Bud Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Some of you know that I bought FOOT's GS at the UN. At that time I had a 99 Boston Green RT in the garage along with a 14 WeeStrom. Sold the Wee to a DR from Alabama. Planned on selling the RT and keeping the GS. Given the changes in our lifestyle after we buy the boat, I've decided to keep the RT instead of the GS. I really enjoyed riding the GS in Colorado, but I think overall, I will ride the RT more during the limited riding season I will have. Putting a pair of Ohlin's back on the RT. I'm happy with the decision Nancy and I have made to spend more time together enjoying something we both like. It was my idea and she is getting excited about being on the water again. We plan some weeks in Nov in the Sarasota area. Leave the boat and come home for Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year and then go back for some more in FL. Then next spring head North to Michigan and then the North Channel of Lake Huron. 6 - 8 weeks total time between the two. Hope to get a Toyota Tundra pick up to tow the boat. Rated for 7,200 lbs towing. We will be well below that and I use a weight distributing hitch as well to keep the truck level. So who knows? START or FART or something else next year? The RA Rally this year for sure. In case you don't know, I married way up when I married Nancy. She never once complained about the time I spent on the bike. She always said "have fun". I consider myself a very lucky man. See you on the road. Link to comment
Bud Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 Yes, radar on pole on the stern. Seaward 25, Yanmar 1GM10 Diesel with 2 blade prop. Link to comment
Ponch Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I would think the tundra can pull more than that. The F150s are rated as high as 11000. That said, that boat doesn't weigh that much. My brother got a F150 and tows a 26' boat that probably weighs between 6-7k lbs and he says he doesn't have any problems doing so. With his 1995 Yukon he did. Link to comment
realshelby Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Nice boat! We go to an RV park that overlooks the marina. I can sit and watch the sailboats in there through the window. While I have owned several boats, I had never considered a sailboat. Kind of think they would be a challenge, but one best served when I have more free time... I have done a LOT of towing and if that boat is around 7500 lbs it will be towable by 1/2 ton pickups. AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A FACTORY TOW RATING THAT MUCH OR MORE! Some older ones will not. Tow rating is a lot more than "the engine will pull it". Braking, frame strength, etc. Frequency of towing will be a factor. You just about have to get a 4 wheel drive to pull that rig out of the boat ramps. If you plan to tow long distances, then one of the trucks with a high tow rating will handle that boat better. Rear axle ratio is usually better for taking off in these trucks for instance. I checked online for that boats weight while towing. Looks like it is over the 7,200 lbs you mention above. Link to comment
Bud Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 Nice boat! We go to an RV park that overlooks the marina. I can sit and watch the sailboats in there through the window. While I have owned several boats, I had never considered a sailboat. Kind of think they would be a challenge, but one best served when I have more free time... I have done a LOT of towing and if that boat is around 7500 lbs it will be towable by 1/2 ton pickups. AS LONG AS THEY HAVE A FACTORY TOW RATING THAT MUCH OR MORE! Some older ones will not. Tow rating is a lot more than "the engine will pull it". Braking, frame strength, etc. Frequency of towing will be a factor. You just about have to get a 4 wheel drive to pull that rig out of the boat ramps. If you plan to tow long distances, then one of the trucks with a high tow rating will handle that boat better. Rear axle ratio is usually better for taking off in these trucks for instance. I checked online for that boats weight while towing. Looks like it is over the 7,200 lbs you mention above. This is the 5th Seaward 25 that we have towed. I don't know where you looked but your numbers are incorrect. Boat is 3,600 per designer, trailer is 1,000 that 4,600. Add 500 for gear and we are at 5,100. Much less than the 7,200 factory tow rating. I've towed sailboats all over the country for thousands of miles. There is no doubt that the Tundra will work for this application. Link to comment
realshelby Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I done a search on a 25'sailboat weight. I checked again and it was not a Seaward, but was a center console powerboat! My bad! But you still want to weigh your towed equipment when you can. Most are towing more than they think. Exceeding tow ratings can be taking unnecessary risks, especially if sued after an accident. Here is a report I found that might be close to what you have: "The forum discussion of the weight of the SeaWard 25 has left me baffled. So I did some investigation to determine the weight of the empty boat. First, I weighed my truck, boat and trailer at a Certified Truck Scale. It came to 13,600-lbs. This weight included a full tank of fuel in the truck. I then dropped off the boat and weighted my RAM 2500 – twice, with a full tank of fuel on a Certified Truck Scale. The weight came in at 7820-lbs with 4600-lbs on the front axle, I expect owing to the heavy Cummins Diesel engine. My boat was lifted on slings for some bottom painting which left me with the free Performance trailer. I took the boat trailer to the Certified Truck Scale, unhitched it, and weighed it by itself. It came in at 1140-lbs much to my surprise. Didn’t look that heavy. So, by subtraction, the SeaWard 25 without fuel, water, gear, food, etc. weighs in at 4640-lbs. The weight of the empty boat and trailer then totals 5780-lbs. So the previous discussions that state one should be ready for a 6500-lbs towing weight seems reasonable. The implications are that a Class C wheel and tire combination would be advised. Of course, hitch, brakes and the like have to be selected accordingly." Link to comment
