Could an 18ft outrage float attached to a trailer?

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Author Topic:   Could an 18ft outrage float attached to a trailer?

topshelf posted 04-05-2010 08:41 PM ET (US)
This may seem like a crazy question but I was just wondering. where I store my boat for the winter the street got flooded so fast 3 weeks ago, I was unable to put the tires on and get it out of there. The water was supposed to come up over the boat and I was fearful of the motor getting ruined.I disconnected all the tie downs and winch strap and basically just tide a rope from the boat to a tree. I fiqured if the water came that high I didnt care if she floated off the trailer as long as my motor was protected. In the end the water only came just high enough to touch the boat. My question is if I wasn't able to get there and disconecct the boat from the trailer, with the tires off the trailer and all the drain plugs in would my 18ft outrage been able to float the trailer up enough to keep the motor dry or is that a outlandish question.
Thanks,
Bruce
Jeff posted 04-05-2010 08:56 PM ET (US)
Mythbusters did floated and drove a 13 Whaler with the trailer attached.
I have seen...no strike that, "have been told" that a 22 Outrage would float it's trailer if still strapped down to said trailer at the stern and backed down a ramp. Who would do such a stupid thing :P.
fluke posted 04-05-2010 08:58 PM ET (US)
I'm think the answer is yes with the tires on the trailer. You can always just back it down the ramp to find out.
Mark
Tom W Clark posted 04-05-2010 09:19 PM ET (US)
Yes, easily.
20dauntless posted 04-05-2010 09:23 PM ET (US)
I've forgotten to undo the tie down straps and the boat floated the trailer easily. My 20 Dauntless is rated to carry around 1500 pounds I think, which is more than the trailer weighs. I imagine this is the case for most Whalers.
Tom W Clark posted 04-05-2010 09:45 PM ET (US)
The swamped capacity of the classic Outrage 18 is 3000 pounds. That is a conservative figure.
If the motor weighs 500 pounds and you have another 500 pounds of gear that does not float, you still have 2000 pounds of capacity to float the trailer.
No trailer for an Outrage 18 weighs 2000 pounds, most do not weigh more than 1000 pounds.
Tom W Clark posted 04-05-2010 10:12 PM ET (US)
I regularly float the trailer under my Revenge 25 Walk Through every time I rinse my boat.
I boat on saltwater but I have a freshwater ramp a mile from the saltwater ramp and about a mile form my house so I simply back the boat and trailer in the freshwater with it still strapped to the trailer.
I like to back it in deeper than I do at the saltwater ramp to make sure I rinse everything. This usually results in the trailer tires floating off of the ramp's concrete surface. I know this because the boat will start to drift laterally.
Even with the bow held high my the elevation of the truck on the inclined ramp the stern still floats with the top of the transom at about the water's surface and the powerheads above water.
I just start the motors and let them idle for a few minuted to flush them out. The splashwell, bilge and fishwell get a good rinse as well.
hauptjm posted 04-05-2010 10:38 PM ET (US)
Mine floated for almost 4 weeks in front of my home in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina! In fact, I purposely tied it securely to the trailer in the event a flood happened, so that the trailer would take the beating instead of the hull.
Hal Watkins posted 04-05-2010 11:11 PM ET (US)
Shouldn't any boat float it's own trailer?
CJ posted 04-06-2010 06:21 AM ET (US)
We recovered a 20'ish Sea Ray off of a dock after Katrina. It had floated there with the trailer attached. There it sat, perfectly sitting on the trailer on a dock with no way to roll it back to dry ground. Yes, we put another strap on it for good measure and rolled it back off into the water. Towed it all the way back to the ramp, hooked it to the truck and pulled it into the yard for the insurance company. Got some really weird looks at the ramp.
JMARTIN posted 04-06-2010 12:16 PM ET (US)
My stern tie downs look stout enough to float my trailer, but there would be concern about slippage left or right. I sure would not want to pull the rig back out of the water and have the boat crooked on the trailer.
John
pglein posted 04-06-2010 04:32 PM ET (US)
There are very few boats that, with the plugs in and not swamped, would not float with their trailers attached.
Most Whalers will float the trailer even with the plugs pulled.
Don88outrage posted 04-07-2010 09:37 AM ET (US)
Absolutely, the only time I bury my trailer, a pretty heavy Karavan tandem, is for fresh water flushing after salt water use.
When the rear truck tires touch the water she's floating, feels werid when you're in the boat running the motors.
Tom W Clark posted 04-07-2010 09:58 AM ET (US)
John -- Actually that's yet another benefit of floating the trailer; it centers the boat.
When I pull my boat out at the Eddie Vine Ramp at Shilshole, sometimes the boat is not perfectly centered on the keel rollers.
I drive a mile to the 14th Avenue ramp on the Lake Washington Ship Canal and dunk and flush there.
When the boat comes back out of the water is is always perfectly centered because the tie down straps are applying equal pressure on the transom eyes and the back of the trailer is suspended" straight down below them.
Blackduck posted 04-07-2010 10:25 AM ET (US)
My Rolls aluminum trailer floats quite nicely on it's own.
Phil T posted 04-07-2010 03:50 PM ET (US)
Prior to the abundant barge and landing craft offerings in Casco Bay (300+ islands), many island boat owners who stored their boats on-island, transported their trailer from the mainland underneath the boat.
Saves the $150+ barge fee.

