Trailering GW 300 Marlin, 305 Express of 330 Express

knightgang said:
You must go by another screen name on another board...
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Yep, that screen name is outdated and had to do with a boat I owned 4 boats ago, a SeaPro 21' bay model. I went 2'itis, 5'itis, the 0'itis. The zero foot itis is deceiving though when you see the picture of my 282 SF beside my 28' Master Marine. The 282 is actually 2' shorter on the trailer due to the MM has a bracket but the SF absolutely dwarfs the MM.
 
I tow my 268 Islander from Cape May to Islamorada every winter since January 2008. I use a F150 with a tow capacity of 9,000 which is approximately what my tow weight is. 4,700 lb boat, two 470 lb engines, 2,000 lb trailer plus gear and household stuff. Bean is 8'6 and the trailer is twin torsion axel with E rated 80 psi radials. Locked out of overdrive I get about 9 mpg. Tow at 60 mph. 24 hour trip one or two nights on the road. This is of course a lighter load and a smaller boat but you can almost forget it's back there.

I take the Cape May ferry to the Eastern shore, to Virginia Beach thru bay bridge tunnel, to Emporia and connect with I-95. I take I-95 to Fort Pierce to FL Turnpike, to Miami, extension to Florida City to route 1. My route thru Florida is easy except for occasional construction sections.

When I get there I have a marina pull the boat off the trailer (it's never been wet since new) and put it back on.

In Florida, trailer loads from 8 feet 6 inches to 12 feet wide require special permitting. A single trip permit covers widths up to 12 feet and costs $10.

If it were my project I would use a new or rebuilt 3 axel trailer with higher rated tires. Get tongue weight set properly. Pay someone to pull boat off and put back on. Ramps in the keys are not good for the larger boats. Check your F250 tow capacity but I suspect you will be ok. Find the sweet spot for the trailer, relax and enjoy the ride.
 
Might consider the 325 DC with generator option. Fits most of your criteria and more open boat space. Has decent sized cabin with A/c unless wifey really wants express sized accommodations.
Either way tow vehicle likely the same. 3/4 ton maxed out or 1ton with little more safety margin.
 
This is the million dollar question. I think many of us have been in the same situation you are in. I owned a Marlin. I rebuilt and repowered. They are excellent boats. Probably the best outboard trolling platform/boat that I know of. Stable, dry, well shaded and didn’t wear you out after a day on the water. I could also sit in the bilge and work on everything. Then it came to trailering it, I kept it in the water at 450 a month but would trailer it twice a year 150 miles. It’s gigantic and gives no room for error. It cracked an aluminum trailer I beam. In the end I just payed shippers to trailer it and I rented slips and just paid my way through it. The problem was scheduling everything. 10’6” is a lot of beam and it was tough on the shippers. For your situation I suggest either a sailfish 27 or an Islander 268. I am currently running an Islander. They are narrow and sensitive to weight. The sailfish beam is over 8’-6” by just a little but provides a lot more buoyancy. It’s also trailerable without the Marlin issues. I’m in SoCal so I move the boat from central CA to Mexico. Trailering is key to follow the fish. You can do ocean runs but at $7 / gal at gas dock gas, forget it. Look real hard for a sailfish. See it on the trailer. Sea trial it and look how AC is configured. They are good boats.
 
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knightgang said:
I know that in y state (Georgia) I can purchase a $150 annual permit and tow anywhere in the state on that (I think up to 12' beam) and No flags or escort. FL is pretty good about this as well, not sure the fee, but it would be 2 tows, one in , one out and a week a part is what I am thinking. So a seven day permit once year is all that I would need.

Nobail - your Dodge 3500 would have the same drive train as the 2500 with the difference being a stiffer suspension and the rear end gear. The F-Series Superduties are the same idea, same drive train (Engine/Transmission) and only a difference with the suspension and the rear gear.

I will admit, that many times the tuning is different, but that I am not concerned with as I have a tuner and have have a custom tune written to account for the load and the gearing with consideration for the tire size.

I am also familiar with Load Distribution so can do that if needed. Overall, how would you rate the power production and ease of putting that load with your Cummings? This may be the final deciding factor for me on a Marlin...
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My Cummings likes it, asks for more. Granted the 5.9 is smaller, but it does well.
 
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