# A 40 ft on trailer



## THEFRENCHA (Jan 26, 2003)

Hello
Spring is around the corner and I am looking for a 40 or 41 footer 
Just a coastal cruiser but needs to be able to trail with a Durango 
Looking at Beneteau / Catalina/ Hunter but all come with long keel 

Maybe an Irwin 40 Citation with centerboard 

Can you help ?

Thanks


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## klem (Oct 16, 2009)

Unfortunately, the boats that you are looking at will not work from a towing perspective. Here are a few things that you need to consider when towing:

Weight- The maximum towing capacity for a Durango is 7,400lbs for a 2wd one with only a driver. Realistically, it will probably be 6000lbs of which 2000 lbs goes to the trailer. A 4,000 lb boat is pretty small, I don't even know of any 30'ers that would meet this requirement. Even if you upgrade to a one ton dually you are unlikely to find something in the 40' range. You would probably need a medium duty truck and a CDL.

Height: The total height will be from the bottom of the keel to the highest point on the cabin/stanchions plus at least a foot for the trailer. Being much over 12' is pretty limiting.

Width: It depends on the road but much over 9' gets problematic. You can get wide load permits but they are expensive and inconvenient.

There are 2 ways to deal with this. First, you can look at a boat that is trailerable by a Durango/whatever vehicle you are willing to buy. The other option is to buy a boat that you can't tow and pay a professional hauler to move for you. You still need to make sure that it isn't too big for them.


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

I don't know why I'm the sucker to respond to this but,

Look at the towing limit on your truck.

Then look at the displacement on the boat.

Reality sets in: you don't tow boats bigger than about 26' without a semi.


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## ghostwriter247 (Nov 28, 2008)

That citation displaces almost 16k pounds, the trailer needed would be at least 8000 lbs which means a Gross vehicle weight of at least 24000 lbs.

A vehicle capable of pulling that is at least a f450. The max weight rating for towing on your durango is 8 to 10 k depending on your engine.

I tow my 27 foot bristol which including cradle is about 7200 lbs and the flatbed was about 7000 lbs and i was within a couple thousand of my maximum tow capacity of my 2500.

Also the beam is not legal as well.

If you are looking for a trailerable with the durango, you are really only going to be able to look at the 20 - 25 foot range.


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## ghostwriter247 (Nov 28, 2008)

zedboy said:


> I don't know why I'm the sucker to respond to this but,


Funny i was thinking the same thing!


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## klem (Oct 16, 2009)

Darn, I just realized that it is april fools day. I guess that I am the fool for responding.


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## zedboy (Jul 14, 2010)

klem said:


> Darn, I just realized that it is april fools day. I guess that I am the fool for responding.


ROFL


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## LandLocked66c (Dec 5, 2009)

Lol


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## neoxaero (Feb 18, 2010)

I tow a 50' steel trawler behind a Honda Civic every once in awhile. Its okay until I get it up in the mountains.

I think you'll be okay towing a 40ft sailboat behind a durango.

Check out this guy 
YouTube - Ford Taurus: For all your towing needs
You can tow ANYTHING with a ford


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## joeybkcmo (Feb 28, 2006)

somebody needs to photo shop a pic, VW towing a 41' full keel


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## THEFRENCHA (Jan 26, 2003)

So now I understand that the boat is too heavy for a trailer
Should I then carry the Durango on Deck ?
After all my Irwin citation 40 is a centerboard and a little weight in the center should help!


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## paul323 (Mar 13, 2010)

Just make sure you have some nice salty teak brackets to hold it secure amidships, and keep the rubber off your decks - it'll be a pain to clean otherwise. Say - in addition to a little more weight, it'll also give you some more windage...you'll probably go faster 'downhill"?


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

Keep the Durango off the deck. Better as ballast.


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## SecondWindNC (Dec 29, 2008)

Just install some u-bolts in the roof and hang it from the davits.


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## dnf777 (Jun 23, 2007)

I hear Hunter is coming out with a 45-I......an inflatable blue water cruiser, that will easily fold down into a pop-up camper sized trailerable package. The Mast is telescoping, and will collapse to a 12 foot pole.


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## sealover (Jun 27, 2009)

Seems the original poster was fooling, but isn't the 32' Seaward trailerable by a one-ton pickup? The same F350 crew cab dually diesels that are launching 15 foot Bayliners, driven by guys looking at me like I'm crazy for launching a 17 foot boat with a six-cylinder station wagon.


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## tomperanteau (Jun 4, 2009)

The best trailerable boat that I've seen is one that I used to own. It was a Harstad 31 Motorsailer.

She was a 31 foot, center cockpit, ketch-rigged sailboat with an eight-foot beam to keep her legal on the roadways. She weighed in at 8000 pounds and originally came with a trailer.

Although Crealock designed her, I imagine that he was trying to pack too many features into this small a package. She had a lot of pluses, but she also had her down sides.

She was not a good sailing boat unless you ran the diesel most of the time. She was a bit narrow, but had 6' 7" of headroom throughout. Although she was center-cockpit, the aft cabin was separated by the engine room. It was roomy, with two bunks and storage, but the separation was a problem.

Just thought I'd throw that into the mix.


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## gtod25 (Aug 5, 2000)

*This is how its done....*


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## Sanduskysailor (Aug 1, 2008)

Here you go. Boat that meets your criteria. 40 feet and trailerable by a SUV


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## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

Assuming it is NOT an April fools post,,,,,,, then again, with thefrencha only having 5 posts since 2003.....one never knows, then again, the poster could be an unknown sock puppet.......but lets get back to being serious instead of not........

I believe Bob Perry designed a "Container boat" a few years back, I believe that boat would qualify, as IIRC it was 8-8;4" so legal from with width stand point. Weight wise, do not remember, could be a bit heavy for a light duty SUV. a 25 series SUV or other 8 lug rig with a larger motor, should not be an issue........bridge height wise with the keel on could also be a potential issue.........

Marty


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## FoolishMuse (Oct 12, 2006)

There certainly is a boat that meets your requirements, the Cape Bay Fast 40 I've seen it on a trailer. It is very light and only 8' wide. The name is Lawndart and I think it's the most appropriately named boat I've ever seen. From what I've read it weighs 4,000 lbs.
Check out:
Transpac 03 Boat Bios
FAST 40 - Sailing Anarchy Forums


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## Sublime (Sep 11, 2010)

gtod25 said:


>


Hells yeah! Cut the string, slam on the breaks and voila!


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