Trailer capacity

bcoco

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Wondering what the minimum trailer load capacity would be for a 2000 seafarer 226. grady lists boat at 3300# w/o motor. has 225ox motor on it so that would bring to around 4000#.
Do you think 4700# trailer would be ok? or does it need to be heavier. not planning to tow far, just want to do this once.
thanks
 

seasick

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I think the rating is OK for storage and short relatively flat trips. You didn't account for the weight of fuel at 6.2 pounds per gallon. Add to that gear and maybe water and you will be at capacity. Typically you want to leave about a 10% margin but again, for short flat trips, it You need to check that the model trailer you pick in that load range will fit your hull correctly as far as length goes. The measurement that is somewhat critical is the end of the bunks or rollers to winch bumper . Your hull measurement from the transom to the bow eye should fall into the length range for the trailer.

If you plan on trailering loaded up or maybe longer, harder hauls in the future, you may want to go a bit higher in load rating.
 

bcoco

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thanks. will check that. would rather go a little larger to be safer.
 

Mustang65fbk

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It’s not exactly apples to apples but my 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer weighed 5,300 lbs by itself, not including the weight of the trailer when we took her out once last October. That was with about a half a tank of fuel, pretty minimal gear, no water and so forth. Like you said, you only want to do it once, Id go a bit higher and do it right the first time. It probably wouldn’t be an issue going on short treks, and obviously a 226 Seafarer with a 2 stroke motor will be a bit lighter. But, that’s a ballpark figure.
 

seasick

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On a tandem trailer, you are starting out with at least 6000 or 7000 pounds of axle capacity. Might as well build to that capacity.
Too big can be an issue if the bow eye to transom measurement is outside the specs for the trailer. In that case, you may have to oad your boat more forward than you need and as a result the balance (and tongue weight) can be incorrect. So, bigger is better to a point:)
 

glacierbaze

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I didn’t say build it bigger. There are other considerations: springs versus torsion, box beam versus I-beam, size of the beams, number of crossmembers, beefiness of the winch stand, tire size, etc.