I've often thought that it would be nice to have a trailer, but I'm not sure I'd use it often enough to justify the cost of owning one outright. Noticing Peter Dann's request elsewhere in these forums for a trailer to borrow or rent made me wonder whether anybody might be interested in forming a shared-ownership trailer group/syndicate?

I confess that I haven't really thought this through completely yet, and if anybody has any further ideas or suggestions then they'd be very welcome, but here's what I've been thinking so far, in no particular order:

• I don't want to tread on the Association's toes here, and the committee might have some input they want to make regarding maybe putting such a scheme under the auspices of the PSSA itself?
  
  
• Buy into the group with an up-front equity share (which would depend on how many were going to be in the group), plus a small monthly fee (£5 to £10?) to go into a "kitty" to cover servicing/maintenance, insurance and storage fees. Members would be free to sell their share to somebody else, subject to the purchaser's agreement to the syndicate's terms.
  
  
• Although my initial idea was for SS26 owners, could a SS26 trailer also fit a P27/275 to widen the appeal (and therefore lower the cost)?
  
  
• Whatever happens while you've got the trailer, you deal with it - e.g. punctures, but necessary expenditure could be reclaimed from the kitty.
  
  
• First-come, first-served booking system but be considerate: Given the size of our boats, I imagine that this system would primarily be used to deliver our boats somewhere where they're going to be for a while (Solent-based boats deploying to Scotland for a season or two, something like that) rather than a week's trailer-sailing, which isn't really a practical proposition for the likes of the SS26 or P27. In recognition of that, I suggest that the user should make the necessary arrangements to return the trailer, once the boat's been delivered to where it needs to be, to its home base a.s.a.p. so it's available for other members. Perhaps, as well as the dates required, the booking system could include origin and destination so that if there was another member wanting to go the other way it might be possible to come to some mutually acceptable arrangement.
  
  
• Trailer to be professionally serviced every year, paid from members' monthly subs.
  
  
• Shareholder's agreement to be signed by all members whereby members agree to observe "best practice" in the use of the trailer: I'm no expert so I'm open to suggestions here, but I'm guessing this would encompass things like letting the hubs cool before immersion, using an appropriate towing vehicle, observing speed limits, rinsing with fresh water after immersion etc etc. - Look after it as though it's your own. Which it would be, sort of!
  
  
• Trailer to be towed only by those with previous towing experience or after taking appropriate training, and I imagine we'd have to have the necessary code on our licences (B+E??).
  
  
• Re the above: maybe come up with an illustrated (or video??) "launching and recovery" guide. Perhaps our P235-owning friends could assist here.
  
  
• Trailer to be kept at a location mutually convenient for group members - this could be voted on.

If something like this might be of interest to you, perhaps you'd let me know by posting below. Doing so won't place you under any obligation; I'm just trying to gauge whether there's enough interest to take the idea any further! If it looks like there's enough interest to make it worthwhile (and enough so that the equity amount isn't too frightening - none of us are made of money, after all) maybe we could get together at a pub somewhere and talk it through a bit further.

What does anybody think?

Hi Graham....

I like your idea to "share a trailer" but I wonder if you have any experience with trailers and trailering such a big boat as the Parker 27? Maybe your 26 is lighter and easier to deal with but I have lots of trailer experience to share with my Parker 27 "The Happy Seal" .
My boat came into the USA in 1989 on a platform cradle which I figured will certainly work with some wheels under it....wrong! I visited a trailer builder (Continental) in Miami, Florida. Their engineer came to see the boat..it's weight and size AND the fact that I will use this trailer to move the boat between Florida and New York....AND float the boat off.
Well I ended up with a 36 foot trailer with HUGE bungs (10 x 10 inches) running length wise (no cradle), dual axle, dual brakes and lots of maintenance head aches for the next 10 years. ..Oh and I forgot to say that I moved this monster with a Chevy Suburban 454 cubic inch engine (another huge cost). Whenever we drove to Florida, we got about 9 miles to the gallon, the road hills really needed downshifting and many stops to check and grease everything. I blew tires on two occasions going 45 miles per hour..scaring the pants off me and my partner.
The worst problem came as the brakes fouled...usually every second year because of saltwater, rain water and rust. The trailer was only used a few time per year and also became a storage problem. Finally, there was a small "road legal" issue...it seems that in the USA, our laws permit 8 foot wide loads..anything over that (P27 is 9 feet wide) requires a special sign and permit..for each state one crosses.
ON the bright side, I did move my boat to/from indoor storage ( about 25 miles) every winter in Upstate New York. The trailer usually did help a lot with keeping the P 27 in such great shape and certainly easy to clean and service.

