Trailering a Sundancer 240 around

Biks

New Member
Dec 8, 2010
3
Massachusetts
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I was thinking of buying a Sundancer 240 or Sundeck 240 and trailering it around everywhere.

What's the consensus? How fast will it become old to put a 24' boat in and out of the water every weekend? I've wrangled a 32' RV trailer around for a few years, so it seems (to me) that I'll "merely" be dealing with a 24' thingy.

Who here has a 24' boat and has kept it mostly on a trailer? What would you have done differently? Any regrets?

Thanks for any feedback!
 
There are two things that I know my marriage is not strong enough to handle:
1. towing a boat
2. wallpapering a bathroom
 
I trailered my 270 for 3 years. We went to the lake every weekend in the summer. No big deal. :thumbsup:
 
There are two things that I know my marriage is not strong enough to handle:
1. towing a boat
2. wallpapering a bathroom

With you on that one brother. :) Read: me and my wife have pulled into RV spots by ourselves late at night. (Wasn't a good outcome.)

That's why this boat will be (mostly) a buddy thing.
 
biks; i have trailed both our boats. i kept the 230 just for that reason. i have mostly trailered it from one end of the colorado river drainage to the other. quite a few time in fact. i have launched and retrieved many time my self.

not sure what conditions you have there in mass. but here in the west its no big deal. once you get the hang of launching and retrieving, you can on and off the water in minutes.

go slow at first yow will do fine.
 
I do it with my 260DA all the time. As a matter of fact we have taken it out of saltwater in one afternoon and dumped it right back in a fresh water lake near our house to finish the day on several occasions. It's a piece of cake.
 
Easy. I trailered our 29DA every weekend the first year we had it. Loaded and unloaded by myself....simple if you have the right tow vehicle and trailer.
 
A lot of good points, think about how often you want to use it and how easy it would be for you to get to the water.

I use our boat much more than I would if I trailered it, I work 1+ hrs away from home and its nice to go right from work to the marina and get a couple of hrs on the boat during the week.

On weekends if its to windy or rough, I'll hang out at the dock with neighbors, read or take a nap..

On Cape Cod, for me it would be a nightmare to trailer on weekends and I wouldn't use it during the week.
 
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I was thinking of buying a Sundancer 240 or Sundeck 240 and trailering it around everywhere.

What's the consensus? How fast will it become old to put a 24' boat in and out of the water every weekend? I've wrangled a 32' RV trailer around for a few years, so it seems (to me) that I'll "merely" be dealing with a 24' thingy.

Who here has a 24' boat and has kept it mostly on a trailer? What would you have done differently? Any regrets?

Thanks for any feedback!



I am at a different point in my boating than most responders. I am in the early learning stages of launching and retrieving. I hope to get more efficient as I get more practice next season. With that said we are very happy with our decision to trailer.

We would get bored in the same place all the time and I like to be on the move. Trailering gives us the option to do many varied ports on Lake Michigan, smaller lakes around Indiana and lakes in KY and TN regularly. I believe we will like the challenges of the big water, company of dockmates as well as enjoy relaxing in the sun time on smooth smaller lakes. While still offering exploration of the other Great Lakes, Midwest rivers and lakes with a longer drive. With all the weather worries of the Great Lakes long travels on weekends have some risk of not being able to return when you need to. We can explore areas in our trailerable pocket cruiser and still stay close to our transportation home.

Another plus is fuel costs. On one of our early jaunts we traveled 100 miles round trip to go out to lunch. This made me think, fuel cost for 100 mi on the boat is very different from the fuel cost of towing the boat there. I am not saying I won’t use the boat to travel, just that it is more economical both in time and fuel costs to trailer where you want to visit and explore rather than travel there by boat. Given time I would always prefer to travel leisurely by boat but under pressure to return to get to work is no fun.

I also get discounts on insurance as our boats are in indoor dry storage when not in use. The risk of leaks is nil when you are not in the water, a little peace of mind.

Someday I may enjoy a “big” boat in a marina on the coast, but for now this is where it’s at.

