Need some advice. I am looking at a CP 19. My truck is a 2003 Chevy S-10 , V6, two wheel drive. I know I can tow a CP 19, but was advised that I would not be able to pull the rig up the ramp. This advice was given without any info about the ramp I would normally use. In fact, the ramp is an old seaplane ramp and quite steep.
My plan was to leave the boat rigged on the trailer and launch/recover each sailing day.
I am not ready for a new truck! Should I be looking for a smaller boat?
Thanks for your input.
I think the truck will weigh about the same as the boat!
Figure the ramp is wet, and you don't have 4 wheel drive..... You should take your truck down to the ramp empty and try to back down and drive back up. A wet slippery ramp can be a real bear to get up, even without the boat. Take a good tow strap and someone can pull you up the ramp if you get stuck.
I had to back into one ramp so far that my exhaust was submarining, my axles were mostly under water, and my rear bumper was wet. I guess it all depends on the ramp!
The CP19, trailer and gear will weigh around 3,000 lbs. Check your owner's manual, etc. to find out what the S-10's towing capacity is.
Ramps are another story . . . you need to evaluate the situation before committing.
Gil
Gil,
Nothing more maddening (or embarrassing) than having to be rescued at a boat ramp! I had to be rescued a time or two and that cured me. My experience was with a Ford Aerostar, 3.0L six towing a (gasp!) 18foot bayliner ski boat. Weight of boat and trailer is similar to a CP19, maybe a little less. You could hear me squealing up the ramp nearly every time, except the time I got stuck in the slime, weeds, sand...... Before I bought my CP19 I went looking for an older but solid Chevy S10 Blazer with 4WD and a 4.3L six. Found a '97 for 4k that a dealer took as a trade. He just wanted to unload it. I have never regretted getting the 4WD -- push the 4HI button and zoom up the ramp. With 4Lo I could pull the dock out too. My suggestion is to go with a 4WD if you plan to trailer. Now that gas prices are really high, I have seen a lot of the older Chevy Blazers and Ford Explorers (late 90s, early 00s) going for 3 to 4k. I am wishing I could have waited until people were unloading!
Jeff
PS How's the deck organizer and other hardware installation?
My Cp 19 is about ready for the tow home and then to the lake - see pictures of Suo Gan in the CP19 gallery. I have all the hardware to take the main halyard back to the cockpit. I decided to install the stuf after boat is in the water with the mast up. I typically drive from the port side so I will bring the line back on the starboard side for crew to raise sail.
23 years ago I owned a Catalina 22 which weighs a little more than the 19. I used a 1984 Ford Ranger pickup with a 4 cylinder (rated to tow 2000lbs) and had no towing or ramp problems. I always maintained a 10 - 15% tongue weight.
I sold the Catalina to a friend with a 4 cylinder Volvo (rated to tow 3500lbs). He had no problems at the ramp either and eventually towed the boat from Canada to his new home in Texas with no problems.
The Catalina trailer had an extendable tongue which may have been a factor.
Carry On,
I have a 1996 s-10 Blazer, v6 automatic with a limited slip differential and have no problem launch or retrieving my 2006 Eclipse 21.
The Blazer is probably heavier than your pick up which would help.
Pick ups are naturally light on the rear axle, so you might have a harder time pulling the boat out of the water because your rear wheels will most likely be wet and spin.
The v-6 has the power to tow the boat its the slippery conditions which will make it difficult for you.
You may want to think about making a simple trailer tong extension so that your vehicle wheels never get wet .
There has been a couple of post on that subject.
I plan on making an 8 to 12 foot extension my self just to keep my Blazer from getting the rear wheels in salt water.
All the above post have good merit to them, you'll have to experiment to see what works for you.
Good luck.
Glenn
I think Gill has the best point, you must evaluate the ramp and conditions. I also use a extension to help dunk the trailer, and stay away from the slime line. HAPPY LAUNCHING BILL
Carry - on
I purchased my CP 19 in January this year and brought her home from about 150 miles behind my Jeep Wrangler 4.0L six auto. Have launched from only one ramp which is not significantly steep and has no slime, maybe a little sand. Hasn't even required the use of 4X4. It is of course a short wheel base and places more weight on the rear axle than a typical pickup but because of the short wheel base you have to get her farther back into the water to equal the overhang of a pick up bed. The tongue extension is essential here. I am confident a steeper ramp would be easier but may require 4X4 depending on the surface. I don't usually carry excessive tongue weight. The Jeep also get's her down the road just fine.
You could always use water ballast in the bed to enhance traction then dump it before hitting the road.
I,m pulling for you brother,
Ron
Our family tow vehicle is a 2007 Tahoe 4x4 with limited slip rear. I have never put it in 4x while towing! Someday?
ick
All this talk of towing makes me wonder how my six cylinder Dodge is going to pull a bigger boat....
I'm looking for something in the 36 foot range, so maybe 14,000 pounds? I bet I won't be backing it down the ramp!
Lost Lake,
36 footer , thats an 18 wheeler and a PeterBuilt tractor isnt it !
Lol
Glenn B.
I'm really looking hard at the Hunter 34 right now.... Maybe not this fall, maybe in the spring. I may get a CP 16 to keep here on Lost Lake and tie the Hunter up on Lake Michigan....
I know I could only pull the boat with permits and such, but I'm sure my Dodge would pull it. Remember all 6 cylinders are not alike :)
Lost lake:
Forget the Dodge, it will not do it.
I have a Cape Dory 28' and a CP 19.
