Finally did it! Towing Advice

A conversation among Whalers
brianbeech
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:19 pm

Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby brianbeech » Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:10 pm

I finally bought my first Boston Whaler, a 2014 170 Montauk. She was garage kept and very lightly used. I look forward to taking possession in the next day or two, but it is official.

I’ll be trailering this boat from Kentucky down to Pass Christian, Mississippi, next week. Any advice would be welcome.

This is my first V-hull boat, so I’ve got lots of learning to do.

jimh
Posts: 11672
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
Contact:

Re: Towing Advice

Postby jimh » Thu Nov 02, 2017 10:46 pm

If you are buying a used boat on a used trailer, and planning to have to haul it a long way home, I recommend you bring along the following:

--an infrared thermometer to measure wheel bearing and tire temperature; monitor these on your drive;

--an air pressure gauge to measure tire inflation; set the inflation to close to maximum allowed inflation

--a small 12-Volt operated air compressor to use in case a tire becomes under-inflated at some point on the road

--enough tools to tighten any bolts and nuts that might loosen on the trailer and do rudimentary service

--extra grease in case you need to add some to a wheel bearing

Before getting on the road, verify all the trailer lamps are illuminating and are properly connected to your tow vehicle. Check brake and turn signals.

Make sure your truck or tow vehicle has the proper ball hitch to mate with the trailer, and that the hitch height is proper; you don't want the trailer frame to be way out of horizontal when hitched to your tow vehicle. There are three common hitch ball sizes: 1-7/8; 2; and 2-5/15-inch. Discuss with the seller which one the trailer is rigged for; it will likely be a 2-inch ball.

Make sure you have a spare wheel and properly inflated tire for the trailer. It can be in the trunk if the trailer doesn't have a mount for a spare.

Don't drive over 55-MPH until you have established by many miles of travel that the trailer is running well, tires and bearings are cool, the weight distribution on the trailer is proper, and the trailer does not sway. Don't drive much over 60-MPH unless you are absolutely confident in the trailer and your rig. To arrive later from towing slower is much preferred than having a breakdown on the road caused by driving too fast.

I don't know if your 170 MONTAUK will be on a trailer with brakes. If there are no trailer brakes, adjust your driving so you have plenty of room ahead to stop.

I have towed many thousands of miles in the last decades, and I rarely drive above 60-MPH when towing. I might drive 500-miles on the interstate and not pass a single car, while thousands will pass me. I also carry a rather large assortment of specialized parts and tools for working on the trailer. Many people hardly use a trailer for their boat, and the trailer upkeep is neglected.

Check your tow vehicle owner's manual for advice about towing. Often manufacturers will recommend NOT using any overdrive (OD) gear when towing and shifting the transmission to "3". On my large truck with 5.7-liter V8 engine and 3.73 rear axle, I ALWAYS tow with the transmission in "3" (as recommended), and I am still on the original transmission at 150,000-miles (almost all towing miles).

If you have to go uphill on long grades, don't be afraid to downshift and slow to 40-MPH to climb a big hill. It is better to go uphill at 40-MPH in second gear than to lug the engine trying to go uphill in "3".

Watch engine temperature. Towing is a lot more work for the engine. Turn off air conditioning at the first sign of engine temperature rising. Setting the mode to HEAT, the temperature to maximum heat, and the fan to HI will help cool the engine in a hurry.

david s
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Nov 23, 2015 2:23 pm

Re: Finally did it!

Postby david s » Thu Nov 02, 2017 11:26 pm

Good for you! It's a perfect area for a 170 Montauk. Near shore or off shore, weather permitting, that hull provides plenty of versatility.

Over the last 20 years we've spent a lot of time in the Dauphin Island to Bay St. Louis area. It would be difficult to say enough about that stretch of Gulf Coast. What a great place to be on the water, and if you have kids they're in for a treat they'll never forget.

