{"id":338,"date":"2009-10-14T20:35:18","date_gmt":"2009-10-15T00:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/j30.us\/blog\/?page_id=338"},"modified":"2009-12-28T10:16:43","modified_gmt":"2009-12-28T14:16:43","slug":"trailering-your-j30","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/j30.us\/blog\/info\/articles-of-interest\/trailering-your-j30\/","title":{"rendered":"J\/30 Trailering"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the Road Again . . .<\/h3>\n

Hauling the J\/30 to Open Water<\/h3>\n

by Skip Vielhauer, Frolic<\/em><\/h4>\n

Last update: January 31, 1997<\/em> (Copied from old J\/30 website)<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

When we purchased our J\/30 about four years ago, I was convinced that it was just a big J\/24. My wife and I had sailed the J\/24 for four years in upstate New York, and hauled it to Florida for winter sailing every fall. So we did the same thing with the J\/30: fresh water summers and salt water winters. (Go to the open water!)<\/p>\n

Necessary muscle<\/h3>\n

We started with a good trailer. Ours was made by Triad Trailers who had made J\/30 trailers and had templates. The trailer has two axles and truck tires with electric brakes. It also doubles as a great cradle … albeit a bit expensive. The selection of a tow vehicle was the next concern. Fortunately my construction company needed a new truck, so that was easy! I calculated a total load of the boat and trailer (complete with gear) and included a safety factor at approximately 9,000 lb. I believe in overkill – especially regarding a large investment following on the road at 60 m.p.h. – so I went with a one-ton truck with dual rear wheels. I also like to go fast (even off the water) and not slow down for hills, so I selected the 460 horsepower V-8 gas engine. And for creature comforts, cruise control and air conditioning were added, as well as a trailer hitch with stabilizer bars. This towing package (truck and trailer) is very stable on the road. The boat sits high enough to see under it to the traffic behind. It can be driven at 55-60 m.p.h. on reasonably smooth roads (not Pennsylvania’s Route 80) without stress on the rig or driver.<\/p>\n

Rules of the road<\/h3>\n

The J\/30 is an overwidth (not overlength) load, so rules of the road regarding overwidth vehicles apply. Each state to be driven in requires an overwidth permit; I use a permit service company to obtain all permits. Procedure is to plan your route including origin, destination, and days you will travel. Supply this information to the permit service by fax or mail. (Fax is best.) The permit service will need to know about the tow vehicle, trailer, insurance, registration and dimensions. Allow one or two days for permits to be issued. Fees vary among states; we’ve been charged a range as low as $5 to as high as $60. Our permit service also charges a fee (of course) for their work, but the extra is worth the convenience.<\/p>\n

Extra tips<\/h3>\n

Some tips we learned the hard way:<\/p>\n