Educating Boat Owners on Trailer Safety and Towing Procedures

The January/February 2006 issue of Boat & Motor Dealer contained an article entitled "Dealers have a responsibility to educate all boaters on safe towing procedures." The article discussed a survey of boaters who trailer their prized possessions and came up with these unfortunate results about their operation of boat trailers on the road:
• Many Americans do not follow safety precautions.
• Nearly half did not properly cross their safety cables.
• Half were towing with unleveled trailers.
• Most had poor electrical systems on their trailers.
• 41% had tires in moderate or worse conditions.

So whose fault is this? In the blame game everyone is at fault, from the boat and trailer manufacturers to the dealers, and eventually the boat owners. Rather than pass on the blame, boat and motor dealers and trailer manufacturers and distributors need to educate and inform their customers about trailer safety and safe towing procedures.

Misconceptions
GVWR is not the same as payload--The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of a trailer is a combination of what the trailer can carry, plus what the trailer weighs. To know what type of trailers and carriers customers need to properly support their boats, dealers need to subtract the weight of the trailer from the GVWR to determine the payload capacity. How much capacity do customers need? Try using this calculation: the Boat's Dry Weight + Engine Weight + Fuel + Water + Oil + Batteries/Gear + Misc. (it adds up quickly).

The trailer needs to be level--A boat trailer will sway if it is not level or if there is not enough tongue weight. Once the trailer is hooked up to the ball and receiver, the dealer and the owner should check that the trailer is completely level. If the trailer is not level, the dealer may want to try flipping the receiver. Why? Because if the trailer appears too low, and the dealer is using a drop receiver, flipping the receiver will raise the level of the trailer. There are other times when the dealer needs to recommend a new receiver.

Correcting the problem of an unlevel trailer is crucial to safe towing. If the trailer is not level, the driver is putting unwanted stress on either the front or rear axle and not allowing all of the trailer brakes to work properly. This could also cause the trailer to sway, which is dangerous to the person towing, as well as those on the road.

Oftentimes, the swim platform will actually hang off the back of the trailer. Ideally, the transom of the boat should sit flush with the back bunks. The transom of the boat requires good support while on the trailer. Also, the axle placement on the trailer should be designed for the boat's center of gravity, which helps to equalize and evenly distribute the weight of the boat across the trailer, with the transom as the starting point. Dealers might also suggest some extra length in the tongue of the trailer to allow for sharp turning, to ease the launching process, and to give spacing between the boat and tow vehicle (include andy bow pulpit anchor in the length).

Article courtesy of Boat & Motor Dealer, May 2006