trailering

[Chuck]

Hi, I am a new member and with a new boat.  I have lots of questions, but will start with the best way of trailering with the mast tied down.  I saw one picture where a piece of 2x6 is tied down to the pulpit so that the mast is away from the companionway and that looks like a good idea, but wonder what strain that puts on the pulpit.  Any and all ideas are more than welcome.  Also, I am thinking of putting a keel stop on the trailer board to stop the boat from going ahead if the trucks brakes are applied hard.  The bow stop on my trailer leaves much to be desired, and caused a hole to be worn into the bow.  I am replacing that with a homemade rig that will swivel and contact the bow in two places with rubber stops.  Also while the mast is down, I want to install a vhf antenna.  I have chosen the sheakspeare 3 foot stainless steel one from westmarine but haven't purchased yet, a good choice??  Any mounting and wire routing info will help me.  Thanks, Chuck

[Steve Ullrich]

Welcome Chuck.  Be sure and post which model you are towing as there could be different issues depending on how big she is.

The pulpit should be able to easy handle the weight of the mast. Keeping the weight off the companionway is a good plan. You can scratch it up or worse. Keeping the mast's weight off the hatch will be important when stepping the mast as well. That is where a mast crutch comes in handy.  A mast crutch is also nice for trailering as it gives you a tie down aft that helps keep the mast off the coach roof. Be sure and tie your shrouds and halyards to the mast so they down whip around in transit.  Check your turnbuckles before transit.  Be sure they can't vibrate lose or drop off on the road, that can be a bummer.  Mine are taped to the shrouds... They can't vibrate lose and taping them reduces chafe on the jib sheets.  I had a keel stop on my Hunter 23 for a while.  I ended up taking it off, it was problematic.  Depending on the ramp angle I could haul her out to find that the tip of the keel was on top of the stop instead of behind it. You really don't need it with a well positioned bow roller/stop.  A couple of good ratcheting tie downs will keep her from shifting forward when you brake.  Have a reputable trailer shop repack your bearings and check your tires and wiring before you try hauling her very far.  Check the bolts holding your axle to your trailer.  I had those fail once... horrible experience, at least it was expensive. Check all the bolts for that matter, replace anything that is a rusted mess that could fail and wreck something. Check the bolts holding the bunks up for that matter, but wait until the boat is in the water before replacing those, if you even need to! If you do replace those, do them one at a time to make sure you don't change where the bunks are located and be sure they are really tight before putting a load on them again.

Hi, I am a new member and with a new boat.  I have lots of questions, but will start with the best way of trailering with the mast tied down.  I saw one picture where a piece of 2x6 is tied down to the pulpit so that the mast is away from the companionway and that looks like a good idea, but wonder what strain that puts on the pulpit.  Any and all ideas are more than welcome.  Also, I am thinking of putting a keel stop on the trailer board to stop the boat from going ahead if the trucks brakes are applied hard.  The bow stop on my trailer leaves much to be desired, and caused a hole to be worn into the bow.  I am replacing that with a homemade rig that will swivel and contact the bow in two places with rubber stops.  Also while the mast is down, I want to install a vhf antenna.  I have chosen the Shakespeare 3 foot stainless steel one from westmarine but haven't purchased yet, a good choice??  Any mounting and wire routing info will help me.  Thanks, Chuck

[kchunk]

Howdy Chuck!

We have over 2000 miles towing our 23 and up until the last time I towed her, I just lashed the mast to the bow and stern rails. The rails are plenty strong. The last time I moved the boat I used a 2X4 in a similar way as you describe. On the 2x4 on the stern rail I mounted a 5" bow roller. This allows me to easily roll the mast forward or aft as I'm getting ready to raise the mast or moving it into position to trailer it. On the bow, I just use a shorter 2X4. IMO, it's easier to lash a 2X4 across the rails and then lash the mast to the 2X4. One of my concerns while trailering was braking hard and having the mast slide forward. Now the mast is very secure.

