Weight of Trailor sailor and towing

[mike65]

I am looking at buying a trailer sailor around the 20-22 ft in size. What type of car would I need to safely tow this size boat? I am in the process of changing over cars and I need to know this info so i get the correct type of car to tow. e.g Hyndai Santa Fe has a 2 tonne towing capacity and a Ford Territory has a 2.7 tonne capacity. Would a Santa Fe be ok for this size boat? Thanks

[peter]

Mike,

A trailer sailer around 22 ft long should have a rig towing weight of less than 2 tonnes (2000 kilos or 4400lbs). One way to estimate your total towing weight is to get the displacement of your boat in pounds or kilos and add 50%

I recommend you watch the video here http://www.sailingmates.com/salespublic.htm where I touch on trailer towing weights and some of the other things you need to think about.

You could always buy the boat buying manual at the link if you wished. At $17 it;s a steal  . There's a detailed video and pdf covering trailer sailers in general and in particular towing weights and hitches and the many other things you need to consider carefully when you set up your trailer and vehicle

peter

[Que Sera]

Hi Mike,
It's a big subject. I have a 22 ft trailer sailer with all up weight around 1600 kg and my car, Nissan X-Trail, has a tow capacity of 2000 kg. It's good to have that extra capacity so you don't overload and stress the vehicle. Don't forget to include the weight of the trailer in your calculations.

I'm not sure where you're located but different jurisdictions have different regulations for towing e.g. braking requirements, overhang etc so it will be very worthwhile to check these out so you know the rig is compliant before you buy. Other things to consider are: age of the tyres, over six years they need to be replaced especially if they are to be used for highway towing. In a marina hardstand environment i.e. very low speeds, it may not be so critical; weight on the tow ball; condition of the trailer, if not roadworthy and therefore safe you could be up for thousands of dollars.

I've attached an item about towing for beginners that might be useful.

Good luck,
Pete