[utchuckd]

Looking to get a truck for work and a trailer to bring my boat home occasionally to do some work on it and want to make sure I get enough to do the job. Is the displacement of my boat the figure I should use for it's weight? Plus any gear and the trailer itself and all? And do I need to get a trailer specifically for a boat? Or can I take any trailer heavy duty enough to haul it and modify it? We're talking maybe 2-3 times a year, max.

 

[azguy]

.....do I need to get a trailer specifically for a boat? Or can I take any trailer heavy duty enough to haul it and modify it?

swing keel, fin or wing.....??

I would think you'd be much better off trying to find a previously owned trailer that towed a Catalina 22 or Oday than buying any old trailer to modify.

 

[Stumble]

The displacement weight is the dry weight of the boat, so it ignored the weight of the motor (if an outboard), ice chests, ect...

I would look a round for a used sailboat trailer, but they can be somewhat rare. If you can't find one you can easily take any heavy duty trailer, or powerboat trailer and modify it with uprights for a sailboat. Assuming you are a decent welder it takes a long day to get it done, and I would advise looking at a few sailboat trailers for ideas on how to build it.

Your boat isn't that heavy, so no need to go crazy with structures, just some steel tubes, threaded rod, and large winds nuts works fine.

 

[JoeLena]

Down here in Atlanta there are usually a few sailboat trailers for sale, especially for your size boat. I would think it pretty easy to find one where you are.

You can look up the info on your boat. Plenty of O'day info out there and you have a popular model. OdayOwners.com - Home is good.

 

[sailortjk1]

Check the towing capacity in the owners manual before any purchase and make sure the towing capacity exceeds the combined weight of the boat trailer and motor.
O'Day 23 weighs how much?
7,000lbs or so.
I would think a 1/2 Ton Pick up or SUV should pull it.
Are you planning on launching and retrieving at a ramp? Than I would make sure you have a 4WD vehicle for the slippery slimey ramps.
And remember,towing is very stressful on the transmission as well,so that should be checked.

 

[CatMan22]

I trailer my Catalina 22 with a Ford F150 with a tow package, my trailer is single axle with extended tongue, makes loading and unloading very nice and dry. My displacement is 2490 lbs. while your O'Day is 3425, but that in itself doesn't really mean that much. A half ton truck, and mine has a tow package, should be able to safely tow somewhere in 5,000 to 6,000 pound range which should be fine for you, your boat and trailer. More importantly to me is the trailer, a boat your size should be towed on a tandem axle and have surge breaks as well as an extendable tongue. One other thing I would look at with the trailer is a set of load levelers or anti sway bars, I used these with my previous boat which had a displacement of 3,000 pounds.

 

[SHNOOL]

Catalina 22, Oday 23, could be towed with a mid sized SUV... But if you should go that route I'd make sure the trailer has some kind of brakes, inertia or electric.

Dakota or Ranger will tow your 23 no problem.

Find a Catalina 22, or Hunter 23 trailer, both common enough boats. A trailer with adjustable pads or bunks should work nicely. The Oday 23 with centerboard will sit nice and low on the trailer, so trailering should be pretty easy if it's wide enough.

Another option if you don't have the truck, is to rent one from Uhaul or the like. Verify that towing is included in the rental agreement.

But yeah, Ranger, to 1500, is fine for towing that boat.

As for weight? I'd add up an estimated weight of all YOUR stuff, then add the weight of the motor (if outboard), and then weight of the trailer (figure safe number is about #1000). If that #3450 is a good number for displacement, you are probably pushing #5000 all up... that's a pretty good sized package.

 

[utchuckd]

Thanks, all! Great info and I appreciate it.

 

[mad_machine]

when I bought my Sea Sprite 23, it was on lake Champlain. I towed it down to Atlantic City behind my Land Rover. Through the mountains and traffic of NY and northern NJ without an issue. Displacement of 3350 pounds.

I found out afterwards that the surge brakes were inop.. so my truck did all the braking without any issue

 

[Bruce_L]

... my trailer is single axle with extended tongue, makes loading and unloading very nice and dry. . .

An extended tongue is the key to painless launch and retrieval...My keel is pretty deep and my trailer disappears on launch while my rear wheels on my F-150 are bone dry. My extension adds 16 feet to the tongue !!!!

 

[SHNOOL]

Ok, Bruce, not to be all one up or anything.

