Bigger Trailer Tire Question

[wmswart]

Gil and others - have you had trouble with your hutch trailer?  Besides a couple of bent roller shafts, my '84 hutch trailer is running quite well.  No sign of excess wear (I'm pretty sure the bearings are original).  I will probably make a roller bunk this fall or next spring to distribute the weight a bit better and ease the launch/retriefve process, but that's about all the complaints I have at this point.

I biggest problem I've had with with the local folks I bought my 12" rims from - they keep selling me "slightly" bent rims and, although they claim the are just fine, I worry about excess wear on my berings.  It appears that I have been trailering my boat increasing distances as my kids get older - I'd like to tow her down to Pensacola over spring break next year, so this has begun to consern me more and more.  Trailering a couple times a year probably won't matter - it's the longer trips I worry about.

Again, though, that's not an integral part of the hutch trailer, but rather an upgrade I've done.  The trailer itself seems sound enough.  What problems have others run into ...

[mikemak]

Bill - What modifications did you have to do to your trailer to get 12 inch rims on it?  You mentioned your website, what is the address?  Thanks for your help.

Mike.

[Craig]

Bill,

I have a 1980 trailer with everything original, except the bearings which the PO replaced, I added bearing buddies, new tires, and I went from the wire cable to a strap on the winch.  I have no complaints about the Hutch trailer.  

Craig

[wmswart]

Mike - all I did to add the 12" tires was raise the fenders.  All it took was removing the fender, drilling two new holes on the trailer frame to move the bracket a bit higher, and reinstalling the fender.  I probably wouldn't have had to this, but decided that a bit more clearance between the fender bolt head and the tire would be a good idea - didn't want to hit a pothole and have the bolt head under the fender rip into the tire.

Craig - good to hear.  I also need to replace my winch - the cable is beginning to fray.  did you replace the whole winch or just replace the cable with a strap?  If you replaced the winch, what weight rating did you buy and how do you like it?  I know a 16 weighs around 1100lbs, but I wasn't sure if I needed more than a 1500lb trailer winch.  What did you use?

[wmswart]

Mike - the url for my website is:  

http://faculty.augie.edu/~swart/CP-16/GracePeriod.htm

I should also add that I was able to buy 12" rims with a 5 bolt pattern that fit the hub - I think they call it a 12x4 hub, and I think it's pretty standard.

[Gil Weiss]

I have not had any problems with my 1990 Hutch trailer. I did replace the keel roller shafts and rollers as the shafts came bent from the previous owner. So far my new ones are OK. I had the dealer replace the actual hitch as it was pretty well rusted out. Since the tires were bad I replaced them too last year but then I became aware of the B vs C rating issue. I just got the C tires as mentioned above. It bothered me to have exceeded the load ratings on the B tires but it never was a problem. I am going to replace the upper two 6' carpeted bunks this year. These only seem to touch my boat in one spot since they do not really curve to the hull shape. I only trailer about 100 miles each year total but I still don't want any problems so this is why I am trying to keep the trailer in good shape.

Has anyone ever used the tilt feature? I was told not too somewhere along the line. I have used this with other boats and it was a big help in some situations.

I would be happier with a slightly more heavy duty trailer that provided some more boat support both to the keel and hull sides, but it does appear that these Hutch trailers do the job as originally configured.

[wmswart]

Hey Gil - my trailer doesn't have the tilt function, so i can't speak to that.  I have a friend with a Tanzer 16 on a tilt trailer, it works well for him but his boat is MUCH lighter (maybe 500 pounds).

If your bunk boards only touch the hull in one spot, you might want to raise them a bit.  Mine bend to the shape of the hull so that only the fore and aft of the boards don't touch the hull - maybe an inch or two max fore and aft.  Perhaps you're not getting the support you need from the bunkboards.

Finally, I wanted to say thanks again for cutting me a deal on your rubrail.  Now that I finally have it installed (what a pain), it really looks good.  i'm working on a page for my website that will detail the problems/solutions I encountered in installing them.

Gotta run - hope you have some nice fall sailing - and nice pics of your boat in the photos section!!

Bill

[Gil Weiss]

Hi Bill,

I am glad the rub rail worked out for you. It did seem like a bit tricky to cut, drill and install the ends, especially up forward under the pulpit rail. I was glad my old rub rail is still OK.

We had some great sialing last weekend and this coming one looks good too. Remnants of the hurricane are passing through here later today as heavy rains. Last year I pulled my boat out in mid September due to a potential hurricane that fizzled before it hit here. I hope the storms stay away as I would like to stay in the water until atleast mid October. (I don't have the rub rail and scupper sealing projects to deal with this year)

I am replacing the two upper bunks on my trailer as the originals are somewhat warped, the carpet is not the best and they are very stiff. Perhaps I'll raise the new ones a bit to allow the hull to settle in better. The ComPac dealer where I bought my boat said that all the bunks do is provide support at pretty nuch one spot to keep the boat upright. As you know, all the weight is on two of the three keel rollers.

What is fall sailing like out your way?

[wmswart]

Gil - we did some great family sailing in August - quite a bit more this summer than last, which is a very good thing.  It's amazing what a difference a year has made in my kids attention span and interest in sailing - dramatic improvement.  My boys (3 and 5 years old) love to "help" me with the tiller and have taken to repeating commands.  This past weekend my 5 year old asked me again what "helm's alee" meant - I was thrilled.

Not sure how much family sailing we'll get to from here on out.  I have one in kindergarten and my wife just started graduate school, so she's going to have to be studying most weekends.  I wanted to get out solo this week, but it's been too windy for single handing (sustained winds to 20mph or more).  Maybe next week, but certianly a few times as the leaves turn.

[Gil Weiss]

Hi Bill,

The sailing you did this summer sounds great. We took our 2 yr 8 month grandson out twice and he liked it too. Yhe first time he took over the tiller after we left the marina and did about 17 cirlcles (luckily boat traffic was minmal). Then I said lets make sail and shut off the motor. He "go fast, go fast" obviously wanting the motor back on. But after we raised the sails and started to move he was fine sailing.

We have great weather for both today and tomorrow so Carole and I plan on doing our share of sailing this weekend. This summer the weather here has allowed us to use our boat every weekend since mother;s Day, when we launched. Most of the wekends allowed sailing on both Sat and Sunday, so despite the abnormal rain fall (during the week) it has been one of our best sailing summers here.

[wmswart]

Every weekend, huh?  Man, that sounds nice -- something to shoot for in years to come, I guess.  I've been wanting to get out on a weekday and do some single handing for about a week or so, but every time I have a window of opportunity, the winds are too strong for me to launch and retrieve alone.  This coming week looks to be a bit better - this strong ridge of high pressure (brining 20+ mph winds from the south) should move out and bring cooler, drier, and less gusty conditions.  Meantime, I've been upgrading my webiste, which I hope to have finished in a couple of days.

Best,

[Gil Weiss]

Hi Bill,

Well, we thought last summer was good, but this year beat it, both on sailing fun and our usual two weeks at the Jersey shore. Best Summer Yet!
We had a great weekend here. A little light on wind but enough to sail and very pleasant conditions overall. Lots of ComPac sailors out too. Delightful . . .it was hard to get back to work here today  -I could have gone back to the lake.

I have single handed my ComPac a few times but I prefer company. I will say that since we got the CP16 we sure sail much more than when we had the GP-14. I like keels and stiff stable boats. 20+ wind can be stressful but the CP's will take it in stride. A week ago Saturday it was a blowin' here.

I forget if you trailer sail or keep your boat in the water? I will check out your website.