Association Forum - tongue extension photos

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

tongue extension photos

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Member Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Initially Posted - 12/29/2004 : 10:37:05

Ed, I hope these photos help you understand the tongue extension that came with trail-rite trailers. Note the positioning pins that lock the extension at specific lengths.

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 12/29/2004 : 14:50:54

Hey Frank, did you retro fit that extension on your trailer?

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 12/29/2004 : 17:49:27

I am under the impression that is is the standard extension on Trail-Rite trailers. Any welding shop could certainly dupe it from these photos.

Edited by - on

MattL
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 12/29/2004 : 22:35:49

When I had my trail-rite trailer built they told me that it was illegal to put on an extension on this weight of a trailer. That tells me that either your trailer is much older than mine or not made in California. Either way I think that using a tow strap would be just as easy, maybe even beter. You still have to disconnect and reattach to use the extension. The advantage the strap has is that my truck is far away from the water. I know there are a lot of diffrent takes on this issue, but after using my method for the 3 or 4 years we have had the boat, and many loadings and unloadings per season I feel the actuall dipping of the boat is the easy part when compaired to the set up of the mast. For me I'd rather have the few extra boat units the extension will cost to fabricate and use it on something else. Like the new auto inflating PFDs we got this year.

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3072 Posts

Response Posted - 12/29/2004 : 23:03:23

"illegal to put on an extension on this weight of a trailer."

That would be a bit bizarre... however it would certainly be wildly inadvisable and/or illegal to tow on a public street with the extension in place.

Edited by - on

John V.
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
559 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2004 : 14:15:06

That type of extension may have been the type that is integrated into the trailor. perhaps like my old C22 trailor. The extension was part of the main hitch rather than an auxiliary hitch shown by Frank. When pulling a heavy load I'm not sure I would be comfortable relying on a few pins rather than heavy bolts or welds. I can't imagine how a seperate launch system could be illegal, but I don't live in California. (I've always gotten a chuckle out of product labels that indicate that something that is fine in one state will cause cancer in California) looking forward to a great new year.
If you can help out the relief effort for asian tsunami victims please do so. that would be a great way to begin a year reaching out to those in need.

Edited by - John V. on 12/30/2004 14:16:52

atgep
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1009 Posts

Response Posted - 12/30/2004 : 16:01:25

When I had my traier built, I wanted an extension but Performance said NO! They were currenty being sued for liability by a customer who was driving with the extention out. He managed to drive the boat into a house while going around the corner! If I ever need one I will use a strap. I am quite comfortable my 30 foot 30000# strap will stay connected.

Tom.

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 01/02/2005 : 18:25:48

Tom
It sounds like some lawyer contacted that Nimrod who drove with the tongue extension out, and he had dollar signs in his eyes. They should both be shot. But that's just my opinion, I may be wrong.

Edited by - on

MattL
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 01/03/2005 : 00:27:47

Another difference could be that my boat is a fin keel and neds to go deeper than a swinger. Hence the extension would be much longer and perhaps less stable.

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 01/04/2005 : 08:32:16

When I had my trailer reconditioned in 2003 (some of you may have seen the photos I posted from that project), I looked into having a tongue extension added. The owner of DHM Trailers, where the trailer was originally built and the upgrade work was done, told me the same as Trail-Rite told Matt Loeffler - the Catalina 25 exceeds some kind of weight limit imposed in California that governs trailer tongue length for "fixed" tongue extenders like Frank Hopper has on his trailer. They can do the extenders on a Catalina 22 or Capri 22 trailer, but not on boats any heavier than those. The only kind of Cat 25 trailer extender they can do has a ball and coupling at each end, and a full-size spare tire on a pivoting mount that supports the trailer tongue when the extender is used. The problem with this system is that it is next to impossible to steer the trailer while backing down a long ramp, so you have to get the trailer as close to the water as possible, block the wheels, uncouple the trailer, rig the extender, then finish backing down and launching the boat. The thought of uncoupling the trailer on a 15% gradient boat ramp for as much as 15 minutes while rigging the extender makes me extremely nervous. If the wheel chocks somehow slipped, you could be extremely screwed - I have a mental picture of the wheel chocks slipping on one side, the trailer slewing sideways, and the boat falling off the trailer, or someone getting seriously injured.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.