But I launched and retrieved with no extension from the bumper of my pickup, I have a 4'2" keel. hehehe... Very steep ramp! NO I don't want to do it again (this is my second season doing that).

I'm on my 3rd attempt to setup a set of heavy duty dolly wheels, I think it's time I moved on to installing an extendable tongue on the trailer.

Anyway, if we are talking about a shoal keel, launching is less an issue than you'd think. Just need a decent ramp, but true if it's a shallow ramp you'll need the extension, good news is they aren't rare..

Another boat trailer to consider is the Capri 22 trailer (again if you are talking a shoal keel Oday 23). Also good news is most of the first generation ones had tongue extensions built in.

 

[utchuckd]

There's a trailer that's hit craigslist locally that I'm going to look at. It would need a little modification to fit my boat to it, but it's a good enough buy possibly to justify it if it's in good enough condition. One question tho, it has rollers down the middle of it, are those ok or will I need to replace with a full length board for the keel to sit on?

 

[Group9]

Check the towing capacity in the owners manual before any purchase and make sure the towing capacity exceeds the combined weight of the boat trailer and motor.
O'Day 23 weighs how much?
7,000lbs or so.
I would think a 1/2 Ton Pick up or SUV should pull it.
Are you planning on launching and retrieving at a ramp? Than I would make sure you have a 4WD vehicle for the slippery slimey ramps.
And remember,towing is very stressful on the transmission as well,so that should be checked.

The transmission is almost always the weakest point in a vehicle used for towing (with brakes next). If you are going to tow any distance at all, it's worth it to invest in a transmission cooler, and surge or electric trailer brakes.

That, and make sure you have a good hitch (not the one that is part of the bumper).

I tow a center console boat that weighs 6000 pounds. You know it's back there.

 

[utchuckd]

The transmission is almost always the weakest point in a vehicle used for towing (with brakes next). If you are going to tow any distance at all, it's worth it to invest in a transmission cooler, and surge or electric trailer brakes.

That, and make sure you have a good hitch (not the one that is part of the bumper).

I tow a center console boat that weighs 6000 pounds. You know it's back there.

I bought a truck about a month ago, found an older 1 ton pickup, heavy duty fame, big frame mounted hitch, trailer brake box, it could pull a house if I hooked it up, but in my price range a little older and uglier and more functional was worth more than a little newer and prettier. I do need to double check that transmission tho, thanks.

 

[Group9]

I bought a truck about a month ago, found an older 1 ton pickup, heavy duty fame, big frame mounted hitch, trailer brake box, it could pull a house if I hooked it up, but in my price range a little older and uglier and more functional was worth more than a little newer and prettier. I do need to double check that transmission tho, thanks.

Check for a small radiator in front of the main radiator. It may already have a transmission cooler. Most one tons come from the factory with one (the one ton we had at work even had a temperature gauge for the transmission on the dashboard).

And, you're right, a one ton should pull just about any boat that will fit on a normal trailer and even some bigger ones. I towed a 26 foot sailboat on a trailer with our one ton (I don't remember the weight, but it had a solid lead keel) on a triple axle trailer, and it barely knew it was back there.

The good thing about heavy trucks like one tons, is that they are usually good buys used, because they are so overbuilt, that unless they were hauling and towing heavy stuff all of the time, they are probably in better mechanical shape than the cosmetics indicate.

 

[utchuckd]

Are pads or full length bunks down the side better or worse either way on a trailer?

 

[MarkSF]

Check for a small radiator in front of the main radiator. It may already have a transmission cooler.

Hardly a very conclusive test. That could be a power steering cooler, an oil cooler, or the A/C condenser. You really need to check that the radiator has lines going from it to the transmission.

 

[Group9]

Hardly a very conclusive test. That could be a power steering cooler, an oil cooler, or the A/C condenser. You really need to check that the radiator has lines going from it to the transmission.

I'm trying to make it easy for the people who didn't take auto mechanics in high school

I should have said, "Look for an extra radiator and then follow the lines."

 

[tommays]

I have towed my J24s all over the place and you do well know there back there

 

[mad_machine]

Are pads or full length bunks down the side better or worse either way on a trailer?

Pads are fine.. but be sure to stop periodically to make sure they are not backing off. I stopped every hundred miles and would always find one loosening up.

Towing can be strenuous.. not only on the boat and truck.. but on you. Do not be afraid to stop and take a walk around just so you stay refreshed and alert