If you’re the kind of person who likes to hit the water when the weather gets nice, then a boat might be a useful upgrade for you and your family. Just make sure you’re ready for every aspect of owning a boat, including how you’re going to transport it from place to place. Not everyone has the luxury of living right along the shore, and not everyone can afford to keep their boat at a dock so you’ll want to make sure you know how to tow your boat using a trailer. To help you out, Longshore Boats has provided a guide for boat towing!
Follow Government Weight Restrictions
First things first, you’ll want to make sure you’re following some of the most important and most basic requirements for towing anything: weight restriction. There are limits to how much weight you can safely tow with a particular vehicle – limits that are legally enforced. The vehicle manufacturer sets what’s known as the gross combined weight rating (GCWR), which includes the weight of the tow vehicle, the towed item, all the cargo and passengers. If you have a fairly smaller boat, you’ll probably have more options as far as tow vehicles go. The bigger the boat though, the higher the GCWR will need to be.
Hitching and Safety Check
When you’re sure that both your tow vehicle and your trailer can handle the weight of your boat, it’s time to hitch the two together. Set the ball joint so it’s lower than the hitch and reverse the tow vehicle until the two are right on top of each other. Lower the hitch until the two lock into place and set the security clasp. As an added protection, add safety chains and cross them underneath the hitch. Also, connect the electrical harness if necessary.
Do some final safety checks before hitting the road. Make sure all of the lights are working, including brake lights and turn signals. Look at the trailer, the boat and the tow vehicle for any possible concerns such as improper tire pressure or damage. Make sure all engine fluids are fresh and topped off.
Safe Driving Practices
Once you’re on the road, the added weight and length to your vehicle is going to affect how easily and how safely you can drive. For example, your vehicle’s ability to speed up and slow down will be hindered, and it’ll take you longer to change speed. Because of this, you’ll want to significantly increase the amount of follow space between you and the vehicle in front of you to give yourself plenty of time to slow down and stop should the traffic suddenly change. This is particularly important when you’re traveling at high speeds.
There are other basic driving skills like reversing, turning and parking that will be more challenging when you’re towing a trailer with a boat behind you. The best way to become more confident in these areas is to practice. Find a big, empty parking lot and figure how your rig handles so you can be ready to go when the time is right.
Remove Distractions
Because towing your boat is a little different from regular driving, don’t make your task harder by placing a lot of distractions around you. Any navigation, music or climate control concerns should be handled by the co-pilot or set in advance so you don’t have to mess with them. Don’t eat or play on your phone whilst towing the boat as well.
Towing a boat may seem intimidating at first, especially considering the value of the cargo you’ll be hauling, but with a little practice and experience, you’ll become a pro in no time and well on your way to some of the best water experiences. If you’re in Charleston, North Charleston, Summerville, Mount Pleasant or West Ashley, South Carolina and are in need of a new boat to tow or you’d like more advice from some of our experienced staff, then stop by Longshore Boats!