posted 10-26-2002 12:21 PM ET (US)        

If I could figure out how to do the wiring and attach a hitch to the back of the first trailer, could I legally pull two trailers down the interstate at 65 mph?

That sounds like a ridiculous idea--I was just trying to consider all of the options.

Since I would eventually like to find a trailer that could accomodate both boats, maybe I should find/make the right trailer now and then go get the boats. I think that they might be too wide to put them side-by-side, as in a double PWC trailer. (But maybe not?) I was thinking that they might go on a 20' trailer, one in front of the other. Maybe?

Or maybe someone knows someone who has a trailer hitch on their car and would be willing to pull one of the boats to NC if I paid for their fuel?

posted 10-26-2002 12:41 PM ET (US)            

Here is a link for towing laws: http://www.rvadvice.com/rvtowlaw.html

posted 10-26-2002 01:58 PM ET (US)            

Just a thought..

posted 10-26-2002 04:14 PM ET (US)            

Does that make sense? Would the dingy handle that kind of load? The other option I like best is double stacked (=) because you can have one upright, and the other on top upside down.

In my opinion, doubletowing is risky..seems like a recipe for disaster unless you're prepared adequately.

What's the tow vehicle? Can a 9' Squall fit in the back of a long-bed full size pickup? Perhaps you can leave the trailer behind and pick up a new one for the boat when you get there?

posted 10-26-2002 06:20 PM ET (US)            

I now think that the Boston Whaler Squall would be too wide to trailer side-by-side. Does anyone know the beam of that boat (1969 model)?

I am not sure what the expression "piggy back" means. I like the idea of using one long trailer and putting one boat behind the other. I'm reluctant to turn them on their side for trailering. It seems to me that this would make my time at the boat launch a big headache and people would be starting mean threads about me.

After reading these ideas, it seems to me that the ideal thing would be to buy a one-way Southwest ticket from RDU to San Antonio, then rent a flat-bed truck with a "one-way drop off" provision, pull the Texas boat to Jackson, then put the Jackson boat and its trailer on the truck and head for Durham. However, I don't know if rent-a-car agencies rent trucks or allow you to use the vehicle to tow a trailer. Could you really fit a 9' Squall and its trailer in the back of a pickup truck?

posted 10-26-2002 08:37 PM ET (US)            

I just measured my '68 Squall in the garage, got 50-1/2". Printed BW info says 4'4".

Piggy-back means putting one Squall on its trailer, then building some keel chocks (2x4s, or 4x6s) padding the seats of the bottom Squall, placing the chocks on the padding, setting the second Squall upright in the chocks inside the bottom Squall, then strap them down to the trailer. I made chocks for my Squall with 4x6s in about 15 minutes (I had the wood handy). Piggy backing boats is commonly done with Hobies as Hobie1981 pointed out.

The Squall only weighs 125 pounds (except mine which is waterlogged & drying out, already lost 40 pounds and down to... 440 lbs). Getting to the launch ramp and unloading will require you to find a few volunteers to help lift the upper one off, otherwise, just back down the ramp and launch both... They might roll, one might capsize, but guess what? They won't sink!

How many trailers do you presently have? One or two? If one, its a piece of cake. If two, strap the second to the top of your roof rack on the station wagon. Obvoiusly not perfect. But I like it better than a tandem trailer.

A longer single trailer would work fine also.

U-Haul trucks let you trailer, but that could be expensive with a drop off charge and a plane ticket.

Looks like a fun challenge. In 1984 I put a 18.5' rowing shell on top of my 14' Subaru and drove it from New Orleans to Ft Lauderdale.

posted 10-26-2002 09:11 PM ET (US)            

Hobie

posted 10-26-2002 09:33 PM ET (US)            

I have seen double decker arrangements with two boats. The top one appeared to be on a frame that lowered after the lower "deck" was empty. It was clearly a special trailer, made to handle two bass boats, but was towing rather nicely behind a F250 4x4.

posted 10-28-2002 10:05 AM ET (US)            

Put the one on your roof and the other on the trailer. My parents brought ours home on the roof of a Chevette. We are only talking 125lbs here. The other might even fit inside the wagon.

If not on the roof, just stick one inside each other .

Last resort would be 2 on 1 20' trailer which would eb fine too but take longer to engineer. When I had my 24' Baja shipped to Fl he had a 17' Montauk on the trailer as well. Don't know how but he did.

posted 10-28-2002 12:16 PM ET (US)            

Seitech products are used around here as well for multiple boats.

www.seitech.com/m/_general/cat_dept_2.asp

posted 10-28-2002 04:01 PM ET (US)            

I put my squall in the back of my Commanche pickup (7' bed) with the tailgate off, and there is still room enough to attach the trailer and tow the montauk behind.
I agree with Bigshot, keep it simple, it would be very easy to arrange one squall on top of another with a little padding.

posted 10-28-2002 04:52 PM ET (US)         

One on the roof and one on the trailer (the easiest)

posted 10-28-2002 08:50 PM ET (US)            

The 9 footers are pretty light... why not go for the tandem if legal.

Aside: I hitched in Australia a long time ago... in my wondering around days. With a local gal from Perth, I spent the better part of four days in a little bar in West Kalgoorlie waiting for a ride up north to the Northern Territory. We finally got a ride on a road train... oversized tractor pulling SIX 45 foot trailers hauling supplies north and ore south! It was pretty slick... 150 tons of truck at 75 mph on washboard. The driver worked his butt off and manhandled that rig hour after hour. He also talked endlessly on the radio to figure out who was where... cause we weren't stopping! He had a very very loud air horn. Kangaroos (road rats) are pretty dumb... or have bad hearing. We hit quite a few.

posted 10-28-2002 10:17 PM ET (US)            

The original owners of these Squalls kept them in great shape and I do not want to risk putting any scratches in them, but if one of the boats could be flipped and placed upside down on the other, with 2x4s in between, that sounds pretty darn good. I imagine that I could put the second trailer on the top of my car. Maybe.

I may eventually get a 20' trailer that both boats could go on but even if I do, I would prefer to keep the little trailers for the future owner (in 5-10 years). On the other hand, my wife does not know that I have bought these boats, and she is not going to like the idea of having extra trailers in our driveway that I will not use until I sell the boat. So the future of those little trailers is uncertain.

Instead of getting a custom-made 20' trailer, I'm thinking about andygere's idea of using a flatbed trailer. If I could find a good one second-hand, I could permanently keep the little trailers on it, and pull it when we go camping.

posted 11-13-2002 01:43 PM ET (US)            

I ended up leaving one of the boats in Jackson, MS--I will get it later. Pulling the boats in tandem proved to be impossible, even if legal. With the wagon, it was just over 50' in length and I spend too much time going through McDonalds drive throughs to be pulling that rig. Stacking them one on top of the other might have worked but the boats have a curve in the top of their gunnels so it would have required a custom-made brace to make it road safe, and I did not have the time (or talent) to design it. Plus the boats stacked are much higher than I had anticipated. I could have tied it to the top of the car, but I was driving a long way at 75 mph with an 8-year-old as my co-pilot and I was not sure that I could safely tie it without running some ropes through the inside of the car. Too much hassel for a long, multi-day road trip. I looked at buying a flat-bed utility trailer but these little trailers are almost 18' long and so I would have had to buy a big, double-axle utility trailer, which was going to cost over $1000 new. Even then, it would have been a tight fit, with the small boat trailers oriented in opposite directions (to reduce the required width).