Trailering a 2005 280 sundancer

280Mcclinton

New Member
Apr 28, 2013
22
Beaver and Ohio river
Boat Info
2005 280 sea ray Sundancer. Twin 5.0 with Kohler generator with Triaxle 2013 yacht club trailer with
Engines
Twin 5.0 Mercruiser
Guys, I have a question. I would like to see and if anyone pulls there 280 sea rays around to lakes, rivers etc, I have 2015 f350 super duty crew cab with 6.2 gas engine sticker says 11300lbs on door. I bought the boat about 5 years ago and been using it in the Pittsburgh rivers but I want to now explore other lakes and rivers around my area. I had purchased a 2013 yacht club custom tri axle trailer and fits good and is rated up to 14k. I would like to tow to Lake Erie, and local reservoir which is mostly 100 miles from home. The truck pulls it find locally in and out and for beginning and end season, but little concerned about little distance. Does anyone have experience pulling this size of boat? Do you get a permit, if so yearly or what is best option?? I had a 24 well craft cruiser and pulled it everywhere with a f150 and and feel experienced enough hauling it and sold that boat as my family out grew it. I would hate to sell to down grade being I can't trailer it, but losing interest in rivers as I have done as much as I could in rivers. Concerns are 9'5 beam. Boat says dry it weights 8500 and I have twin 5.0 plus generator. Trailer weights 2300lbs itself. Should I do yearly permit, one time permit for each trip and if so where is best place to get a permit. I have picture but can't down load it of truck and trailer.



Thanks
Mike
 
Last edited:
The 8,500 lb. dry weight is the single engine with no genny. Twin 5.0s with B3s and genny plus fuel and equipment will put you in the 11,000 lb. range.
 
Mike,

11,300 lbs may be your gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) rather than your tow rating. Check your door or door post to be sure.
 
It's a lot more fun to tow with a diesel. It's just a lot less stressful. As far as permits go, check with your state DOT. They issue my permit in Washington. I buy 5 months, at $20 a month. I do have to be mindful of traffic times in crowded cities and I can't tow at certain times during the holiday weekends. Aside from that, I just swing a little wider (No, not my women!). It's a good thing to have some variety (No, not my women!) and hit different spots... I would guess your boat loaded on the trailer is closer to 12,000 lbs and might push the limits of your truck.
 
Boat and trailer book at 10,800. Add another motor, gen, AC, gas, water, gear, etc. and you are up there. Your boat weighs 1,000lb more than mine, your trailer 1300lb more than mine, plus you have an additional motor that I do not have. I do have everything else and I am pushing 11k-11.5k minimum. I am pulling with a Duramax with Allison and have no issues whatsoever-stopping, starting, hills, ramps, etc-no problem. I average 10.5-11.5mpg with it. Just pulled it on a 500 mile round trip and everything performed perfectly.

I would wonder what your total weight is.

Bennett
 
My Ol' 268 w/ Twins, Genny, A/C, Tri-Axle C-Channel trailer, Full Fuel, Water, and gear minus the truck on a certified scale came in at 10,980 lbs. My dry weight....5475 lbs
 
I pull my 290 with an F250 Powerstroke and put about 4000 miles a year on the trailer with no issues. Obviously, stopping is the issue, so trailer brakes are paramount.

BTW, I am 13' 4 1/2" vertical, so watch the trees and bridges.
 
We trailer our 270 and tow with a 3/4 ton diesel without problems. We occasionally do interstate highway travel and never worry about over width permit. At 9'2" wide, I'm just gonna plead ignorance. In Ohio you can get a blanket permit (year long) for oversize loads which is what we do for our construction machinery. Cost is just over $100 bucks.
 