MM
 
We've trailered boats for 25 years and I can't imagine being in the SAME lake next to the SAME dockmates every weekend. I like the flexibility to head to Priest Lake, Lake Pend Oreille, the San Juans, Columbia River, Snake River or Flathead Lake in Montana. We have friends that tag along or we'll meet them at their cabin on the lake. I like the variety and the fact that I can get gas for the boat cheaper too! I also like loading the boat in the driveway instead of loading the car and then unloading the car and taking it to the boat down on the dock. If I had to fight lines at a ramp I might reconsider. I'm lucky and rarely ever have to wait. That might make me reconsider however. I also like having the boat available to work on in the driveway. I even have a mechanic that lives nearby that will stop by to check things if I need assistance!
 
The main reason I trailer is so that my outdrive doesn't rot off. I won't own a boat that stays in the water that has a $9000 sacrificial hunk 'o metal hanging off of it.
 
I was thinking of buying a Sundancer 240 or Sundeck 240 and trailering it around everywhere.

What's the consensus? How fast will it become old to put a 24' boat in and out of the water every weekend? I've wrangled a 32' RV trailer around for a few years, so it seems (to me) that I'll "merely" be dealing with a 24' thingy.

Who here has a 24' boat and has kept it mostly on a trailer? What would you have done differently? Any regrets?

Thanks for any feedback!

I had mine for 3 years. Towed it for about 1.5-2 years before we started looking at having it in a marina. I should add that prior to that I was trailering my other boat for about 6 years. The transition was from trailering 240 was renting slips for weekends in different places to see how it works and still travelling to places. One of the biggest drivers was our new born son. After he was born, our travelling slowed down big time and it didn't make sense any longer to be cramped up in small boat, which we trailered rarely. So, 3 years later we got 320DA.

We have no regrets. We had a blast and been in beautifull places (1000 Islands, Lake George, Naples/Marco Island, Ft. Lauderdale, Sanibel Island, etc.) with our trailored boats. If our little one was a bit older, we might have kept 240 a bit longer. But, eventually it would still be a time to travel by water in a bigger boat.

Every boat is a different experience, but the key is to know how you will use your boat, so you make a proper choice on the model.
 
I trailered my 240da the entire time I had it with no regrets. Like others have said, it offers you flexibility and your boat will stay cleaner with no slimy build up etc. Plus, you don't have to pay for a slip, and buying gas on land is a lot cheaper than on water.
 
There have been a lot of advantages mentioned with regard to trailering. While they all make sense, one's situation can make a big difference. I used to trailer a runabout years ago without issue. My job keeps me pretty busy these days so having my 240da in a slip gives me the flexibility to show up after work for an hour long "de-stressing" cruise anytime during the week (only thing that keeps me going some days). This would be difficult to pull off with a trailer due to the extra time involved, plus I don't want to deal with it after a long day. If I want to stay out past dark, no big deal, I tie up at the marina and drive home. That's just my situation and I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
Correction, buying fuel on land used to be cheaper than on water. With the problems that ethanol is causing in marine engines, and now the morons want to go to E15, you might be better off sticking to fuel at marinas.

I've spent over $1k trying to fix ethanol related issues in some of my previous boats, and my slip neighbor spent just about the same on his, not to mention gaining some gray hair, all thanks to ethanol.

Curious as to the age of those boats with the ethanol issues. From what I've read, most of the newer marine engines are OK with up to 10%, but ya, 15% would be an issue.

In my part of town, gas is about $1.50 per gallon more at marinas, not sure if that's more or less of a difference than most.

Regarding trailering vs a slip, a good point was just made about the convenience of a slip. It does make it easier to go for a quick run in the evening.
 
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Just bought a 2006 Sundancer 240 and plan on trailering. Previously trailered a 22 Wellcraft and on many occasions launched and retrieved alone.......will be towing with a Chevy Avalanche.....:thumbsup:
 
We treat ours like an RV trailer when on the road. Great being able to keep all your food in the fridge and having a loo handy when nature calls..... You just have to remember not to dive over the side when parked up at camping spots... Ouch!
 
Hull maintenance, marina fees (and some dodgy associated mechanics) corroding/deteriating components but yes there is the convenience. The beauty of a trailerable cruiser, other than above is the ability to trailer to differant destinations at a reasonable speed and not having to worry about the weather turning on us. We've towed ours to the Whitsundays twice (about a 2500km round trip) without any drama. I think also the "older" 230da 's according to the spec sheet are about 2000 kgs plus the trailer (about 700kgs) giving us a tow weight of under 3000kgs. I am curious what the later model 240 sundancers hull weight is, I'm guessing 3 t plus?
 

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