largest easily trailerable rib

[IANK]

I am considering purchasing a rib in the 7.5m to 9m size and would be looking to tow it up to 20miles on a regular basis.
How trailerable are ribs of this size? I am used to towing ribs and hard boats to 5.5m an have a vehicle capable of towing 3.5t.

I would be intersted to hear the opinion of those who tow boats in the region of 7.5m to 9m on regular basis and maybe ascertain what is the maximum sized rib that is realistically towable?

[PeterR]

Hi,I havent towed anything bigger than a Pac 22 6.5.and a solent the same.Your question is hard to give advice on .For instance i myself would have no problem with were i live out of season with a nine mtr towing it to where i launch also no problem launching as the slip is good as is parking,However in seaon with all the other boats in and out ,idiots leaving their cars in stupid places etc i would only find it easey with 7.5max.Fueling is also a consideration and wether you are able to launch on your own .but that size rib is hard to see round it when reversing.So choose your rib width to suit your main location and useage.Good luck.Peter

[Paul Beaurain]

Hi
Towing is often the easy part - assuming you have a 4x4. It will need to be twin axle.
With regular dunking in salt water you are gauranteed all sorts of maintenace problems for brakes/bearings.
Doubling the number of axles more than doubles the chance of problems.
We have moved from regular towing to dry stack -
We found you would loose much of the day due to -slower towing speed and the faffing around at launch, finding somewhere to park trailer/tow vehicle combo.
remember max trailer width is 2300mm with an overhang each side upto 300mm. so max tube width should not exceed 2900mm. this is itself very wide for any single cariageway/country roads.
Good luck

[Bigmuz7]

I found an 8.5m ok .. and towed for hundreds of miles at a time , after smaller boats it was certainly more to handle as in how it behaved on the road. It would swing out when you went over 50 mph (not that you'll do much of that) and cut corners when you do 20 mph so was not for beginners! and I tow lots of different trailers, and definately found it more challenging, that said I never had any mis haps!. Could have been the way it was set up, but I dont think I could have improved it that much. Handling off road is certainly more work too, and you need to be able to deal with manouvering and launching with more power than just an ordinary car IMO, but you say you have a 4x4 (judging by its weight capabilities) so should be ok there. Also there are the physical aspects of getting it off the trailer and back on .. its not allways one man job ! Well it can be if you have good launch facilities .. but I used to put mine in/out on a beach at times .. talk about picking your moment ! phew! and for that, a tractor is a must

[Top banana]

Ive recently had the same problem, going from 6.2/ 5.8 m ribs to a 7.5ribcraft.
To be honest the difference is pretty negliable. We tow 130 miles each way regularly, even narrow country lanes. The key being to plan ahead more on the journey and try not to get youself into precarious situations. As said before pick your fuel stations in advance if possible making the exit as easy as possible.Slip ways can allso cause minor problems especially with weed on them, my last trip saw the jeep sliding back down the slip slowly, so i allways carry wheel chocks to deploy when needed. I do think that 7.5m is the max for me, as all our boating is trailered. and supposed to be fun.
Good luck

[codprawn]

I had no problems towing my 8.8m on a triple axle trailer. I brought it back from Weymouth and I had to take it everywhere with me for a week because I had nowhere to keep it!!! The boat came with me to Tesco and even our local mcdonalds(not drive through).

It's great towing a boat that big because people give you a very wide berth. Overall length was the same as an Articulated lorry but the boat was a bit wider.

Towing the empty trailer wasn't so much fun - especially through places like St Justinians and St Davids on Easter bank holiday - people just don't see the trailer until it's too late!!!

It's all down to how good a slip you have to use really.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Paul Beaurain

Hi
Towing is often the easy part - assuming you have a 4x4. It will need to be twin axle.

Hi, have you been towing Stormbreaker? If so, can you tell me the approx. weights of the RIB and Trailer? I'm not trying to make a smart point here - just interested!

Originally Posted by Paul Beaurain

We have moved from regular towing to dry stack -

at Redbay?!

Originally Posted by Paul Beaurain

this is itself very wide for any single cariageway/country roads.
Good luck

This is why I stuck a flashy amber light on a bracket offset to the widest point at the back of my trailer - it holds 'em off a bit at night, especially the oncoming lemmings!