Towing a boat up the Cape???

Thanks mate

Andrew,
The photos look great. Did you have any trouble with the hull of the boat rubbing on the trailer at any stage, if so what did you do about it? Thanks mate

Gday Rik

Had no problems with rubbing....that I'm aware of anyway! The boat is fully supported along the keel, and there is a couple of mm play to the skids. With a tie down strap on (not too tight) it sits perfectly, the skids have been scribed to the hull so they touch for the entire leangth. They just have the std blue teflon glued and screwed to them, I thought about carpet, but filled with Quartzite dust and sand I thought that would become very abrasive.

Cheers Andrew

Few questions mate.

How big is your boat?

The boat i am taking is only 4.7 metres. Also, if you don't mind me asking, how much will the trailer cost to have the dual system, unfortunately for me the hydraulics sound expensive. The trailer i was looking at was a Mackay Multi Link ON ROLLERS! My previous boating experience is why i wanted rollers, however, i have never taken a boat off road.

I really appreciate your help and advice. I'll be ringing the insurance company tomorrow.

Thanks again

Rik,

cost of the hydraulics is not really an issue... with a small boat like yours
a bottle jack for 40$ will do the trick and a few bolts to hold the lifted frame ..
it's a manual solution though but simple and you only need to do that for
the long runs anyway ... or you go skids all the way, which is a better idea
in your case I guess ... your boat is light and will go onto the skids easy ..

my boat is 6.4m fiberglass with a Mercruiser V8 .. 1.5t dry and 450l of petrol
and 300l of water when filled ... width is exactly 2.50m (legal width)

the trailer is totally custom with a box section in the front (can be set on legs
and taken off). It contains an outdoor kitchen with BBQ and housings for
all sorts of gadgets ... I have a budget of 25K for the trailer ..

my hydraulics are driven from a 6hp Robin motor which I also use for the
hydraulic winch. I use the winch to pull the boat onto the trailer ..
the winch is mounted on the front of my vehicle and I also have a receiver
hitch in the front so I can push the boat into the water ..
also an extendable draw bar that I do not have to drive too far into the
water especially on beach launches ...

The roller thing was something my insurance broker mentioned to me
from experience with previous cases .. my policy contains off road use
of the trailer as long as everything is legal of course ..

I expect the chassis of my trailer to be ready sometime June/July for
a first run before I start designing the kitchen etc.

good luck
gmd

rik make sure you get a decent outboard leg support that goes from the leg to the trailer, you can get them at bias boating or whitworths.
i have got the spring type one and it does a good job. cheers

Craig,

the boat is 4.7 metres long, 2.15 wide, with a 60HP on the back. It is all 3.00mm alloy! If you can help me to where i can find my metre long Barramundi it would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks mate

Don't forget the offocial Barra season. Once you get a decent fish on , get it in before the sharks and crocs get to it before you. I've had it happen several times when fishing from land up there :)))