Mike,

Don't underestimate the weight of this boat.... it is heavy and the published dry weight can be misleading. A loaded 280 DA with trailer is usually close to 14-15,000 pounds. I towed my former 280 with a F350 Crew cab single axle and the entire rig weighed in just north of 23,000 lbs. 100 miles should be fine with your F350 as long as you have brakes on your trailer. I would also get your oversize permit and signs since it isn't usually expensive. Also, if you break down along the way and a highway patrol or dot pull over, you have your ducks in a row.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Mike
 
We trailer our 270 and tow with a 3/4 ton diesel without problems. We occasionally do interstate highway travel and never worry about over width permit. At 9'2" wide, I'm just gonna plead ignorance. In Ohio you can get a blanket permit (year long) for oversize loads which is what we do for our construction machinery. Cost is just over $100 bucks.

I tow our 280DA with an '04 2500HD Duramax diesel without any problems, though I do not trailer far or often. Trailer has disc surge brakes on 2 of the 3 axles. As above, I plan on just pleading ignorance if a cop really pulls out a tape measure and measures my boat width at its widest point! You do have to watch out for height...I ripped off my anchor light on a large phone utility wire sagging across the road on a hot day. Thankfully it hit the radar dome and slipped up and over instead of under.
 
That would have made for a very bad day! Do you know what your height requirements are?

If I remember correctly, 13'6" is max legal height. I could be wrong. You become very good at judging height going down the road. We have to hold up a telephone line to get out of our driveway at home!

Bennett
 
GVWR is 11,300 and hitch says 12,500. Height I am good on trailer. I am12' 10". We measured at dealership.
 
I think the braking issue shouldn't be a problem. In PA they require every axle to have brakes on them. I weighed my truck and its 7200lbs on certified scale and plan on taking the boat out to the same scale. Will try to get it empty on gas or close with no water and all tanks dry and get a print out. Someone said to go to JJ Kellar to get permits not sure if that's the best site. They said I need a few measurements and submit it. I could always play ignorance but this site has experienced people and looking for advice. Maybe do the permit and make sure it's legal first. Expensive toy to be towed at my expense if trooper pulls me over. Most city or local police don't know the boats to wide. I have asked a few locals.

I did have 2006 f350 diesel but had issues and traded it in on a gasser. I couldn't justify the cost of a diesel for maintaining it for few times a year I pulled it . I had no problems towing
20 miles putting the boat in I had we had no issues and truck pulled fine. Long haul could be another challenge.
 
off-topic but you must be near me. i'm at captains quarters at the end of the beaver river. just put my boat in last friday
 
Yes sir. I am at Bridgewater landings. Small world.
 
You cannot go by what the hitch says. It's a separate piece from the truck and has no bearing on what the truck is rated for. The hitch could be rated for more (or less) than what the truck is rated for. Your GVWR of 11,300 is what the truck is rated to carry 'in' it, not what it's rated to pull. Now, if you can find a 'GCWR', that will tell you the allowable, total weight of truck/gear/trailer. In that case, subtract the weight of the truck (with full fuel), along with gear and passengers. Whatever is leftover is what your trailer may weigh. It would be better to weigh your boat with FULL tanks as it makes calculations easier in the end. I've always weighed my boats with full gear, too.

Another method is to simply look in the manual under trailering/towing specs. Locate your body style, engine, transmission and rear axle ratio in the chart. Then it should tell you either the maximum trailer weight allowed or GCWR. Depending on how your truck is equipped, it is possible for the truck to rated for a higher weight than what the hitch is rated for... which means you may have to upgrade your hitch. You'll also need to check if your hitch rating is based on using a weight distribution (WD) system. Find out the EXACT ratings (taking WD into account) so you know what you're dealing with and then decide what to do.
 
watch for my 1986 sundancer 250 "Time Out". white with blue striping with white top
 
As posted above, 13' 6" is the max legal height before needing permits. Truck trailers are that high and we (truckers) are always looking at low bridges! For the most part, if you stay on major highways you'll be fine if you're close to that height, but if you are concerned about a specific route, go to a truck stop and buy a truckers atlas, like a Rand Mcnalley they will have all the low clearances listed by highway. Good luck and enjoy new lakes.

Matt


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