Crazy things that happened while trailering your boat
02-12-2014, 07:58 PM
#41
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iTrader: (3)
Forgive me, blowboat related....
I was 12 or 13 and I talked my dad into buying me a hobie 16 that was at a local marina. It didn't have a trailer so he and my uncle picked it up and stuck it in the back of the pickup. of course it was too long and wanted to fall out. Their solution was to have me sit on it in the back of the truck. that worked great until my dad clipped a tree with a sponson launching me 20 feet in the air. luckily I landed on grass and not pavement.
I was 12 or 13 and I talked my dad into buying me a hobie 16 that was at a local marina. It didn't have a trailer so he and my uncle picked it up and stuck it in the back of the pickup. of course it was too long and wanted to fall out. Their solution was to have me sit on it in the back of the truck. that worked great until my dad clipped a tree with a sponson launching me 20 feet in the air. luckily I landed on grass and not pavement.
02-14-2014, 04:00 PM
#42
Registered
Boat and trailer Came unhitched completely at 50 mph, few into the woods. That is my wild trailering story.
Last edited by Pismo10; 02-16-2014 at 02:37 PM.
02-16-2014, 10:01 AM
#43
Registered
i sold my 30 IMP. told guy doesn't tow well stay at 45 mph. (k5 blazer) he accelerated up to 60 trailer started sway bad. snapped tongue. guy looks to right and sees his new boat passing him. then it hung a left and speared his (borrowed) truck like a trout. my ins paid me off and i fixed trailer and bought him replacement TRS's and gimballs. turned out to be a big win for me...
02-16-2014, 10:09 AM
#44
Forgive me, blowboat related....
I was 12 or 13 and I talked my dad into buying me a hobie 16 that was at a local marina. It didn't have a trailer so he and my uncle picked it up and stuck it in the back of the pickup. of course it was too long and wanted to fall out. Their solution was to have me sit on it in the back of the truck. that worked great until my dad clipped a tree with a sponson launching me 20 feet in the air. luckily I landed on grass and not
pavement.
I was 12 or 13 and I talked my dad into buying me a hobie 16 that was at a local marina. It didn't have a trailer so he and my uncle picked it up and stuck it in the back of the pickup. of course it was too long and wanted to fall out. Their solution was to have me sit on it in the back of the truck. that worked great until my dad clipped a tree with a sponson launching me 20 feet in the air. luckily I landed on grass and not
pavement.
02-18-2014, 02:46 AM
#46
Registered
Plenty of blown tire stories, smoked a wheel bearing in the pouring rain coming home from lake Cumberland last summer. Only the disk brake setup kept it from leaving the trailer. Fixed that one in a car wash bay in the back woods of KY, where we left the boat parked for a couple hours to go find parts..
But the funniest by far was towing this 38 Warlock Cat I bought from a member on here home from Buffalo last summer. We had to navigate two toll booths on I-90 in NY, and this boat is 11.6ft wide, while the widest lane at the NY/PA state line booth is only 12ft even. Rather than go around behind police building like all the other over-sized loads, and possibly raise suspicion as to why we had no permits or banners, I chanced it. Half way thru the tool booth, I felt a small bump. My partner thought we just curbed the outside tires, so we continued on out of NY and into PA, hurray.. When we pulled off at the first rest area up the road, there was a new 8' long white scuff mark down the starboard rub rail, along with glass fibers hanging off some exposed bolts. Believe we actually tagged a large fiberglass light pole with a bunch of security cameras mounted on it.
Sure am glad we had junk tags on that trailer too. It makes you much less traceable to all that high dollar security equipment, especially if you happen to wipe them out.. :LOL.
But the funniest by far was towing this 38 Warlock Cat I bought from a member on here home from Buffalo last summer. We had to navigate two toll booths on I-90 in NY, and this boat is 11.6ft wide, while the widest lane at the NY/PA state line booth is only 12ft even. Rather than go around behind police building like all the other over-sized loads, and possibly raise suspicion as to why we had no permits or banners, I chanced it. Half way thru the tool booth, I felt a small bump. My partner thought we just curbed the outside tires, so we continued on out of NY and into PA, hurray.. When we pulled off at the first rest area up the road, there was a new 8' long white scuff mark down the starboard rub rail, along with glass fibers hanging off some exposed bolts. Believe we actually tagged a large fiberglass light pole with a bunch of security cameras mounted on it.
