Trailering to Florida

[Clambaron]

I am considering trailering my boat to Florida this winter. My truck is an F-250 and my boat is a Boston Whaler 23 Walkaround. The overall length is 27' . My trailer is three years old . Everything works, brakes, lights etc. Am I reaching hauling this boat for the distance ? I would rather use my own boat instead of renting one while we are there. Thanks. We are going from Cape Cod.

Edited October 23, 2009 by JLimb

[ScarabChris]

Uhhhh......yeah you have plenty of truck for that boat. Hell I would pull a 36 footer with that truck.

[vacast]

no doubt - you have more than enough truck. Just make sure your trailer is as road ready as you think it is, and carry spare trailer parts like maybe a spare hub with bearings and all greased up up ready for a quick swap if you have a roadside problem, and of course spare tires.

[triumphrick]

I think if that were me I would pull the hubs and replace the seals. Cheap insurance. If they were to start leaking and you weren't able to notice the grease running down the inside of the tire, you could lose a bearing.

The truck should be fine towing that rig. The trip down 95 is pretty routine. Take some breaks along the way and don't be in a hurry.

Enjoy your trip!

[welder]

What motor and gears are ya running ?

And as said above , it's all about the trailer.

[dave11]

I have a similar size boat and tow it with an F250 with the V10 engine. No problem at all.

[auguste]

Brought my boat 34 ft and 10 ft beam from Canada down to the OBX in NC with an F350 (heavier springs, thats the only difference) and I had no problems keeping a good speed

I agree with above, do all the seals and bearings on the trailer wheels, and get the fittings so that you can grease them with a grease gun rather than taking them apart

Carry at least one good quality spare tire and one spare set of bearings

Make sure you have a good hydraulic jack and some wooden blocks and a good X wrench in case you get a flat tire . . . BRING safety flares, lots of them to put on the road if you need to fix a flat

Make sure your chains from the trailer to the boat are 3 times bigger than you really need

Add extra time for your trip and drive in a relaxed mode

Safe trailering

[leelindsay]

You should be fine with the truck. Do everything above and carry plenty of tools and 2 spare tires.

If any of your tires are showing wear on the edges your axles may need aligned. Around town it will be fine but you can wear out tires in a hurry in just several hundred miles. You could wind up needing new tires part way through the trip.

Also if you have Sea Tow or Boat US get their trailer roadside insurance, its cheap and it may come in handy if something drastic happens. Thats a long haul, take your time, stop often and check your trailer condition. Check your hubs for excessive heat.

Have a good safe trip.

[triumphrick]

You should be fine with the truck. Do everything above and carry plenty of tools and 2 spare tires.

If any of your tires are showing wear on the edges your axles may need aligned. Around town it will be fine but you can wear out tires in a hurry in just several hundred miles. You could wind up needing new tires part way through the trip.

Also if you have Sea Tow or Boat US get their trailer roadside insurance, its cheap and it may come in handy if something drastic happens. Thats a long haul, take your time, stop often and check your trailer condition. CHECK YOUR HUBS FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT

Have a good safe trip.

The hubs should be warm to the touch. If you cannot put your hand or palms on them, somethings wrong...

[bly]

The hubs should be warm to the touch. If you cannot put your hand or palms on them, somethings wrong...

I have pulled boat trailers for years to FL. and hatteras N.C and back to N.J. As all have said the trailer is the most important worry. and the bearings are the problem because the get a bath in salt water to often I guess? As said above the bearings and maybe a second spare tire? You dont need a lot of tools to do bearings on the road? but you do need a few important ones.