I just purchased a used a-class catamaran and need a trailer. Any help would be appreciated. Getting back into sailing after a twenty year break.
Thank you.
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Bob Bitting
Mooresville, NC
1983 Prindle 16
2012 A-Class Catamaran
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Looking for a Trailex or similar aluminum cat trailer for my A-class catamaran
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Posted: Nov 18, 2016 - 09:30 AM
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Posted: Nov 18, 2016 - 08:17 PM
Bob,
I see you're in Mooresvile, NC, I hope you will come and join the EMSA racing. We have a good fleet of A's at most races (3-6). I'm about 1.5hrs south of you and have an A also.
What kind of A Cat did you get?
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Mac
Midlands South Carolina
AHPC Viper USA 366
A Cat USA 366
Super Cat 17
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Posted: Nov 20, 2016 - 09:43 AM
Mac,
Thanks for your reply. The boat was made by OH Rogers in 2011 and is currently being stored in Jacksonville Florida. Where do you sail? Would love to find a place to sail closer to home.
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Bob Bitting
Mooresville, NC
1983 Prindle 16
2012 A-Class Catamaran
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Posted: Nov 20, 2016 - 03:57 PM
Columbia Sailing Club on Lake Murray in Columbia, SC and also on Lake Wateree in Camden, SC.
You're welcome to come anytime you want! I'll pm you my contact information
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Mac
Midlands South Carolina
AHPC Viper USA 366
A Cat USA 366
Super Cat 17
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Posted: Nov 21, 2016 - 12:01 PM
I have two Trailex trailers in Norfolk, VA. Cheap!
http://norfolk.craigslist.org/bpo/5859447508.html -
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Posted: Nov 22, 2016 - 09:11 AM
Hello Dan,
Thanks for your reply. How wide is the frame? Thanks, Bob
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Bob Bitting
Mooresville, NC
1983 Prindle 16
2012 A-Class Catamaran
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Posted: Nov 22, 2016 - 11:14 AM
The trailer, as shown in the photo is not wide enough for a Cat. Dan may have the X beams removed to save space.
I have one of those Trailex trailers, very light, one person can pull it around, with the Cat loaded, & no corrosion issues.
If it doesn't come with the beams, you will need to add them, & will want cradles for a A-Cat. Trailex has used the same fittings for ages. Their X beams are simple pieces of the same extrusion the frame is made from, & are secured with the same fittings that hold the trailer together.
You will also need a mast support on the tongue. Again, same extrusion with one of those "V" blocks on top to hold the mast. Mine appears to be a "V" block used for the bow stop on other boat trailers.
The ones in Dan's photo were used for narrow boats, you can see the bunks & rollers. The good news is the fittings they use for the winch can be used for a mast support, you just need a length of extrusion. The angled fittings to the side of the front roller are what mine uses to secure the cradles.
The genius of these units is how easier they are to customize. All fittings can be moved by simply loosening a captive bolt,then sliding the fitting along the dovetail in the extrusion, then re-tightening bolt.
Here is a quick album I threw together, sorry, i can't make the 3 sideways photos rotate.
http://www.thebeachcats.c…ictures?g2_itemId=126053
They are easy to re-wire. Either run wire inside the grooves & tape every few feet, or fish it through the frame.The latter is harder, as you have to undo the fittings where the frame narrows to get the wire through, but it's then protected. Buy decent tinned marine wire, more $, but lasts.
Talk to Dan, he may have any extra pieces you need.Rest assured he is an honest stand up guy. I once purchased a Nacra spreader bar that turned out to be seized. After trying his solutions to free it up, he refunded the full amount, no questions, no hassles.
Edited by Edchris177 on Nov 22, 2016 - 12:17 PM.