Sure am glad we had junk tags on that trailer too. It makes you much less traceable to all that high dollar security equipment, especially if you happen to wipe them out.. :LOL.
02-18-2014, 01:39 PM
#47
Registered
A couple of years ago some friends and I (7 people total) decided to go to the LOTO Shootout, we figured it would be a 3782 mile round trip towing my boat.
We then decided to split the towing between 2 teams of 2 (all of us boat owners and very qualified to handle the trip). I was on the team to tow there… everything went great. The team towing back sent me a text when they were about ½ way back (middle of no ware), we lost a tire on the trailer… I figure no problem as I had 4 spare tires in the truck. About ½ hour later a picture text comes through… they lost the wheel, tire, hub, and axle spindle.
So I finally get a hold of the driver, he says he was driving along as it was getting dark and an object appeared, in the mirror, next to the trailer. He said it took him a split second to figure out what it was; once he figured it out he hit the brakes. Then the tire started coming towards the trailer/truck, he had to hit the gas in order for the tire to miss hitting the trailer/truck. After spending a 1/2 hour looking for the wheel/tire, in the middle of a wheat field, he decided to head for the nearest town. Once in town he gets recommendations from several farmers as to a shop to look at the trailer. (Mind you, it is Thursday before Labor Day)
The guy at the shop said it would be middle of next week before he could get a new axle and have them back on the road. My friend told the shop owner, I don’t care what it takes get me on the road by Friday afternoon… needless to say he was on the road by Friday afternoon and I was out several thousand dollars in trailer repairs.
We then decided to split the towing between 2 teams of 2 (all of us boat owners and very qualified to handle the trip). I was on the team to tow there… everything went great. The team towing back sent me a text when they were about ½ way back (middle of no ware), we lost a tire on the trailer… I figure no problem as I had 4 spare tires in the truck. About ½ hour later a picture text comes through… they lost the wheel, tire, hub, and axle spindle.
So I finally get a hold of the driver, he says he was driving along as it was getting dark and an object appeared, in the mirror, next to the trailer. He said it took him a split second to figure out what it was; once he figured it out he hit the brakes. Then the tire started coming towards the trailer/truck, he had to hit the gas in order for the tire to miss hitting the trailer/truck. After spending a 1/2 hour looking for the wheel/tire, in the middle of a wheat field, he decided to head for the nearest town. Once in town he gets recommendations from several farmers as to a shop to look at the trailer. (Mind you, it is Thursday before Labor Day)
The guy at the shop said it would be middle of next week before he could get a new axle and have them back on the road. My friend told the shop owner, I don’t care what it takes get me on the road by Friday afternoon… needless to say he was on the road by Friday afternoon and I was out several thousand dollars in trailer repairs.
02-21-2014, 01:48 AM
#49
Registered
The old horse hauler was right about that!!!
Used to play a lot of softball when I was younger. About 30 years ago about 6 or 7 guys from our team went to a tournament in Austin, TX in a motorhome. Another friend decided to trailer his POS v-drive flat bottom boat behind his Pontiac Grand Prix to hit the lakes. We all did some serious partying Friday night and didn’t get much sleep. We had an early game and as you can probably figure out, we were in no shape to play any ball. We were 2 and qued by 1pm. After we got back to our hotel, the boat guy decided to crank up his boat before we went to the lake and not surprisingly, it wouldn’t hit a lick. He got frustrated and wanted to get tanked up, so 3 of us decided that we wanted to head back home later that night. He asked us to drive his car and tow his boat home, so he could party and ride back in the motorhome. Perfect opportunity for an escape.
We checked the trailer (unfortunately, no safety chains), all looked ok (after all, he had just driven it up there, right?) and we hit the road about 10pm. Boat and trailer were doing fine. We had driven a few miles and when we turned onto the feeder and accelerated to enter the highway, I heard the guy in the back seat start screaming (with many expletives) that the boat was not behind us anymore. I looked in the mirror and sure enough, it wasn’t there. I slowed down, eased to the right and prepared to stop when I saw the boat and trailer pass us on the left at about 40 mph. It continued down the entrance ramp for a bit and then eased off the road to the right and rode right between 2 of those roadside poles with reflectors on them. Still moving with a head of steam, the trailer and boat started up the side of the grass embankment and went about 20-30 feet up and then started back down. It finally came to rest in the grass alongside the highway like it had been parked there.
