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| Original trailer with stock (tiny) towbar |
Before any work started on 'The Rise' I needed to construct or acquire a trailer to move the boat around. For the Everglades Challenge in '07 we used SOS' Hobie 18 trailer with some 2x4 cross-members to haul both 'The Rise' and 'The Fall' on one trailer, with the amas and akas in a pile between the hulls. After the race, the trailer went back to beach-cat duty, and the hulls were trailerless again. I considered a couple options for building a new trailer. Eventually I decided to get the
Northern Tool 4' Trailer and modify it to suit my needs. This would give me the all important Certificate of Origin to enable the trailer to be properly titled and registered.
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| Wa'apa trailer with MEGA towbar |
The first step in modifying the trailer was to extend the towbar from the stock 5' to about 13.5'. This would place the CG of the boat slightly ahead of the axles to give the correct tongue weight. The trailer would probably have been lighter and stiffer if I used a pair of load bearing bars spaced apart vertically (a simple truss), but I didn't have a welder or the desire to overcomplicate things.The simplest solution was to use a single towbar strong enough to carry the loads. So the towbar was promoted from a 2.25"x2.5" partially closed U section with 1/8" walls to a 2.5" square section with 3/8" walls. I found a local steel supplier and bought a 20' stick of the desired section and had them cut it to the right length.
Once the trailer frame was built I could load the boat and figure out how to lash on the 'extra stuff': mast, boom, sail, crossbeams (akas), outriggers (amas), etc. The boat is so narrow the outriggers could be lashed beside the boat on the trailer's tiny 40" width. All the long skinny stuff just got lashed on top of the boat. I probably have a photo of the 'travel' configuration somewhere but I can't find it right now, so here is a picture of 'The Rise' on the trailer ready to launch at Washington Sailing Marina in DC.
You can see that I haven't put any effort into making wood/carpet bunks for the boat to slide on. Right now the boat sits right on the trailer frame. I've found that everything looks OK when the boat is sitting on the trailer or driving but there is nothing to help the boat slide on/and off when launching or recovering. That's something I plan to fix in the next month.
I am looking at building an nearly identical version of this (for a canoe - with tee-posts so the canoe can ride upside down).
ReplyDeleteHow does this trailer ride?? Do you find a lot of sway (or fishtailing) with the longer length??
Thanks for sharing your experience!!
Hey! Sorry for the long delay.
DeleteI haven't had any negative issues with the ride of the trailer. The heavier / longer tow bar places the weight of the trailer well forward of the wheels, which is the most important thing for keeping any trailer from swaying. For 17 foot canoe the tow bar will probably need to be about 10-ish feet so that the center of the boat is just slightly ahead of the wheels. Don't forget to figure in clearance to bolt on the hitch assembly and clear the tailgate of your car / truck with the canoe loaded… Have fun!
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