We tow approximately 1,900-2000 miles one-way to that area with our 1984 Montauk 17. While you didn't mention the specifics of your tow vehicle or trailer and its condition, jimh has given you sound advice regarding both.

In terms of on water advice, I'll defer to the forum pros from the area - and there are many. With the Montauk 17 we've tried to keep things as simple as possible and always paid attention, first and foremost, to the weather as well as current state and federal rules and regulations.

Every skipper uses their boat to meet personal needs. While you didn't state your personal situation, if there are two adults involved, make sure both of you are comfortable at the controls. You'll have plenty of decisions to make regarding navigation, safety, communications and comfort gear without going too heavy (or light) in any given area. Enjoy!

Jefecinco
Posts: 1592
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 6:35 pm
Location: Gulf Shores, AL

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby Jefecinco » Fri Nov 03, 2017 10:01 am

Brian,

Congratulations.

The Montauk is not your first boat but consider repeating the USCG Auxiliary Basic Boating Course or the USPS equivalent along with any family members who may be called upon to operate the boat. Coastal Mississippi and Alabama are interesting and beautiful areas for cruising but except for the ICW navigation aids are sparse. There is a lot of shallow water along the coast and your chances of going aground are high. If you look at the skegs of the lower units of the boats in the area you'll see that most lack paint from dragging along the bottom.

Alabama requires a boating endorsement on vehicle licenses and I assume Mississippi has a similar requirement for boat operators. If you don't have the endorsement it may be worth checking into.
Butch

brianbeech
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby brianbeech » Fri Nov 03, 2017 4:35 pm

What great information!

Our use-case for the boat will be a lot of inshore fishing, some runs to the nearby islands (weather and experience permitting), and my 8 and 5 year old girls having fun! By experience on the island trips, I mean after I’ve had quite a few runs out with buddy boats and never by myself.

Question: I read in the owner’a manual that trailering with the engine ‘down’, in an in-use orientation, is the best way to trailer it. It says do not rely on the “tilt support lever”. This far, I’m not sure what that is.

Judging by that sentence, I’m guessing engine down is right. Any correction needed here?

jimh
Posts: 11672
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
Contact:

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby jimh » Fri Nov 03, 2017 5:21 pm

BRIAN--the boat you are buying probably has a Mercury engine. Typically a Mercury engine mount has no TRAILER LOCK tilt mechanism. A Mercury engine mount usually just has a tilt lock mechanism that will hold the engine in a tilted-up position while the boat is at a dock or mooring, but generally (and often specifically mentioned in the owner's manual) the tilt lock should not be used to support the engine while trailering. This is a drawback and a shortcoming of Mercury engines, not all outboard engines. If the boat has a Mercury engine and the engine manual says to not rely on the tilt lock when trailering, then you should follow that advice.

Many people (who trailering an engine that has no appropriate trailer-lock tilt-up mechanism built into the engine mount itself) buy accessories to hold up the engine while trailering.

Some small boats, with the boat mounted rather high on a trailer, can have the engine in the down position while trailering if--this is a big if--there is sufficient ground clearance between the engine skeg and the highway. If you tow the boat on the trailer with the engine down, you must be careful to watch out for certain kinds of rapid up-down traverses in the road, often seen when entering a driveway from the highway when there is a big change in elevation between them. You can easily drag the skeg on the highway going through one of those quick elevation changes.

You can usually set the engine in a partially-up position so it is at the top of the trim range and is resting on the stronger trim ram actuators, if the hydraulic system has the three-ram style, two trim rams and one tilt ram. Or just buy an accessory gizmo to support the engine while trailering. They make these especially for Mercury engines because the Mercury engines don't have a trailer-lock tilt mechanism in their mounts. A popular trailer support is called the MY-Wedge. I think the "MY" stands for Mercury and Yamaha.