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Posted: Nov 22, 2016 - 11:52 AM
Many, if not most, A cat guys trailer there boats on the beams, not like normal cats on cradles. I'll attach a couple pictures of mine to give an idea of what I'm talking about. I know he will still have to get the parts, but just wanted to throw it out there
https://www.trailex.com/TX-418-ACAT.cfm
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Mac
Midlands South Carolina
AHPC Viper USA 366
A Cat USA 366
Super Cat 17
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Posted: Nov 23, 2016 - 11:51 AM
Thanks, Ed!!
A cat trailers are set up a little differently than your regular beach cat. Like Mac's pictures, most of the A cats are transported on bunks so that the beams rest on the bunks and the hulls are not supported at all. This only applies to the non-foiling boats, it is my understanding that the new foilers need cradles because of the hardware on the inside of the hulls under the tramp.
I got out of the A cat scene before the foilers came around, so I don't have experience on how to set up a trailer for them. I think that if you do want to go with cradles, you should look into the rotating cradles for the rear and then non-rotating cradles for the front, but get the wide ones. You will have to mount the cross bars (or beams) on top of the trailer frame so that the hulls clear the fenders. A cats have a 7.5 foot beam and there isn't a lot of room between the hulls for a wide framed trailer. I also glued indoor/outdoor carpet to my fenders just so the hulls wouldn't get scratched if they rubbed on the fenders while loading or off-loading.
If you go with the bunks like Mac's you really don't need beams on the trailer. I cut my front beam down to the width of the trailer frame but I left the rear beam on because I also had the rotating cradles. To load the boat, I would put the bows on the cradles then push the boat onto the trailer until the front beam got over the bunk end and then I would pick up the back of the boat (to get it off the cradles) and then push it on the trailer the rest of the way. That made it for super easy loading/unloading.
Trailex sells the bunk kits which I think are over priced for 4 beam sections and some brackets. You still have to get 2 boards (2" x 8" x 8' pressure treated lumber) and then cover them with indoor/outdoor carpet. You can use metal for the bunks, but the wood is easier to deal with and more forgiving.
Now, the good thing about Trailex trailers are that they are light and you can configure them any way you want. The bad part is that they are expensive and they used steel nuts and bolts so you end up replacing them all when you build your trailer and that adds up.
Honestly, I got my two trailers out of a salvage yard--someone cashed the min for the aluminum!! The horror!! So, I got them along with a galvanized trailer because I knew people in my fleet wanted trailers and I saw the value in them. Of course, once I got them home, no one wanted one, so I'm just trying to get my money back out of them (and get them out of my yard). They are set up for something like a jon boat, but are the right size for catamarans if you add beams and a mast stand.
The one problem with my trailers is that they are a little short, they could use about 2-3 more feet on the tongue to be perfect. I am having that problem with another trailer I'm working on and I am about to weld a bunch of aluminum beams together to make a longer tongue. This seems to be the general issue with Trailex trailers when they are not set up specifically for larger cats, they tongue is always too short. For every Trailex that I have set up for my personal boats, I have always bought a tongue extension that sisters to the tongue and extends to the rear beam or rear part of the frame. That makes for a very stiff trailer. Of course, Trailex sells new beams for tongues and they run about $300 plus freight.
Instead of extending the tongue, you could also extend the frame from the back. That takes a little more work, but would be easier and cheaper than getting a very long tongue section. The spring perches are adjustable, so you can move the axle to balance out the trailer as you like.
I do have the other parts Ed mentioned, so IM me for more info if you are interested. You might consider getting both (at a much better package price) and making one really nice trailer out of the two!
Dan -
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Posted: Nov 23, 2016 - 12:07 PM
I just noticed a few things about Ed's and mac's pics. In Mac's pic looking down the mast, you can see the rotating cradles I mentioned on his rear beams.
Now, Ed has a sweet trailer! (I have tongue envy!) It has the long tongue--looks like it was sistered in the middle and was obviously built for a cat from the start. I do a lot of trailering and I have three boxes on my trailer that are usually filled up with parts. So, I reinforced all the corners of my frame with aluminum braces. I didn't trust the cast aluminum/zink corner connector pieces. I don't have a pic of my Supercat trailer right now, but if you look back at the craigslist link I added above, you can see some braces that came on my trailers. Those pieces were really were a great selling point for me! It may be hard to see, but there is a curved piece that is bolted to the outside of the frame corner, then a flat piece on top and bottom of the corners!
