Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

We are about to start our next great adventure and move (back) 2,000 miles from Texas to New Hampshire. We'll be towing the TX-18 behind a 25' Penske truck. We plan to make stops every 500 miles, resulting in three overnight stays. We are looking at pet friendly places with truck parking. I'm looking for general advice and specific advice on securing the boat.

I'll get the obvious advice out of the way - "Don't do it!"
Next...

Hi David, sorry to hear your moving away from us. I'd for sure get a good trailer hitch lock. Master lock has a good one I like a lot. It is armored all the way around except for the single shackle that goes through the hole on the latch. This way it is locked to the truck. With this lock you can't get bolt cutters on it. Torch or sledge hammer maybe. Also you might pull the prop off. They tend to be the first things to go.

Good luck with the move.
Don

Uncle D wrote:Hi David, sorry to hear your moving away from us. I'd for sure get a good trailer hitch lock. Master lock has a good one I like a lot. It is armored all the way around except for the single shackle that goes through the hole on the latch. This way it is locked to the truck. With this lock you can't get bolt cutters on it. Torch or sledge hammer maybe. Also you might pull the prop off. They tend to be the first things to go.

Good luck with the move.
Don

Thanks! I'll leave the prop off. I was thinking about removing the batteries as well. The fish finder/GPS and VHF radio are both mounted IN the console, I'm not sure if I need to worry about them.

Sorry to hear you are leaving us, particularly with a handle like DavidTx. I have towed the drive from Austin to Maine or the reverse 10 different times with no serious problems. Had a dog with me much of the time as well. (Also ran it 20 more times without a trailer.) Lock the trailer to the truck, cover everything so they can't see if there is anything valuable, and stay at decent motels. The other thing to watch out for is the parking. Eyeball every restaurant, gas station and motel before you pull in to be sure you don't get in an impossibly tight lot. And whatever you do, leave enough turn radius when you are passing or cornering. It is damn easy after 500 miles to forget you are 50 feet long. (This is where SWMBO can be a big help.) Also, watch out for those "no trucks" routes as you get near NYC.

All in all it is a pretty dull drive if there are no vehicle issues and you stay on the Interstates.

The biggest thing aside from locking it to the truck with a good lock that I'd do is be very selective about where I stay the night. I prefer smaller hotel/motels with open, well-lit parking lots where the doors to the rooms all look out over teh parking lots. A grungy, dark parking lot in a bad area of town where no hotel rooms overlook is a recipe for disaster.
wade

Check and grease the wheel bearings and pack a spare hub. Their cheap and easy to replace.

I have to say we have come to a sad state of affairs in this country when your biggest concern about towing 2000 miles is getting ripped off while you are stopped.

Steven wrote:Check and grease the wheel bearings and pack a spare hub. Their cheap and easy to replace.

X2 - Each stop you make whether for the night, food, fuel, or bio-break, check the temp on those hubs. If everything is fine they should only be warm to the touch. If too warm then begin by checking the bearing buddies, you may need a shot or two of grease.

David, sorry to see you leaving out Great State! Good luck on your travels.

MD

The entire La Quinta chain is dog friendly, relatively clean, and has waffles. I've never had trouble parking the boat in one of their lots. Back the rig into a corner and leave it attached to the truck.

Do you have a full boat cover? Out of sight, out of mind, if you can cover it each night.

ericsil wrote:Sorry to hear you are leaving us, particularly with a handle like DavidTx. I have towed the drive from Austin to Maine or the reverse 10 different times with no serious problems. Had a dog with me much of the time as well. (Also ran it 20 more times without a trailer.) Lock the trailer to the truck, cover everything so they can't see if there is anything valuable, and stay at decent motels. The other thing to watch out for is the parking. Eyeball every restaurant, gas station and motel before you pull in to be sure you don't get in an impossibly tight lot. And whatever you do, leave enough turn radius when you are passing or cornering. It is damn easy after 500 miles to forget you are 50 feet long. (This is where SWMBO can be a big help.) Also, watch out for those "no trucks" routes as you get near NYC.

All in all it is a pretty dull drive if there are no vehicle issues and you stay on the Interstates.

Eric - we've driven the trip quite a few times as well, though we avoid NYC by going through Scranton. We used to have a motor home and tow a Grand Cherokee, so I've dealt with the length issues. You only have to get in a place where you have to unhitch the toad in order to back out once to learn that lesson. BUT - you can never, ever remind yourself enough about the length and with the TX-18, the width. An earlier plan had my wife and I each driving a truck, but I finally came to my senses and developed a plan where I'd have my copilot and navigator. My baby sister lives almost exactly half-way, so I think we are going to just do the trip in two segments and take a couple of days to visit with her family and recoup.

Matt Gent wrote:The entire La Quinta chain is dog friendly, relatively clean, and has waffles. I've never had trouble parking the boat in one of their lots. Back the rig into a corner and leave it attached to the truck.

Do you have a full boat cover? Out of sight, out of mind, if you can cover it each night.

No full boat cover - its been inside my shop all this time. Its going to be stored outdoors in NH (at least for the first winter). I'm not sure what I'm going to need to winter-proof it. Come to think of it, I've never seen a cover on a boat with a T-top.

Good luck with your trip. As well as locking the hitch I've always padlocked the safety chains onto the truck. It may not stop a determined theif but he'll definitely have to make some noise to get two extra padlocks off.