See
http://www.m-ywedge.com/

jimh
Posts: 11672
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
Contact:

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby jimh » Fri Nov 03, 2017 5:32 pm

BRIAN--once you safely get the boat towed home on its trailer, I think you can start a new thread about any questions other than the trailer trip. Remember: being a trailer boater means there are really three components you have to keep in top shape and well maintained: the boat, the trailer, and the towing vehicle. A problem with any of the three means a bad day boating for a trailer boater.

brianbeech
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby brianbeech » Fri Nov 03, 2017 5:39 pm

Thanks Jim!

Yes, the trailering home is my biggest concern. Once home, I’ll be trailering almost a mile to the boat ramp. :D

Thanks for the link and information!

User avatar
jimp
Posts: 139
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 11:18 am
Location: Juneau, Alaska

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby jimp » Fri Nov 03, 2017 6:22 pm

Lots of great advice. One thing not mentioned is "watch where you're going!"

Back in 1989 I towed a 1982 Montauk from Long Island, NY to Homer, Alaska (and then by 126-mile ferry ride to Kodiak) behind a Chevrolet Suburban (total length 42-feet). ~4,600 miles. No real problems and I've reported on the trip in this forum before.

Be mindful of where you are turning in an unknown area. Somewhere in Canada (Saskatoon?) it was lunch time and a Big Mac was in order so I turned in to a McDonald's. No biggie, except there was only one ENTRANCE/EXIT, the way I had come in. I talked to myself in "colorful" language but did manage to turn around with a bit of difficulty.

After that, every meal stop, fuel stop, motel stop, etc. was always carefully surveyed before turning in .

Have a fun drive. You'll get lots of people looking.

JimP
Attachments
KJ1 589 CANADA1.jpg
Somewhere in Canada
KJ1 589 CANADA1.jpg (99.44 KiB) Viewed 8420 times
KJ1 589 NORTH POLE.jpg
Santa Claus House North Pole, Alaska
KJ1 589 NORTH POLE.jpg (117.94 KiB) Viewed 8420 times
KJ1 589 PORTAGE.jpg
Portage Glacier, south of Anchorage
KJ1 589 PORTAGE.jpg (101.6 KiB) Viewed 8420 times

jimh
Posts: 11672
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
Contact:

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby jimh » Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:35 am

JIMP's advice to watch where you are going is very good advice. Most of the problems are found when leaving the highway and getting onto local roads or turning into local businesses.

When pulling into a gasoline filling station with the boat trailer, be very watchful for the path of the trailer. Most gasoline filling stations have big steel posts protecting their fuel pumps--for a good reason--and you have to be very careful that your trailer wheel will not come in contact with those steel posts. When towing a boat, I look for a filling station with a plenty of room around each pump, and I try to use an outside lane that will permit easy turn-around. Filling stations oriented to serving trucks usually have a lot more room to maneuver at their pump lanes

Also look for overhead obstructions, particularly if you pull into a motel with an overhanging roof at the entrance to the office. This won't be much concern for towing a MONTAUK 170, but you can't be too careful.

hargravesg
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2017 2:09 pm

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby hargravesg » Sun Nov 05, 2017 12:38 pm

This is all good advice but before towing it any distance, check the grease and the bearings to make sure both are in good condition. There is plenty of advice online on how to do this but if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, any competent mechanic can do it for you. You might want to consider bringing extra hubs - a lot more expensive than extra bearings but a lot quicker to replace.

brianbeech
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:19 pm

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby brianbeech » Mon Nov 06, 2017 7:25 pm

Thanks a ton for all of the advice. I got home today around 2 p.m. without incident. Appreciated the advice.

User avatar
Dutchman
Posts: 618
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2015 7:48 am
Location: Kalamazoo, MI (South Haven)
Contact:

Re: Finally did it! Towing Advice

Postby Dutchman » Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:38 am

Great now go boating and enjoy.
EJO
"Clumsy Cleat"look up what it means
50th edition 2008 Montauk 150, w/60HP Mercury Bigfoot