Edited by DanBerger on Nov 23, 2016 - 12:13 PM. -
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Posted: Nov 23, 2016 - 01:57 PM
Thanks Mac, Ed and Dan. I really appreciate your input and expertise. Now I have to do my homework to see how much it would cost for the trailer components from Trailex.
Bob
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Bob Bitting
Mooresville, NC
1983 Prindle 16
2012 A-Class Catamaran
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Posted: Nov 23, 2016 - 08:25 PM
Dan, if Bob decides not to buy them, get hold of Andrew, (MN3) down in Dunedin. A year or so ago he was looking for a new trailer, & mentioned he would really like an AL unit.
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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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Posted: Nov 30, 2016 - 04:59 PM
Dan,
Not sure where you are getting your information regarding the foiling A's. The 2015 DNA (full foiling) and racer X Icon (full foiling) A cats at my club are on the standard A-cat beam bunks. The latest trend in A cat technology is to really clean everything up from an aero perspective so no dangly bits under the boat and nothing to impede the standard beam support method of trailering!
I do agree Trailex ask too much money for their risers and connector plates. Have you found an alternative source for these parts? -
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Posted: Dec 01, 2016 - 10:56 AM
Sam,
I got the info about foiling boats and cradles from one of our local A cat sailors with a foiler. I was going on his brief description of his needs.
I did have a good source for aluminum brackets, but that is gone. A friend worked in a warehouse where they had some cast off aluminum pieces and he could take anything he wanted as long as he didn't re-sell it. He also had access to a brake! So, we made a bunch of brackets but they are all gone. I have been getting aluminum stock from the same yard I got the trailers out of, too. they get some interesting stuff!! -
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Posted: Dec 02, 2016 - 08:55 AM
That's interesting. Did he point out what under the beams would impede the use of the standard A cat trailer setup? How many foilers in the VA beach area? The issue with the cradles, as you likely know, is blistering on the hulls, plus supposedly higher fatigue resting on the cradles absorbing the shocks from the trailer-I would argue the high speed vibrations my A cat hulls exhibit rolling down the highway while supported for the beams are pretty high fatigue as well!
That's a shame on the brackets! Sounds like you found a good scrap yard however! -
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Posted: Dec 02, 2016 - 09:51 AM
Thanks Ed but I am good
Found a cheap trailer for my parts mystere, rebuilt it and sold it
I now have a steel trailer and custom alum
I love trailex but i actually feel it is not a good solution for me. I park my boat on the beach a few nights a week and typically rest my bows on the aft trailer rollers and use a couple tree augers (in storm season) to stop my cat from flipping onto another cat, car or other during an overnight storm.
I have flipped my cat this way in the past, tied to a trailer. actually we had about 5 boats all flipped onto eachother like this. a trailex would get blown down the causeway or flip pretty easy (esp with a cat tied to it) being as light as it is.
one time i didn't use augers, my cat (bows resting on rollers, beach wheels under the cat) got blown up the causeway and almost hit a custom paint job on a van...
my new trailer is very heavy for an alum one (about the same as my steel one)
PS my 6.0 is for sale ... amazing boat but i don't need 2 of them and since i sail solo 85% of the time...the 5.5. is a better fit for me
Edited by MN3 on Dec 02, 2016 - 10:04 AM. -
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Posted: Dec 03, 2016 - 10:33 AM
The Mystere 6.0XL was the best handling, fastest, kickazz Cat I've ever sailed. Like you, I found it was just not a great fit for solo sailing once the wind was 15, or better.
Solo, on a 20 x 10 beast, trapped off a wing, with a tramp launched spin, & gybing that big kite, was exciting, especially when the sheets hung up on the wings, but that's a younger mans game.
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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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