Bud Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 I understand completely. I've scaled every boat we have ever towed on the state certified scale 4 miles away from here. Most people who tow stuff never run it across the scale and they don't know what they are pulling. My experience with sailboats has been that the total weight, boat, trailer and gear is at least 1,000 lbs more than people think. You can add junk to a boat quickly, the boat builder builds heavy boats (in one case we had a boat that weighed 1K over design weight and that was with all tanks empty, water, fuel and waste. Scary and the builder was losing money, boats cost by the pound of material. I'm curious. Do you have a link to the post your quoted? Certainly right on regarding load range C tires. D's wouldn't be overkill. But I've told you nothing that you don't already know. The whole thing has to be considered a system. All parts have to be up to the job. IMO trailer brakes are often the weakest link. Heck, a lot of people don't even know when their trailer brakes aren't even working. Link to comment
Bud Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 The best laid plans................. I did a lot of investigative work this morning and determined that the trailer included with the boat was inadequate. I would have to buy a brand new trailer, designed with sufficient capacity that I would never worry, and it was going to be over $4K. Therefore I'm passing on buying the boat. However, the search continues............................. Link to comment
realshelby Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Well, not all is lost. Your post got me to researching more on sailboats. Hadn't really given much thought to trailering them. But it really does make sense to be able to do that so I can do my own maintenance, repair, upgrades here at home. Unless you are going full time, the 38 footers are a bit too much overall......... I do like what I read about the Seaward built units. Link to comment
Huzband Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 That's a nice looking hole in the water you got there, Bud. Link to comment
Bud Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Well, not all is lost. Your post got me to researching more on sailboats. Hadn't really given much thought to trailering them. But it really does make sense to be able to do that so I can do my own maintenance, repair, upgrades here at home. Unless you are going full time, the 38 footers are a bit too much overall......... I do like what I read about the Seaward built units. They are interesting niche boats. Always overpriced compared to their competition. Not particularly fast, not that good to windward either. But the looks are the deal maker. Every boat, just like every motorcycle, is a compromise. DAMHIK But keeping them on a trailer has the advantages you listed above. Plus you can see a lot more of the country. Link to comment
Bud Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Sunday I told Nancy that someone would call this week with just the boat for which we have been looking. Happened today. Leaving tomorrow early to seal the deal. Woo Hoo Link to comment
Bud Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 That's a nice looking hole in the water you got there, Bud. Thanks. Didn't want a big hole because it takes more $ to fill it up! Link to comment
Whip Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 When were you in Colorado? Link to comment
JohnnyJ Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 I've got the bug for another sailboat. I owned a J-24 for years, too much draft to be a practical trailer sailer. I really like the seaward, but I think it would be too much boat for my needs. I will be in Portland Oregon next month and I was considering checking this out. http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2009/Com-Pac-Horizon-Cat-2857072/Portland/OR/United-States#.VemxCiVViko Any experience or opinions of Com-Pac? Johnny J Link to comment
Bud Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 I've got the bug for another sailboat. I owned a J-24 for years, too much draft to be a practical trailer sailer. I really like the seaward, but I think it would be too much boat for my needs. I will be in Portland Oregon next month and I was considering checking this out. http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2009/Com-Pac-Horizon-Cat-2857072/Portland/OR/United-States#.VemxCiVViko Any experience or opinions of Com-Pac? Johnny J Com-Pac has a good reputation. Their folding mast makes them very attractive for people who trailer their boats a lot. There are a lot of sailboats for sale on the web. Seems to be a buyers market right now. The one in the link looks good but seems to be on the high end price wise for that year. Link to comment
Bud Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 When were you in Colorado? My riding buddy and I were there in July. Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 While we are on the boating subject, I have been drooling over something like this lately. Link to comment
Bud Posted September 17, 2015 Author Share Posted September 17, 2015 While we are on the boating subject, I have been drooling over something like this lately. Great! Something big enough to bring along your BMWST friends for a 3 hour cruise. Link to comment
Oldironken Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 OK, so it's not a boat. But, it is what i bought instead of a new RT. Not a boat, or an RT Link to comment
Bud Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 Well that's cool (pun intended). Does it have a Yanmar motor? Link to comment
Oldironken Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Kubota - 3 cylinder diesel, .9-ish liter, water cooled Link to comment
lkraus Posted September 19, 2015 Share Posted September 19, 2015 Kubota - 3 cylinder diesel, .9-ish liter, water cooled And as durable as the Rock of Gibraltar. Bought my Kubota B2400 seventeen years ago; only expenses have been for fuel, filters, fluids and one battery. I cannot think of another purchase that has been so satisfying. Link to comment
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