Large trailer rental recommendations? (New Sea Ray Owner and New Member)

JakeTF

New Member
Oct 26, 2012
7
Seattle, WA
Boat Info
1985 Sundancer 340
Engines
Twin 454 Mercruiser 340HP
Hello Club Sea Ray,

I recently purchased a new-to-me boat, a 1985 Sundancer 340. The thing is in great shape and has been well-maintained. I'm sorting through a few little fix-it items now, like the bouncy fuel-level senders.

It's located close to Portland for the winter (cheap moorage), but I want to bring it to Lake Washington in the spring to its future permanent home, potentially Newport Yacht Basin. I looked into shipping companies and they want something in the $1,700-$2,000 range to bring it up here. That seems quite a bit high to me. I have access to a capable towing vehicle and have experience towing large loads. I understand that this 12' beam boat will need a temporary oversize permit due to the width.

My question: does anyone have a recommendation for a rental trailer or have access to a large enough trailer that I could rent? It is 10,500lb, but might be a little higher with fuel/water. The LOA is roughly 34'. I would be towing it with a GMC 2500HD with a little under 14k towing capacity.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Jake
 
First off Jake, Welcome to CSR! Plenty of guys here that have tons of experience and are willing to share it.

I agree with Scott. By the time you rent a trailer, spend a half of a fortune on fuel, add in your time, your agrivation and most importantly your risk. You'd gladly pay the $1700.

I agree as well on the weight issue, I think my little 250 weighs closer to 10,500 than a 1985 340 would.

Good luck with the boat & the transport. Again, welcome to CSR.
 
I agree...

It will be near impossible to find a trailer to tow that big of a boat. It seems as if you are borrowing a tow vehicle, renting a trailer, and towing a 12 foot wide load, that is a lot of risk.

Hire it out with a properly licensed and insured carrier.

Welcome aboard, MM
 
10,500 is the correct weight for that year express crusier according to the SeaRay webite.
 
+ 1 on the weight estimate. 10.5 plus 3.0 for trailer plus fluid, batteries and gear,,,, 14 to 15. Your 2500 may struggle. Add cost of fuel, cost of trailer rental, cost of permits and I'm saying pay the hauler. Not to mention the chances of finding a rental with the bunks jigged correctly for your hull so as not to interfere with your through-hull fittings is Herculean task. The trailer may need to have the bunks moved for fittings, the bow stop moves forward or aft for proper tongue weight and so on and so on. Hire the hauler,, pack a cooler and wait for your princess to arrive also, check with your insurance carrier on the cost of a rider to move this load on your own and properly insure it. Best of luck.
 
10,500 is the correct weight for that year express crusier according to the SeaRay webite.

Sea Ray listed my 290DA as 5800lbs....boat and trailer was 11,500lbs on the scale.
 
Your 2500 may struggle.

Thank you for the responses. The boat was delivered to the current marina by a Seattle-based yacht sales company. They delivered it and launched it from a non-dual rear F250. I'm not even sure that it was the HD version, but it must have been. Either way, it can be done and the 2500HD is at least as good as the F250 if not better.

I found one trailer rental company in Ballard that has a trailer capable of towing it for $500/day. The truck is free for me to use and fuel wouldn't be that high. With the permit, I could probably get it to Seattle for $750, so it might be worth the effort to save $1000. I'm sure I can get my insurance to issue a rider if it isn't already covered. Most policies cover boats being towed and this should be no different.

Again, thanks for the help and I hope to contribute more to the CSR community as I get involved with this boat.
 
My job title is "Product Safety and Compliance Engineer" so I'll do my best! Ha. This is right up my alley as well.
 
That is empty, with no options and the smallest engines they offer. Add in the weight of the weight of the trailer, and I think my estimate will be very close.

Most likely. I'll do a double/triple check on all of the ratings. I found a company that rents trailers in Ballard and they have one with a 25k capacity. The problem is that trailer adds a lot of weight to the GCW. It will be up to the truck at that point.
 
I agree...

It will be near impossible to find a trailer to tow that big of a boat. It seems as if you are borrowing a tow vehicle, renting a trailer, and towing a 12 foot wide load, that is a lot of risk.

Hire it out with a properly licensed and insured carrier.

Welcome aboard, MM

The "big hauler" would fit the bill, but it's going to be heavy itself. I'll be doing more research, but it is available.

http://www.bamarineservices.com/trailer_chart.html#axles
 
I am the owner/operator of www.MREBoatTransport.com . Been moving boats since 2003, when I first started moving 28-30'ers with a 2001 Duramax diesel truck. Over the years, I have experimented with a number of conventional and hydraulic trailers, even a 'medium duty' 2004 C4500 Kodiak. Today, I operate a 2009 K3500 Duramax single rear wheel with a custom 36' transport with 21K# axle capacity. All told, I have over 400K miles with a boat in the rearview mirror, all over the US and Canada. The largest boat that I will move with this capable combination is a 340 SeaRay Sundancer, pre 2006. Its a lot of boat, and really only works because of the axle placement on the custom trailer, 10 functioning brakes, and a lot of experience. I would never send a new employee out on day one with this combination, and that boat. Not the way to learn. If you are looking at ANY trailer with 25K# capacity, its too heavy to be towed by your 2500 series Duramax, unless its empty. (Sorry no paragraphs here, my browser is giving me fits, but BE CAREFUL AND DON'T SAVE $1000 TO HAVE A DISASTER YOUR FIRST DAY OUT.) Last thought - if your boat is powered by 454 I/Os - you'll not find a trailer that will give you nearly enough tongue weight to be safe. Inboards, maybe...if its I/O call me and let me talk to you 612.578.6355
 
Last edited:
I am the owner/operator of www.MREBoatTransport.com . Been moving boats since 2003, when I first started moving 28-30'ers with a 2001 Duramax diesel truck. Over the years, I have experimented with a number of conventional and hydraulic trailers, even a 'medium duty' 2004 C4500 Kodiak. Today, I operate a 2009 K3500 Duramax single rear wheel with a custom 36' transport with 21K# axle capacity. All told, I have over 400K miles with a boat in the rearview mirror, all over the US and Canada. The largest boat that I will move with this capable combination is a 340 SeaRay Sundancer, pre 2006. Its a lot of boat, and really only works because of the axle placement on the custom trailer, 10 functioning brakes, and a lot of experience. I would never send a new employee out on day one with this combination, and that boat. Not the way to learn. If you are looking at ANY trailer with 25K# capacity, its too heavy to be towed by your 2500 series Duramax, unless its empty. (Sorry no paragraphs here, my browser is giving me fits, but BE CAREFUL AND DON'T SAVE $1000 TO HAVE A DISASTER YOUR FIRST DAY OUT.) Last thought - if your boat is powered by 454 I/Os - you'll not find a trailer that will give you nearly enough tongue weight to be safe. Inboards, maybe...if its I/O call me and let me talk to you 612.578.6355

Now there is a smart move!!!!!Call the man!!
 
The "big hauler" would fit the bill, but it's going to be heavy itself. I'll be doing more research, but it is available.

If I read it right; that trailer weighs 6000 pounds. You are near 20,000 pounds with that trailer...

BE CAREFUL AND DON'T SAVE $1000 TO HAVE A DISASTER YOUR FIRST DAY OUT.

Good advice...

MM
 
Thanks, Mark. I'll give you a call when I'm closer to needing the transport. At this point, I'm going to leave it in the slip and move it in the spring.
 

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