Your bow stop sounds like a good idea. When your boat is on the trailer it surely needs to be on something that will prevent it from moving further forward.

I replaced my masthead antenna with a Shakespear about a year and a half ago. I cant remember for sure which one, but I ordered it from the internet. I usually buy most of my marine stuff from Defender.com, their stock is great and their prices are very competitive and usually way better then West Marine. Make sure your antenna has a bracket for mounting to a sailboat mast and also make sure your antenna isn't going to interfere with a windex or any other mast top mounted equipment.

Do you have an antenna atop the mast right now? If not, you'll need to run the coax from the radio up the mast and you'll need a disconnect mounted to the cabin top adjascent to your mast. IMO, spend the money on the connectors. Your most likely source of failure in the future will be corrosion in crappy coax connectors. Also, consider possibly securing your coax within the mast. It's not that big of a deal, but some folks will secure the coax and other wiring running up the mast to prevent it from chafing as the boat rocks and also keep the mast quiet.

Feel free to post any additional questions. I've had my 23 for almost 2 years and we've been through a lot together.

--Greg

[kchunk]

Chuck, here's the antenna I bought:

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|344|302025|320647|321064&id=70959

Defender.com $34.99

West Marine $67.99

No brainer there.

[brackish]

Chuck,

I just finished installing a VHF, Masthead antenna, RG-8x coax between the two, and converted a standard Windex to operate with the masthead antenna on my 23/IV.  What boat do you have?

Frank

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck again.  I have a com-pac23, 2001,new to me.  I plan to use seatbelt material to wrap around the mast and then put the shrouds in and wrap around again.  My first plan was to use velcro, but to get the boat home at season end I will finish the wrap with duct tape.   Every three feet or so should keep everything from moving too much.  Thanks for the turnbuckle info and the mast support.  Do you get any sway or bounce in the middle of the mast when it is lashed forward and aft?   I'm not sure how to get the coax into the mast at the top yet, but a long time ago read what looks like a neat trick to stop mast noise and chafing.  You use plastic cable ties that are long enough to leave a good length of tail, and put one every two to three feet along the coax.  The idea is that the tail of the cable tie keeps the wire away from the mast wall.  All the antenna work will be done at season end.  I am looking at one of the smaller radios.  There is no sense reinventing the wheel so I would like to know where others have mounted their radios, why and what changes they would make.  This forum is great for new owners, and I appreciate any help I get.  Thanks, Chuck

[Steve Ullrich]

Hi Chuck,

I didn't see much bend in the center of the mast on my Hunter 23 when supported fore and aft. I don't remember seeing any but there might have been a little. I have the CP-16 mast supported at the bow and coach roof and don't see any bend in it when trailering but it is much shorter.  You might not want to use duct tape on your mast.  The tape residue will attract dirt and will look pretty ugly down the road.  Use short lengths of line or small bungie cords instead... less clean up down the road.

Steve

Hi Chuck again.  I have a com-pac23, 2001,new to me.  I plan to use seatbelt material to wrap around the mast and then put the shrouds in and wrap around again.  My first plan was to use velcro, but to get the boat home at season end I will finish the wrap with duct tape.   Every three feet or so should keep everything from moving too much.  Thanks for the turnbuckle info and the mast support.  Do you get any sway or bounce in the middle of the mast when it is lashed forward and aft?   I'm not sure how to get the coax into the mast at the top yet, but a long time ago read what looks like a neat trick to stop mast noise and chafing.  You use plastic cable ties that are long enough to leave a good length of tail, and put one every two to three feet along the coax.  The idea is that the tail of the cable tie keeps the wire away from the mast wall.  All the antenna work will be done at season end.  I am looking at one of the smaller radios.  There is no sense reinventing the wheel so I would like to know where others have mounted their radios, why and what changes they would make.  This forum is great for new owners, and I appreciate any help I get.  Thanks, Chuck