New owner of ComPac 16 "Keep 'R Wet"

[Citroen/Dave]

Thanks, Jim!  

The new wheel bearings and tires allowed me to safely sail through the Allegheny Mountains of West Virgina on Rt I64 from Ohio.  The '06 Rav 4 Toyota automatic Front Wheel Drive pulled her through keeping 4th gear on the flats and down hill up to 55 mph.  More than 1% (estimated) grade up hill and I locked the transmission in 3rd at 50 mph. Where there were truck lanes and 5-7% grade I took to 2nd gear a couple of times with the warning lights flashing at 40 mph.  The last challenge was crossing the Blue Ridge Mountain of Virginia along the James River at 30MPH and 2 gear at times. No problems!

Salty, sorry I did not get to met you.  It took the late afternoon to secure the boat: 95 degrees out side must have been 120 degrees inside.  The Hutch Trailer was way too light at the tongue. Moving the boat on the trailer looked to put even more weight on the front roller, not a good idea to test before a long trip. I moved everything (rudder, outboard and battery)as far forward in the cabin as possible to get around 75 lbs at the tongue. (Passing trucks had almost no effect on the steering but cross winds were noticeable.) Shortened the safety chains so they did not drag. I drove to the motel exhausted.  Yesterday, under rain storms which thankfully followed me home, gave me 75-80 degree weather and occasional rain to keep things cool.

Tip: I insured everything before the purchase.

Observations:

First stop at 5 miles:  Some loose lines flapping, lights still working, turning radius fine at full turn. Loose ends of the safety chains dragging on bumps.

Second stop at 20 miles: Shackle bolt, shackle, and safety hook lost due vibration from the dragging end of shortened safety chain. (replaced with spare hitch lock.)

Third stop at 50 miles.  Starbord trailer light lost both mounting bolt nuts.  Hanging on in place by the wrap of wires. Port light with license tag holding on with one loose nut. (replaced with spare nuts from my tool box.  [ Jim had made a new light bar mounted on the deck and had probably never used the trailer since the trailer mounted lights had been replaced some years back.]

Fourth stop at 100 miles.  New tie down strap had stretched enough to have the end hooks feel loose.  Brought the hooks back around to the strap rather than a hold on the trailer  and re-tensioned the strap.

Stopped at all rest stops and rechecked every thing especially the heat of the bearings and the new tires.  Always nominally warm, but I felt better cooling them in the rain showers.

Moral of the story: always make frequent stops and recheck everything pulling a purchased boat on a trailer, especially if it is used and you did not fix and or repare it your self.  Even if it is your faithful boat and trailer that you fixed and repaired yourself, don't trust past history. Make those safety stops and checks!

Now I get to scrub her down and give her a good wax job.  As soon as I get the paper work done and a new license plate, I might even get a chance to test out the "tip of the hat" and go sailing.  Life is good!

I'm thinking of renaming her "Slow Dancing" after the actor Rip Torn as a sailing instructor in the movie Summer Rental.

[kearns]

Welcome to the group!  I noticed your comment about the Hutch trailer and I completely agree.  I towed my "new" boat from Bloomington, IN to Pittsburgh, PA in a winter storm back in January and it was a long and stressful trip with the trailer swaying constantly on the back of my Subaru.  I too had moved as much equipment forward as possible, but those trailers are horribly designed and far too light at the hitch and also they have far too much flex.  I ended up having some repair work on the rear suspension of the car, which I attribute to that long trip with a horrible trailer.  Thankfully, I don't tow a lot, but I am considering making some some sort of attachment to hold my outboard motor to add another 50 lbs or so to the front along with the spare tire and just about anything else I can move forward.

Kevin

[Salty19]

Glad you picked up that boat.  I guess I'm back to a one Compac marina again!

I would suggest wetsanding and compounding your boat before polishing and waxing.  It's oxidized so the wax is not going to apply or remove easily.  Plus it will look much better.
Aside from that, and I don't know what the interior looks like, it's a darn nice little boat you picked up.

I agree on the safety stops. I usually stop every hour or so to check everything over (hitch tight, bearings/tires not hot, straps tight, lights on--what else am I missing?).  I also make sure the mast, outboard and anchor is secure and check over the tow vehicle real quick (tire inflation, temp guage, leaks at engine, transmission, differential and shocks).   During that time I let the engine idle to reduce tranny temps as the tranny oil circulates through the radiator.  Takes 5-10 minutes but worth the stop. At gas stations I'll check the engine oil and look around under the hood for leaks or anything obvious that's wrong.  These stops also reduce driver stress--not only do you get a break but the confidence knowing everything appears OK helps the stress level too. 

Before each season I check all the bolts on the trailer, get underneath to look for rust, lube the bearings (Superlube bearings make this real easy), check lights and check the hitch lever (the lever which contains the ball within the hitch). 

Also if it's raining, those nylon straps stretch like crazy--they will need readjustment.  Check them again before they are dry (as they'll be too tight now)

An ounce of preventtion is worth a pound of cure when it comes to towing trailers!

[Salty19]

P.S. Did you get the chance to board Island Time to compare righting moment?  Big difference here between the 16 and 19.

[wes]

Agree about the tongue weight issue with a 19 and the Hutch trailer (mine is 1988). I ended up shifting the winch post as far forward as I could, so the aft end of the keel was about 2"-3" from slipping off the aft roller. This improved matters quite a bit. It's still not ideal, but I think I have about 150 lbs on the trailer hitch and the ride is much more secure - a lot less wiggling around back there. But I still don't dare stand at the transom end of the cockpit unless the trailer is hitched to my truck. Had a couple of scary moments doing that, and learned my lesson.

Wes

[kickingbug1]

    i cant say anything bad about my "majic tilt trailer. it is as straight as a string at 70 mph. i tow with a s-10 extra cab. maybe the extra wheelbase is a plus. i know that towing with an old bronco two wasnt near as stable.