After cleaning the seats and our pants we couldn't stop laughing about it. Finally, when we calmed down, we just backed up to it, hooked up and then I found the problem. A 1 7/8” ball in a 2” coupler. Made sure that we were very careful the rest of the way back. The only thing right on that boat was the balance of the trailer. Boat went along way by itself and the trailer jack never hit the ground. Lucky day…..
Monday morning at work, he asked us why his boat and trailer had grass stuck to it and in it. We did not have a clue.
Used to play a lot of softball when I was younger. About 30 years ago about 6 or 7 guys from our team went to a tournament in Austin, TX in a motorhome. Another friend decided to trailer his POS v-drive flat bottom boat behind his Pontiac Grand Prix to hit the lakes. We all did some serious partying Friday night and didn’t get much sleep. We had an early game and as you can probably figure out, we were in no shape to play any ball. We were 2 and qued by 1pm. After we got back to our hotel, the boat guy decided to crank up his boat before we went to the lake and not surprisingly, it wouldn’t hit a lick. He got frustrated and wanted to get tanked up, so 3 of us decided that we wanted to head back home later that night. He asked us to drive his car and tow his boat home, so he could party and ride back in the motorhome. Perfect opportunity for an escape.
We checked the trailer (unfortunately, no safety chains), all looked ok (after all, he had just driven it up there, right?) and we hit the road about 10pm. Boat and trailer were doing fine. We had driven a few miles and when we turned onto the feeder and accelerated to enter the highway, I heard the guy in the back seat start screaming (with many expletives) that the boat was not behind us anymore. I looked in the mirror and sure enough, it wasn’t there. I slowed down, eased to the right and prepared to stop when I saw the boat and trailer pass us on the left at about 40 mph. It continued down the entrance ramp for a bit and then eased off the road to the right and rode right between 2 of those roadside poles with reflectors on them. Still moving with a head of steam, the trailer and boat started up the side of the grass embankment and went about 20-30 feet up and then started back down. It finally came to rest in the grass alongside the highway like it had been parked there.
After cleaning the seats and our pants we couldn't stop laughing about it. Finally, when we calmed down, we just backed up to it, hooked up and then I found the problem. A 1 7/8” ball in a 2” coupler. Made sure that we were very careful the rest of the way back. The only thing right on that boat was the balance of the trailer. Boat went along way by itself and the trailer jack never hit the ground. Lucky day…..
Monday morning at work, he asked us why his boat and trailer had grass stuck to it and in it. We did not have a clue.
03-03-2014, 10:10 AM
#50
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iTrader: (2)
We had just purchased our new to us Baja 252. This was to be our first "big" outing on it with other people and a lot of plans. It was Saturday morning at the start of the long 4th of July weekend. Typically hot and humid Alabama weather. We're rolling down I-65 doing about 70 and my wife Denise (who, thankfully, is a cronic rear view mirror watcher) says to me just like any normal conversation "Something just fell off the trailer". Then, after a short pause in the same deadpan voice, "Now we're on fire". Let me tell you that will get your attention in a hurry!
So we pull over and check out the damage and we have destroyed a bearing and then the hub turning on the old inner race pretty much welded the race to the spindle. Now this is Saturday in the middle of Alabama at the start of a holiday weekend. We somehow managed to find the parts and make it home that evening (never even saw the lake). We subsequently had tire belt seperation problems and all sorts of other issues. I became convinced that the trailer (a nice Heritage trailer that really towed well) was just undersized for the boat. We eventually sold that trailer and purchased one that I consider overkill (if there is such a thing in boating) and have never had a problem since. Of course I also carry every tool and spare known to man now and go through the trailer every winter regardless. I think it was three months after we purchased that boat that we had a trouble free (but paranoid) boating experience. Funny but all of our boating misfortunes have been trailer related.
Dan
So we pull over and check out the damage and we have destroyed a bearing and then the hub turning on the old inner race pretty much welded the race to the spindle. Now this is Saturday in the middle of Alabama at the start of a holiday weekend. We somehow managed to find the parts and make it home that evening (never even saw the lake). We subsequently had tire belt seperation problems and all sorts of other issues. I became convinced that the trailer (a nice Heritage trailer that really towed well) was just undersized for the boat. We eventually sold that trailer and purchased one that I consider overkill (if there is such a thing in boating) and have never had a problem since. Of course I also carry every tool and spare known to man now and go through the trailer every winter regardless. I think it was three months after we purchased that boat that we had a trouble free (but paranoid) boating experience. Funny but all of our boating misfortunes have been trailer related.
Dan
