What's everyone's opinion on hull covers and removing the tramp when trailering? I usully do just one multi-day haul per season but have several planned for 2004 and was thinking of making some covers for the bows to avoid rock dings and road grime.
I usually leave my tramp on my Hobie 16 when trailering long distances (throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic staes). This is because I don't find its worth the time to remove and install it at events. Also, the catbox on my trailer does a pretty good job of keeping grime off the tramp. I would recommend taking it off if you are going over about 500 miles because it helps to increases fuel efficency. I would also definetly recommdend hull covers. Last year after going from CT to DE (hobie 16 nationals)I found a lot of road grime on the hulls.
I have a set of trailerable hull covers that came from Salty Dog Marine (I can't remember the brand on the covers .... arrrggg). They take a bit more time to put on but they're priceless for keeping the hulls clean when trailering (I do about 12,000 miles a year with the boat behind my RV). I've towed with them and without them so I can tell you that as far as grime goes, if you are going to cover anything, cover everything. If you are only looking for some chip and ding protection (and you are towing with a narrow vehicle) some basic covers over the bows might be all you need.
As far as the trampoline, I never take it off for trailering - it's horizontal so I don't imagine it makes much of an impact to my already 'less-than-desireable' fuel economy. Removing the trampline also involves loosening the beams and removing one hull from one forward beam on my Nacra hence it is less practical than on the H20 or 16. I've never felt that the trampoline was overly dirty from towing.
Hi Jake,
Trailering is a very important part of taking care of your boat. Hull covers are great. A wood floor in the trailer is a big help in keeping rocks, tar and oil off the hulls. It also helps in loading and unloading. keep the wires away from the mast. Tied to or against the mast they grind/wear through the anodizing. Take them off if possible. Carpet line your sailbox. Put the heavy metal parts in the bottom. Then roll over that a layer of carpet. Now load in the next layer of parts. Keep metal parts and all hard parts away from each other. Use daggerboard and rudder covers. Put the sails in last, on top.
Do not carry your hulls/boat around on hard rubber rollers. I have seen sailors arrive at regattas only to find a hard rubber roller has crunched 2" up into their hull. Then they remember that big bump at the RR tracks they hit giong 60+ last night. These rollers do not provide sufficient bearing area or contact area with the hull. Long and wide carpeted pads do a nice job.
A mounted and inflated spare tire is a good idea too. Put a sum cover over it to make it last.
Have Fun,
Bill
The tramp, unless extreamly tight, will try to flog a bit.
You can dampen the flogging by tieing a line or stiff bumgee from the middle to the trailer vertically.
I'm trailering a N5.2 from vegas to duluth minnesota. Will the boat get lots of rock chips from trailering or is it just regular road grime that builds up? ~Reid
Rick and I (separately and together) have been trailering boats around the country for 40 years, and I can't remember ever having any damage to a hull from rocks or anything else. We have a bucket, a sponge, a bottle of Joy -- and me, of course -- to clean the road dirt off the hulls when we get to our destination. 
Maybe I'm being too sensitive, or just didn't notice some ding that I got while on the water, but in the last two road trips (one from Florida) I've found chips in the gell coat right on the bows. Since I have a new boat, I'm going to be more squemish than ever about damage - though I know it will come. I'm heading to Mexico in March for midwinters and if there's anyplace with a greater chance of getting rock damage than the road to San Felipe, I haven't found it. I can sew up a pair of bow bras (with padding) for about $100, which seems worth it for the peace of mind.
Oversensitively yours,
Steve
Agreed about hull covers, they are indispensable for long-distance trailering. They are also good for off-season storage. I have a set of covers from Salty Dog, trailered over 3000 miles, no dings. And also sun damage is much reduced compared to uncovered boats of same vintage.
Don't expect the covers to keep the hulls *clean* when traileriing, unless it never rains on your trips. The spray from traffic during rainstorms will leave some fine debris between the covers & hulls after they dry. But the ding avoidance is excellent!.
Fleet 42 sails in the Sea of Cortez frequently. One of our members shows up with his P19 down from Utah. He covers 3 or 4 feet of the nose of his P19 with the slickest set of stretch covers I ever saw. Looks like neoprene. Peels off, offers great protection. Sorry I don't know where to get them. I'll try to track him down.
They wouldn't have protected my boat from the debris my RV kicked up when the tire blew. The exhaust clamp hit the front crossbeam hard enough to put a dent 2 inches tall by 3/4 inches deep. Had it hit the hull, it would have made a hole at least 5 X 3.
Other than that, I've never seen much damage from debris.
Cheers.
Yikes, that sounds ugly. I've never lost anything off of the truck, but I've had the fender blow off the trailer and take out the tail light. A friend's trailer fender tore free and went right through his tramp - a $600 H20 trap - hence going through the hassle of removing it on long drives.
I had a blowout last fall on my motorhome but fortunately none of the 'quickly removed' RV pieces found their way to the boat. It was pretty exciting none-the-less.
I have a long list of terrible trailering stories that I won't go into here. Last summer I started wrapping the hulls from the front beam forward with stretch plastic wrap normally used in shipping. Works great, one roll cost $5, we used about half the roll last year (wrapped for 5 road trips). Keeps on the road grime and bug grime off. At the bows I use extra layers which provides a reasonable amount of protection from stone chips, very economical.
Something else I do for long distance traveling is diconnect the standing rigging from the mast and trailer with the comptip above the vehicle. After getting rear-ended last fall when I had not, I believe that will be standard procedure for me from now on.
If using a cover, make sure it fits snuggly without any billowing...otherwise it will flap against the hull and make a real mess.
If you are concerned about rock chips and sand abrasion, try getting mudflaps on the rear tires of the tow vehicle and maybe for the trailer wheels as well. What about those black stringy ones common on RV's & 18 wheeler? They should help stop rocks etc.
Mike.