.rambodybuilder.com/2016/docs ... up2500.pdf and the 3500 - http://www.rambodybuilder.com/2016/docs ... up3500.pdf . The Ram numbers are SAE J2807 compliant (includes 300 lbs of passengers and 100 lbs of options). I'm not sure that the Heavy Duty Chevy and Ford numbers are the same?

Personally, if I was hauling a R-31 (only a dream :mrgreen: ) I would use a 3500 as a tow vehicle, as either a SRW (single rear wheel) or DRW (dually) would be up to the par.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top