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Author	Topic: Could an 18ft outrage float attached to a trailer?
topshelf	posted 04-05-2010 08:41 PM ET (US) This may seem like a crazy question but I was just wondering. where I store my boat for the winter the street got flooded so fast 3 weeks ago, I was unable to put the tires on and get it out of there. The water was supposed to come up over the boat and I was fearful of the motor getting ruined.I disconnected all the tie downs and winch strap and basically just tide a rope from the boat to a tree. I fiqured if the water came that high I didnt care if she floated off the trailer as long as my motor was protected. In the end the water only came just high enough to touch the boat. My question is if I wasn't able to get there and disconecct the boat from the trailer, with the tires off the trailer and all the drain plugs in would my 18ft outrage been able to float the trailer up enough to keep the motor dry or is that a outlandish question. Thanks, Bruce
Jeff	posted 04-05-2010 08:56 PM ET (US) Mythbusters did floated and drove a 13 Whaler with the trailer attached. I have seen...no strike that, "have been told" that a 22 Outrage would float it's trailer if still strapped down to said trailer at the stern and backed down a ramp. Who would do such a stupid thing :P.
fluke	posted 04-05-2010 08:58 PM ET (US) I'm think the answer is yes with the tires on the trailer. You can always just back it down the ramp to find out. Mark
Tom W Clark	posted 04-05-2010 09:19 PM ET (US) Yes, easily.
20dauntless	posted 04-05-2010 09:23 PM ET (US) I've forgotten to undo the tie down straps and the boat floated the trailer easily. My 20 Dauntless is rated to carry around 1500 pounds I think, which is more than the trailer weighs. I imagine this is the case for most Whalers.
Tom W Clark	posted 04-05-2010 09:45 PM ET (US) The swamped capacity of the classic Outrage 18 is 3000 pounds. That is a conservative figure. If the motor weighs 500 pounds and you have another 500 pounds of gear that does not float, you still have 2000 pounds of capacity to float the trailer. No trailer for an Outrage 18 weighs 2000 pounds, most do not weigh more than 1000 pounds.
Tom W Clark	posted 04-05-2010 10:12 PM ET (US) I regularly float the trailer under my Revenge 25 Walk Through every time I rinse my boat. I boat on saltwater but I have a freshwater ramp a mile from the saltwater ramp and about a mile form my house so I simply back the boat and trailer in the freshwater with it still strapped to the trailer. I like to back it in deeper than I do at the saltwater ramp to make sure I rinse everything. This usually results in the trailer tires floating off of the ramp's concrete surface. I know this because the boat will start to drift laterally. Even with the bow held high my the elevation of the truck on the inclined ramp the stern still floats with the top of the transom at about the water's surface and the powerheads above water. I just start the motors and let them idle for a few minuted to flush them out. The splashwell, bilge and fishwell get a good rinse as well.
hauptjm	posted 04-05-2010 10:38 PM ET (US) Mine floated for almost 4 weeks in front of my home in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina! In fact, I purposely tied it securely to the trailer in the event a flood happened, so that the trailer would take the beating instead of the hull.
Hal Watkins	posted 04-05-2010 11:11 PM ET (US) Shouldn't any boat float it's own trailer?
CJ	posted 04-06-2010 06:21 AM ET (US) We recovered a 20'ish Sea Ray off of a dock after Katrina. It had floated there with the trailer attached. There it sat, perfectly sitting on the trailer on a dock with no way to roll it back to dry ground. Yes, we put another strap on it for good measure and rolled it back off into the water. Towed it all the way back to the ramp, hooked it to the truck and pulled it into the yard for the insurance company. Got some really weird looks at the ramp.
JMARTIN	posted 04-06-2010 12:16 PM ET (US) My stern tie downs look stout enough to float my trailer, but there would be concern about slippage left or right. I sure would not want to pull the rig back out of the water and have the boat crooked on the trailer. John
pglein	posted 04-06-2010 04:32 PM ET (US) There are very few boats that, with the plugs in and not swamped, would not float with their trailers attached. Most Whalers will float the trailer even with the plugs pulled.
Don88outrage	posted 04-07-2010 09:37 AM ET (US) Absolutely, the only time I bury my trailer, a pretty heavy Karavan tandem, is for fresh water flushing after salt water use. When the rear truck tires touch the water she's floating, feels werid when you're in the boat running the motors.
Tom W Clark	posted 04-07-2010 09:58 AM ET (US) John -- Actually that's yet another benefit of floating the trailer; it centers the boat. When I pull my boat out at the Eddie Vine Ramp at Shilshole, sometimes the boat is not perfectly centered on the keel rollers. I drive a mile to the 14th Avenue ramp on the Lake Washington Ship Canal and dunk and flush there. When the boat comes back out of the water is is always perfectly centered because the tie down straps are applying equal pressure on the transom eyes and the back of the trailer is suspended" straight down below them.
Blackduck	posted 04-07-2010 10:25 AM ET (US) My Rolls aluminum trailer floats quite nicely on it's own.
Phil T	posted 04-07-2010 03:50 PM ET (US) Prior to the abundant barge and landing craft offerings in Casco Bay (300+ islands), many island boat owners who stored their boats on-island, transported their trailer from the mainland underneath the boat. Saves the $150+ barge fee.