My Cape Dory requires a brownell trailer with a F350 diesel to tow it. My CD is
9000 pounds in overall weight.
Now you need to think about the mast raising. Mine requires a crane to life the last into the mast step. I
just happen to use the crane to pick the whole boat off the trailer and into the water.
The Dodge is completely out of class for this boat. The Dodge either has a towing capacity of
7500 or 9000 pounds and the most important part of this is the braking system. the trailer requires
brakes.
The 6 cylinder is also out of class.
I hire professionals to move the boat because that is what they do. It costs about $600 each direction
for a 30 mile trip from ocean to home, which is the same price as storing it at the ocean in a lot,
except that I can work on it in my yard, with power and water... at the yard, I need to bring in a generator...
just one more pain-in-the-butt thing to do.
1997 Ford Expedition with HD tow package.
Tows C-P 19 boat fine. 166,000 trouble free miles.
skip.
lol...Saying the gynormous Expedition tows a CP19 fine is like say the Expedition seats two comfortably...I'd surely hope so. ;)
My 2 cents...
I own a 2001 tundra 4wd, 4.7L v-8. Tows the 23 just fine...hardly even know it's back there. 150,000 miles and going strong. Halfway home- goal is 300K! Quieter than our car, a 2004 Camry.
I like reserve power and a vehicle that doesn't break and can last 10-15 years. That's what I call being envornmentally responsible!
Bob23---vroom!
I really like to sail because it takes me away from war, politics, religion, opinions, greed, the flu, and all the other bad news. Seems we have solved the towing problems. Let's move on to something more sailing related so we can all better enjoy the wind, water, and peace.
Jeff,
Thank you for your synopsis of this errant topic - sailing is why we are here. Besides I'd rather talk politics face to face so I can use the sailor's vocabulary I wouldn't even dare to use on this forum.
I use a Jeep Wrangler with the classic straight 6 automatic and it is perfectly matched to the towing of my CP 19, AND I can put the top down - woohoo.
Here's one of those humorous things about towing that I think many of you can identify with. Remember in the early days with your first sailboat towing it home after a long day of sailing in high winds, and feeling the force of a cross wind on your vehicle making you feel like you need to drive "close to the wind", maybe tack at the left turn signal? Kind of like standing in the shower after a long day on the water and feeling like the shower is tossing around in the sea.
Ron
We've mentioned the motion part of towing, but any thoughts on stopping? I have had a few scary moments avoiding both cars and people and now keep a very long distance in front of me to stop. Brakes on my '97 4.3L v6 Chevy Blazer are new with nearly new tires, but stopping the vehicle and 3000# of boat and trailer takes a bit. Anybody have trailer brakes or recommendations.
And just another thought on sailing generally -- a biking friend of mine passed this quote on to me today:
When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day's sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay's call, ice melting and so on. This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead. I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity. But I am mentally far away from civilization. The world is breaking someone else's heart. ~Diane Ackerman
A revised and appropriate version for you all:
When I go sailing, I repeat a mantra of the day's sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, seagull's call, ice melting and so on. This helps me transcend the fishing boats, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on the wind instead. I still must abide by the rules of the water, of sailing, of areodynamics. But I am mentally far away from civilization. The world is breaking someone else's heart.
The Trailer Sailer, Owner's manual by Gregg Nestor, just got it in the mail. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 are about the road, towing and the towing vehicle, it is very helpful. Oh, Greed, I have been giving it some thought, I don't just want this year to sail, but could I have next year too! please, please, please!
Now your making sense Captain.
More sailing for everyone.
And may all be properly funded
and in good health to persue
these endeavors.
Spot-on. Captain.
skip.
I was waiting for someone to start bitch en about this very thing.
Well these off topics ought to have gone into the off topic basket at the bottom of the line of baskets.
So I have already moved three posts down into this basket so I didn't have to hear other people whine about how inappropriate this subject is. So I'll move mine down and maybe the others will also. And then I'll delete these posts up here.
Self policing. skip.
Many of the long time readers will remember the story of my dad's sale of his 27'-3" Star Boat.
Essentially a sharpie with a 3000# bulb keel hanging on the bottom.
Dad's Star sat on a cut-down four wheel truck-frame trailer with no brakes and with tie rods intact for turning the rig with the trailer's tongue.
Overall what sat in the driveway was nothing but WEIGHT!!
So naturally some kid shows up in a Nash Metropolitan black and pink convertable and hooks on.
Dad laughed. "Good luck stopping Junior." Never saw any of that again.
Potcake boy's in-line six is an excellent tractor as most in-lines will produce more torque at lower rpm's then V-8's.
The only real caution in pulling a heavy load with a 'light' duty V-8, 6 or 4 is the strain and burden on the valves. Valves tend to slam a little harder on the valve seat in the head. The valves stretch with heat and thin. And heat and burn.
As one ramps up in speed and throws caution to the wind and drives as if no trailer is attached behind the rpm creeps up.
'So' you ask?
The 'so' is; at speed the valve spends less time on the valve seat in the head, and the extra fuel [you tow something you get less milage] makes extra heat. Nothing cools the valves except spending time sitting on the valve seat in the head.
More rpm's = Less cooling time = more heat = burned valves = engine rebuild. Just keep on trucking. For the long haul keep those rpm's down and drive like you have a raw egg between your foot and the gas pedal.
Side Bar:
Any steam locomotive will out pull any diesel/electric due to the physics of 'Coefficient Expansion of Steam' As long as the steam is 'saturated steam'. There is no energy by comparison in 'super heated steam'.
Skip.