Towing 32'- 35' with personal vehicle

[kiloil]

I know there is a thread in the trailering section about tow vehicles, but I wanted some insight from people that actually tow there boats with their own vehicle. Did you have a specific trailer made for your boat and did you do any aftermarket suspension/brakes on your tow rig to accommodate the size? I see a guy that tows a 37' with a F450. I personally don't mind towing large loads I just want to make sure that I have the correct set up to do so.

 

[Gofirstclass]

kiloil, I had two different 330's over a period of about 11 years and occasionally towed them. Usually short distances around town, but a few times we towed long distances of ~300 miles each way. Loaded weight was about 17,500 pounds.

I didn't own a tow vehicle so I would rent one from Budget Trucks, usually an F350 Powerstroke. Much cheaper than owning one.

My trailer was a triple axle, custom built for the boat. One thing you have to be wary of is having too much or too little load carrying capacity on your trailer. Too little is bad for obvious reasons. Too much capacity is also bad because the load won't compress the suspension enough that it can absorb road shocks. The result is that every little bump and pothole jars the boat.

If you're towing a lot (many times a year) it might behoove you to buy a trailer built for the size/hull shape of your boat. Get the necessary permits, wide load signs, orange flags, etc. and do it legally. The more steps you can take ahead of time to be prepared for your tows the less stressed out you will be when you tow.

Take your time, don't be in a rush to get to your destinations, and enjoy the ride.

 

[kiloil]

Thanks for the info! I purchased a 2015 F350 used last month and have plans to tow the boat about the same amount of time. Towing large loads don't scare me, it's everyone else on the road that does!. I have called Broward Trailer company for a price quote (only company I really know that can set up it) on their gooseneck trailers. The concern with their gooseneck trailers is how low the trailer sits in respect to the road. I can only imagine this would hinder my approach on the ramp.

 

[Gofirstclass]

My trailer was originally built with a gooseneck but when I bought it I had them remove it and convert it to regular frame hitch trailer. The only reason I did that was the only tow vehicles I could rent had frame hitches, not flatbed hitches.

I would discuss with the trailer maker about how to adjust the height of the "tongue" (wrong term, but I'm thinking of the part that goes down to the gooseneck connection. If Broward is the manufacturer of the trailer they can make it any way you want. Being in salt water I'd probably opt for an aluminum trailer. I'd also look seriously at going with torsion suspension rather than leaf springs.

I think they give a better ride and you avoid that damned annoying squeak that comes from rusty leaf springs.

 

[Joel_MD]

In Maryland I see a lot of boat trailers being towed illegally. Like most states, anything over 9' in width requires WIDE LOAD signs, front and rear, plus red or orange flags (lights at night) indicating the widest part of the load. I'm guessing the local cops aren't going to mess with someone driving a couple miles to launch a boat, but in most states the state police will pull you over on the interstate for pulling a wide load without the proper safety devices.

 

[stephenm27]

We tow our 2009 310 (current 330) weekly with our personal F250. Trailer is aluminum and rated for 18K lbs. Only mod to the truck is rear air bags which help stabilize the tongue weight. Hydraulic over electric disc brakes on all axles, weight distributing hitch up front.