Fancy a change of territory, and a really big one at that? For owners of trailerable boats, this is no problem - or so you might think. After all, the motto for them is: hitch up the boat and go!
But a road trip to a new destination, be it from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean or from Lake Constance to Sweden, needs to be well prepared. How to do this is the subject of the big trailer special in YACHT 5/2020.
With the small cruiser to the Mediterranean
Off to the south: a crew from YACHT trailered a Neptun 20 to the south of France for three weeks to sail a one-way trip along the Côte d'Azur. But is it worth driving 3000 kilometres on the motorway for 120 nautical miles in the warmth?
Preparing the trailer trip
In addition to the question of whether your own car is even allowed to tow the boat and trailer, there are a few other issues that need to be clarified. For example, does the crew have the right driving licence for the trailer, i.e. are they even allowed to tow the boat? After all, all younger sailors who obtained their class B car driving licence after 1998 are generally only allowed to drive combinations up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight. If in doubt, they must obtain an extended driving licence.
But also important: How fast can boat and car combinations travel at home and abroad? How must the load be secured? How wide and long may the trailer be, and what other rules must be observed? What assistance programmes are available to make manoeuvring with a boat trailer easier? And where can further information be obtained?
Technology for the trailer
One of the biggest challenges when manoeuvring with a trailer is reversing. The driver's view to the rear is restricted. A reversing camera on the trailer is therefore very useful. We have tried out how you can retrofit one yourself.