Well to sum up, a great idea (trailer sailing) may require a lot of effort, and cost but if enough guys can help keep up the maintnence...go for it.
ME?...I finally bought a property here in Florida and now, my boat is on a lift in my backyard and NO MORE WHITE KNUCKLE RIDES. LOL

Good Luck, Marv PS: I have some pictures ..which I hope I can post here if someone tells me how.

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Graham

As the original author that prompted your post, I'd certainly be interested. I am just in the process of buying a Super Seal and realised I couldn't justify the extra cost of a trailer for the once-in-a-blue-moon use it would get (to say nothing of storage costs for someone who doesn't have a garden).

I agree with your points on management as well, they sound sensible. Although I am not sure how we would train someone beyond giving a novice trailer driver a few pointers (and perhaps a dinghy trailer to practice on!) But then I have spent many years trailing a Dragon and double-stacked dinghies all over Northern Europe so maybe I have become blase.

Incidentally to yours and Marv's points, I don't think you need an endorsement to tow below 3,500 kg gross unless you passed your test since 1990-something, which presumably rules most Super Seals in and their owners out, respectively (but would a P27 plus trailer tip over this limit?). And in the UK 9'3" beam is inside the width limit. Marv you clearly had a beast of a trailer! Modern ones come with sealed bearings and brake flushing systems which mean that if you did immerse it (and I wouldn't) you can flush the salt out afterwards. I can't see trailersailering a 26/27 catching on though, Graham and I had imagined laying up, or moving to the Western Isles for a season (dream on!), that sort of thing.

Any thoughts?

Peter

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Hey Guys.....

Dreams can happen..nothing is rocket science here. If you have a bit of experience that will do...I had very little but got help from the builder.
My trailer was not aluminum but zinc steel....it was not too expensive..about $4000.00 USD (1990) but don't forget they set it up for me and added heavy duty stuff.

One thing I forgot to mention is that they supplied me with heavy duty axels for heavy loads. These are the same size (circumference) as the regular ones but are actually hardened steel so I never had wheels that toed out from the load.

Pulling in't the problem..stopping is! And brakes are really to be watched as are wheel bearings and tires (from dry rot cracking). I am sure if enough participate the cost would be less than a marina charges for a travelift in and out the water.

Do make sure it can float off...and that is based on the height the trailer carries the boat. My boat sat about the 12-15 inches below the height of the tops of the tires so when I launched, I had to back in till the front and rear tires were just underwater underwater.

Let me tell you, the first launch was a big surprise....she popped right off. Finally...I do have to say that floating back on presented a challenge...one can't float on and use a crank to slide the boat up the bungs and lock in place with an eye hook like a power boat..and crank away. (I had no eye hook and would not drill any holes in my new baby).... I simply over floated the boat by sliding my crank out of the way...the boat then assumed it's position as I drove back up the ramp. OK? NO? Well imagine the boat is floated way up forward over the trailer .. I simply drove very slowly up the ramp till she "caught" the bungs (stopped floating) and settled into position. I always floated the Parker on and off but stay away from steep ramps....the idea is a shallow ramp slowly in and slowly out. Seems to me you guys can do this with a good tide where the boat just settles on the trailer.

I don't have much more to offer...I will try to get some pictures for you.

Yes, you too can trailer your boat to wonderful places.

Marv

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Graham, excellent initiative. I just sold my trailer, which came with our P275 when we purchased it. Bad timing - I would have happily volunteered it. We first used the trailer for winter storage and then used a cradle instead. I had been keeping the trailer for a rainy day which never came and then loaned it to another member who used it for a while then kindly stored it for me as he had the space. Having a shared trailer is a great idea, so long as you can find someone to host it. It's a big beast.I am sure the original trailer manufacturers have kept the plans. One thing occurs to me. Whereas my cradle had slide-in wooden blocks, matched to the particular hull shape, the trailer had permanently mounted wooded supports. Think about going for a trailer with slide-in blocks to fit various hulls.

Allow me to comment on the practicality.
- My P275 was delivered by trailer, coming from the Lake District to South Coast. The two vehicle was a short wheelbase 4x4, nothing big and fancy, but legal.
- The previous owner had twice towed the 275 from England to the South of France and explained that the trailer fitted through the autoroute barriers with an inch or two's width spare on each side. PSSA members do love excitement.

Cheers!
Ken

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