Plenty of people are taking very big boats as far as Weipa.(twin 100hp) The road has improved to the point where if you set the trailer up properly & take it easy you shouldn't damage the boat or trailer too much. Further north the corrugations in the road require a bit more preparation.
When we went up we had fitted to the trailer independant coil suspension with shocks & 14" heavy duty tyres. A pair of slides were fitted to support the boat better & carried a set of rollers to put on the rear of the trailer when we got there to make launching easier. (lifted with a high lift jack) As it turned out we only used them at one camp as most beaches & rivers had reasonable access for a medium size tinny with a 30 HP.(Hornet) Many up there took the motors off to avoid tearing the back of the boat out but we had a brace made to support the motor in a horizontal position held with ratchett straps. We put carpet strips under the slides & bow to minimise rubbing. Stones being thrown up off the car sand blasted the front of the boat & we had to fit a rubber shroud around the shocks to stop them being peppered by the rocks. We lost the number plate & smashed the tail light assembly off so I'd remove them when you hit the dirt & put them back on for civilization. A treg coupling was fitted for better articlation.
The longer draw bar on boat trailers can cause issues on some of the narrower tracks like the Telegraph, Frenchman's & Jardine river mouth.
Regulars to the Cape we met up there had fitted extra long leaf springs with greasable shackles but by far the most popular was to put the boat upside down on a heavy duty box or camper trailer but I'd be thinking yours is a little big for that.
Where can you go?.......For a boat of your size probably as far as Weipa & out the other side to Portland roads but not via the Frenchman's track. The Hey river & it's tributries has some excellent fishing as do many of the reefs offshore. Normally during the dry season the West of the cape is fairly calm with the East being particually windy. Look for a magazine called the 'Northern Fish Finder'. You wont be dissapointed :-)
A V nose flat bottom alloy boat with a motor you can lift is ideal for the Cape as it gives you access to the more remote areas but there's still plenty off fish to be caught out of Weipa.
Now for the 1.2m Barramundi. You will find it swimmming in a little creek at the southern end of Chilli beach. The bastard rolled off my hook as we attemted to net it :-((
Cheers Craig...............

Craig,

They seem to have a habit of doing this, there is a big one in the Ord with my hook in it. Did you sack the decky?

Kind regards

Thanks very much everyone, your advice is very VERY HELPFUL! Firstly, Craig, what sort of trailer did you have? I am looking at a Mackay Multilink trailer, but they can spec it up to a kind of off road version, it is still leave sprung though, with no shocks. It will have bigger tyres on it than standard. Unfortunately the boat is too big to put on the roof of the vehicle or box trailer, also the motor is far too heavy for me to be able to lift off.

The other thing i have been thinking about is a full cover for the boat that will come right down to the trailer at the bow. I have never had a boat with one before and some people swear by them yet a lot of people seem to swear at them. I have a couple of reasons for trying to get one, security, and also to protect the bow of the boat from the stone chip issue you mentioned, also to keep dust and rain out of the boat and contents.

If i was going all the way to the tip, is there somewhere, say in Weipa that i could leave the boat and trailer for the trip up, and then pick it up on the way back?

Sorry for all the questions, hope you don't mind!

As for your 1.2 metre barra at Chilli beach, if i get him i will gladly send you a photo or too!!!!

I really appreciate your help

Not sure of the trailer brand Ric but was only a fairly light weight unit, certainly nothing special. The leaf suspension was unbolted at the U bolts & a replacement independant coil set rolled in leaving the top half pretty standard. For rough roads the way I see it you need a long travel subtle spring whether it be coil or leaf (not slipper) & a shocker to stop the rebound. On boat trailers there is very little space to fit the shock without jacking it up too high. The oversized wheels will help with ground clearance & keep the bearings cooler but does make it harder to launch.
If you like to keep your boat shiny this trip may test your metal as the rocks will chip the trailer & boat somewhat but some sort of stone gaurd on the bow would be a good idea, possibly something replaceable like shade cloth as it will take a beating too. (maybe bigger mudflaps?) Will no doubt be several options for boat storage in Wiepa. Possibly ring the caravan park (only 1 in town) for some ideas.
Look forward to the photo of MY barramundi ;-)
And no I could't sack the deckhand as he helped net the coral trout :-))
Cheers Craig..............

Pete,

Do you know what thickness the bottom of your first tinny was? Was it 3.00mm? The trouble i am having is trying to find the right trailer for the boat. No one seems to cater for the off-road market.

The trip to Arnhem Land, will the boat be on skids or rollers? The original trailer i was looking at was going to be a roller design for ease of launch and retrieve. However, since posting my question here i have changed my mind somewhat!

The boat size you are taking to Arnhem Land is nearly identical to the one i am talking about.

Do you mind telling me what brand the trailer is you are using currently? I have certainly struggled attempting to find the right trailer.

Appreciate your help greatly Pete

cheers mate