Overland Transport - Modifying Trailers - Pearson 26

[John Getchell]

Hi Folks,I'm new here, so please bear with me, and thanks in advance for any info. you can provide! I'm the proud, most recent owner of a 1979 Pearson 26. I need to pull her out of the water and move her to effect some repairs and maintenance. I have a trailer (originally designed to carry a 26' cabin cruiser) which I have already modified to carry a 26' bilge keeled Snapdragon sailboat. (turned it into a flat-bed - the Snapdragon is a tripod)Does anyone have any recommendation with regard to modifying this trailer to carry my Pearson 26? Shoud I just use boat stands and straps? I've been told that designs are out there that provide for a custom-built cradle which conform in a practical way to the specs. of the hull.......does anyone have experience in this regard? I am a highly competent wood and metal worker, so I would rather do the work myself - I'm just at a bit of a loss as to how to procceed without re-inventing the wheel so to speak.Thanks! John Getchell aka Ginger Breadman gingerbreadman62@adelphia.net

[santansastrugi]

just make adjustable stands . rest the deel on the trailer and thread the stands upwards for support. be careful of transducer and distribute stands to support weight. have bow stop. and strap down and haul off. i hauled a cal 25 from wintrop harbor to murfreesboro arkansas on a homemade trailer. no problem.

[santansastrugi]

pearson 26...nice boat. i have a 303 and love it. by the way i meant keel instead of deel

[santansastrugi]

to tie it off.... lide in a slip... to the trailer tie stern to bow and bow to stern and every other which way you can imagine

[Ginger Breadman]

Thanks Santansastrugi,I had a feeling that was going to be the solution, but it is reassuring to hear from someone who's already done it. So it sounds as though the only thing left for me to do is to find a good source for the adjustable boat stands. The reason for all this is that I want to pull the boat out to clean/paint/detail the hull, and having a trailer, it makes more sense for me take her home as opposed to paying yard fees. I'll pay to have her pulled out regardless of where I do the work!Again, thanks! John G.

[bffatcat]

Ive got a P26 that Ive hauled back and forth from my yard to the harbor for the last 8 years Ive got a home made heavy eye beam trailer with a slot for the keel and a steel shoe on the bottom for the keel to rest on. Works ok no problems. The boat sits high and rocks around a little when being moved but its secure. I wouldnt move the boat more than a couple of miles very slowly if youplan to use jack stands. You said your a competent wood worker. Build a solidcradle for the boat and thru bolt it to the flat bed. Once the boat is securedon the cradle you will be able to move it without problems

[Ginger Breadman]

Thanks bffatcat,I appreciate your input. I'm curious about the specifics of the steel shoe you built for your keel (how wide, where it is placed in relation to the center of balance on your trailer) Also, it sounds as though you might know about the hull specs. for building a cradle....that idea sounds a little safer for a longer overland trip, as you suggest. Is this what you did for your trailer?John G. (Ginger Breadman)

[Gail]

John, I see you are in K'port, and I assume that to be the one in Maine. Is there any other? :)Seeing as how you are going to have to pay to have her pulled anyway, have you considered just hiring a hauler and having him do both? If there's a launch ramp nearby, Dayton Marine or some such person may be able to haul her to your house. That's what we did with our 26 and now our P30. Saves us a lot of heartburn and trouble.

[Ginger Breadman]

Hi Gail,Thanks for the response. Last time I checked, the guy who would haul it locally (yes, K-port, Me. - if there's another I'd love to know about it!) wanted an awful lot of money (I think it was close to $400.00 for a 4 mile trip) to haul and move a similar size sailboat. As I have the trailer, the dollars and cents of the thing suggests that I would save a chunk of dough in the long run if I can do the transport myself. Also, I may have to switch harbors - I may have to go to Portland because the flatlanders will return soon and render my slip both unavailable and/or unaffordable.....I need to take her out of the water to do some hull maintenance anyway, so if she were on a trailer I could also just haul her up to Casco Bay - not as much fun as sailing her up, but a lot more convenient, and faster. I'm sure this is more info than you were looking for! Thanks again. How much do you pay to have her hauled?John G.

[Gail]

We pay something to the tune of $300 in the spring for the transport and launch, then another $300 in the fall for haul and transport back to our house. It isn't cheap, but it's cheaper than having her stored in a boatyard for the winter. Hey the weather's getting warmer, it's April after all... most of the snow is melted... sail her up to Portland! :)

[Bffatcat]

Sorry about the delayed reply I was a away for 2 weeks/ The shoe on my trailer is 6 1/2 ft long approx center fore and aft its 10" wide and has 4"vertical lip on both sides running the length of the shoe. But I dont thinkthis is going to help you. I dont have a cradle my trailer was custom builtand came with the boat when I bought it. If you have a flat bed trailer and itsounds like you do, the easiest way out is to get a boat yard in your area to build you a trailer probably out of wood. If you could get a steel cradle built so much the better. Than you could use the shoe dimensions for the keel to rest on. You then might have eye bolts in all 4 corners of the flat bed to tie the trailer downGood luck

[Ginger Breadman]

Thanks My Man,I will put your info into the brain trust....I'm gonna let the little girl lay where she is for the moment and take my time building her trailer. Thanks much for the thoughtful input.Regards, John Getchell, Kennebunkport, ME

[Ian4781]

John have trouble with reply I built a trailer for my 26 w/steel contact me for info ianmfisher@hotmail.com