Trailering a CD 28

[Seaweed2]

I have stewed about this all summer and of course now I am coming down to the wire. My marina wants over $1000 a winter just to store the boat outside on a cradle with the mast up. It is about an hour away and not very accessible to work on during those nice fall and spring days when it is out of the water. A custom trailer for my 28 is a bit over $8000. It will essentially be built for a CD 28. My plan is to build a cradle and attach it to a utility trailer that carries 14000#. I have seen this a few times but wonder if anyone has any pertinent comments as to the wisdom of this. In a few years I may even wish to trailer it south 1000 miles. I can purchase a 20 foot trailer for $5000 that will be available for me to use during the summer when the boat is in the water. It also has the advantage of being easier to sell than a custom sailboat trailer. Thoughts?

[mgphl52]

You could also move south and sail year round?

[Jerry Hammernik]

My 28 came with a steel cradle. I put two axles (one with brakes) under it and added a tongue with a hitch for 2 5/16 ball. I've used it for almost 20 years now to bring the boat home. I have friends who did as you're thinking and put the cradle on a construction equipment trailer. It didn't end well. The issue was weight balance. You need to get the center of gravity positioned properly. I had to relocate the springs on mine to get it balanced properly.

I'm looking to stiffen the hitch end. It's a 3x4 tube toped with a 3x3 and it has more flex than I would like. On the other hand it's worked for a lot of years. I don't pull it very far each spring and fall. If I was going to take it distance I would definitely rework the front to stiffen it. It's nice to have it home in the off season.

[Seaweed2]

Two offers of good advice! Thanks very much. I have been trying to establish where the CG is on my boat from internet info to determine what length trailer I might need. The idea of moving to Florida is one reason I would like a trailer and the idea of building the cradle and then putting axles under it never occurred to me. It stores on a cradle all winter that the marina owns so I was needing to build one anyway. I could certainly put together a trailer from a cradle a whole lot cheaper than trying it the other way. That's another reason I like this forum. Keep the good ideas rollin'.

[Pembquist]

8 grand sounds really reasonable for a custom trailer. I have the same predicament, my 28 sits in the water at the marina all winter in Portland OR and as far as I can tell there are absolutely no yards where you can work on the boat yourself. I have a property about 25 miles from the water and I have thought of paying to have it moved there but the cost of haul out and put in plus the round trip move makes that a little pointless. My questions about any trailering with a boat of this size are Insurance? Tow Vehicle? There was a post here by a member who used a trailer to pull a CD 30?33? out of the water at a boat ramp and trailer it quite a distance so I think about having a trailer that could do that and it begins to make more sense, still need a big truck though.

[Seaweed2]

If this is all feasible I will be trading up from 3/4 ton pick up to 1 ton to be certain it will handle the load. Current truck also plows my driveway in the winter and is due for replacement. The marina can set my boat on the cradle for a fee ($150)and they have another fee for stepping the mast first (around $400!!!although it includes restepping). I work to enjoy the boat, not to keep the marina owner in fine clothes! Winter storage outside is $1064 which includes launching in spring if I keep it at their slip. A shrink wrap costs around $400. So if I step the mast and keep it at the marina then I will be spending close to $2000 for just the winter.
I am concerned that no-one else has replied about having used a cradle on a flat deck trailer. I have seen pictures of boats loaded this way. Anyone with any details on the wisdom of this choice? Cradle will be secured to trailer deck and boat will be secured to trailer for transport. The marina moves the boat to the storage yard while in the cradle.
Life goes on!

[RC James]

http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread. ... ght=cradle
--A lengthy thread, but the first few pages concern this thread. After reading thru it, I'm doubly glad to own a fiberglass boat, but do love looking at old wooden ladies--

Spent some time in the interweb, and came up with someone else's idea.....
Just going to throw this out there..... a solution that might be easier. Steel Cradle w/Rollers, Lifted to a tilting flatbed trailer (or Winched up a tow-trailer) and deposited in your yard. The steel cradle wouldn't have as much of a tendency to work loose on a road trip--- wood would flex and need constant attention.

Costs-$$ on Cradle, 2 recurring flatbed tows each season, plus marina lift in&out each season.

Just thought we'd keep the thread going.

RC

[yankeefan]

For the money you're considering, check out Triad Trailers in Raleigh, NC. I bought a fully loaded float-off trailer for my CD25 last year for about $6200. Mike (owner) has been designing and building trailers for Cape Dory boats a long time and knows how to balance the loads correctly. I hauled boat/trailer several hundred miles to its new home and the trailer performed great.
One more thing, keep hope alive that you can find an F250 or HD pickup for a reasonable price. Last year for the move, I also bought a '99 F250 with ~148K miles for ~$5000. I put $600 into it for new brakes, service, etc.; it has been a fantastic truck making several trips to the coast from Raleigh with no issues so far.
Whatever you do, good luck. Moving to a trailer brings its own challenges, but you won't worry about your boat taking on water or high humidity/mold issues.

[moctrams]

Un-step the mast. Haul boat and pressure wash. Trailer boat home on $8000 trailer. Haul boat to marina, step mast, launch boat. I have better use of my time and $$ to waste it on that process. Let the marina keep an eye on boat over the winter and just visit a few times to insure it's OK.

[Seaweed2]

Well, after much measuring and calculating I was finally able to get a cradle built. I loaded it on my 14,000# trailer and strapped it down. My measuring was a bit off as I had planned to have the keel sit very close to the deck in order to minimize overall height. It didn't quite work as I had planned but when we turned the cradle around and blocked the boat up I was still at only 12 foot 9 inches. This morning I towed it with the boat 45 miles to my home so that I could work on it and also not have to pay storage. So glad to have it nearby. There was no problem once the boat was loaded and I will have the use of the deck trailer during the summer while the boat is in the water. Cradle cost me $2200 for a well engineered product (other than a few measurements!). I have $5000 in the trailer purchase but have already used it for many other purposes. It can be done!

[tartansailor]

SURGE BRAKES?
The reason I bring this up is from sad experience.
When I backed up my boat laden trailer I forgot to insert the "back-up pin"
and as a consequence, blew out the brake cylinder seals.
The pin would have prevented that costly error.
Dick

[Seaweed2]

Electric brakes on both axles. Boat towed well and I have a lot less invested than a dedicated sailboat trailer.

[Carl Thunberg]

Nicely done! I couldn't help notice your port side aft portlight does not look original to the boat. Did a previous owner install a larger portlight to let more light in, or did Cape Dory change their portlight options over time? Just curious.

[kerrydeare]

... couldn't help notice your port side aft portlight does not look original ... did Cape Dory change their portlight options over time? ...

Short answer: yes. The original CD 28 boats had plastic ports with three (3) similar oval designs forward and a larger rectangular job aft. Over time a few owners re-fitted their older boats with bronze versions that had a similar shape but a bit more heft. In the later 1970's (I'm guessing 1976 or so) the factory switched to the more familiar oval ports all around. Of course the guy to check with was "you know who" at the factory (a quiz for the CD-ophiles).

[Seaweed2]

My Dory is a 1975 and I am pretty certain the previous owner didn't replace them. They all appear to be original. I do like the bigger window aft. I am prepared to be embarrassed, but what I have yet to figure out is: how do those chains hanging from the ceiling above each of the smaller ports with a wire at the end relate to each of the smaller windows? I would like to use them to hold open the windows but cannot figure out how that can happen!