If it were me I'd pull the electronics too. Just my 2cents worth.

davidtx wrote: No full boat cover - its been inside my shop all this time. Its going to be stored outdoors in NH (at least for the first winter). I'm not sure what I'm going to need to winter-proof it. Come to think of it, I've never seen a cover on a boat with a T-top.

David, just a 20' x 30' Blue tarp will do for over night while on the road. Before winter sets in take the boat to a Yamaha dealer up there and have them winterize it and show you how. You can order boat covers for T-tops for around $500. Or, for the first winter have it shrink-wrapped. That's what most do for outside storage.

MD

Good luck with the trip - I wish you the best!

I suggest, after reading something from CL at one point, getting yourself the DeWalt cordless impact driver, or at least taking the drill with you with the appropriate gear to swap lugs & any other bolts on the highway. Lord knows when I get around to towing and going like my wife wants to, I'm going to have bearing kits, grease, impact wrench, 2 batteries, jack & jack stands... the whole bit to swap right there. Again - thanks to Cracker Larry for that idea - Mrs. Cracker doesn't like being on the side of the road very long, from what I gathered!

You got that right. I'd tote a spare trailer if I could figure out how, but I carry every possible spare and the tools to change them. Don't assume that your vehicle jack will work on the boat trailer either. Test it before you leave.

Edit: I really hate leaving the boat in motel parking lots but we do it a lot and never had any trouble. Like Wade, I look for motels with doors that open straight out on the parking lot., with plenty of lights. I try to back the boat into a corner, taking up about 6 parking spaces Rods and tackle are carried inside, but I never worry about batteries, or coolers and such. Although I'll be keeping a closer eye on my Yeti than I do the Igloos

I'd put the yeti in the room with you.

I didn't have time to incorporate all the great advice from you guys, I was still working on the trailer two days before leaving...

Here is the boat with the new, narrow fenders and the big yellow tow vehicle:


The first night, somewhere west of Little Rock, I looked back and the boat was bouncing like crazy. After several more miles of navigating through a one lane restriction with Jersey barriers on both sides, I managed to pull off on a shoulder. The winch strap had backed off and had developed a tear where it was rubbing on the cross bar. I tightened it up and made it on to the motel, but kept wondering how the strap had loosened up. More on that in a bit.

The next morning, I was cruising down the interstate somewhere between Little Rock and Knoxville when a trucker pulled beside me and made a porpoising motion with his hand and then a winding signal. I looked back and sure enough, he described it perfectly. After a few more miles I was finally able to pull off. The strap had come unstitched at the hook and was completely loose. I'm guessing that it had come partially unstitched the night before. I was able to pull a couple of feet of strap through the hook eye and tie an impressive knot. The boat rode great almost all the way to NH.

On I-84 in Connecticut, we came over a large bridge to road transition. The kind that doesn't look like much, but where the big truck bounced for about a 1/4 mile (or seemed like it). Things looked OK in the mirrors and as usual, there was no safe place to stop. The bounce was hard enough that the boat slid up and over 10" of double bumpers on the bow and rode the remaining 100 miles or so resting on the tops of the front bow stop blocks.



I'm impressed at how well the paint held up to this abuse. The port side block nibbled some material off the back of the rub rail. The starboard rub rail nibble material off the block.





Time to order 5' of rub rail, some quick fair and a few ounces of Sterling (I wish I could order a few ounces).

But, all concern about the boat disappeared later that evening when I got to meet my new Granddaughter for the first time.

That's not too bad. Glad you made it safe

What color is the Sterling? I've got some Matterhorn White that I could spare. I'm sure somebody here has a few ounces of the right color.

Congratulations Grandpa!!! She's a cutie!!

Glad you made it safely. Keep us posted.

MD

Cracker Larry wrote:That's not too bad. Glad you made it safe

What color is the Sterling? I've got some Matterhorn White that I could spare. I'm sure somebody here has a few ounces of the right color.

As soon as I find the box with my records or give up,and call Joel, I'll check which flavor of white it is. Thans for the offer!

Mad Dog wrote:Congratulations Grandpa!!! She's a cutie!!

Glad you made it safely. Keep us posted.

MD

Thanks, she's definitely a keeper. In related news, my son and his wife are expecting in February. Life is grand!

One more safety step (better late than never) I use on my boat is to use one of my dock lines to secure the bow to the trailer. Attach the dock line to the bow eye using the loop in the rope. Next, loop the tag end under the trailer frame then back up through the bow eye. Repeat until most of the dock line is taken up. Snug it as you go along and tie it off. This stops the bow from bouncing up and down. The winch strap will hold it tight to the winch post but not stop the bouncing. I wish I had a pic of what I'm trying to describe but I never considered that a pic worthy before.

MD

Mad Dog wrote:One more safety step (better late than never) I use on my boat is to use one of my dock lines to secure the bow to the trailer. Attach the dock line to the bow eye using the loop in the rope. Next, loop the tag end under the trailer frame then back up through the bow eye. Repeat until most of the dock line is taken up. Snug it as you go along and tie it off. This stops the bow from bouncing up and down. The winch strap will hold it tight to the winch post but not stop the bouncing. I wish I had a pic of what I'm trying to describe but I never considered that a pic worthy before.

MD

I understand - I think that would have saved me this time around.

Hey David,
Glad you had a safe trip to NH. Congratulations on the new family member(s)! Grandpa looks pretty happy!
John

Hi David, glad you guys are safe. That Grandpa smile say's it all. next time I get up to the NE area I'll try to look ya'll up. Take care, Don