Hi all,
Would anyone have a solution for the mast towed by a Class B motorhome (Mercedes Sprinter Van)? My mast extends well out over the rear of my truck but this, of course, can't happen due to the height of the Class B. Some Farriers (like mine) have an extended tongue so the mast is right over the ball and I was hoping someone may be able to direct me to a source for beach cats.
I am entirely open to other solutions as well.
Thanks in advance,
James H17, F25C
Extended Trailer (or mast solution)?
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Posted: Sep 21, 2019 - 03:10 PM
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Posted: Sep 21, 2019 - 09:12 PM
We have a guy who pulled his g-cat with a Mercedes Sprinter. I believe he used a yoke extension to allow the mast to clear the sprinter. MN3 is more familiar and can probably comment with more detail.
Edited by dartsailors on Sep 21, 2019 - 10:22 PM.
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Posted: Sep 22, 2019 - 05:22 PM
Hi James,
I tow my cat behind my truck with a slide in camper. I built an extension for my front mast step that allowed the mast to reach above the camper. Never really liked it so now I just push the mast back so the the end lines up
with the trailer ball. It does stick way out the back, but I flag it well and have had no issues. Two other local sailors do the same thing when towing behind their rv's. It does require a hitch extension which can be found
many places online. The sprinter is quite a bit lower than my camper so the front extension might be a better
solution. I used aluminum square stock for mine.
Pete
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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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Posted: Sep 22, 2019 - 05:28 PM
I tow my Prindle 18-2 with a Sprinter van, not the high top but the medium version with 5'10" headroom in the back. Still it is very high. First thing I would note is that I am always careful to make sure where the base of the mast is located in relation to where the back of the van is during a tight turn. Next is that raising the base of the mast over the top of the van means the top of the mast is much lower to the ground so bumps may be a problem. Bottom line is I have been simply getting the base of the mast as close to the back of the Sprinter as I can without a close turning radius causing issues and putting red/orange plastic that flaps in the wind on the top of the mast.
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Posted: Sep 22, 2019 - 07:15 PM
I move sailboat masts professionally mostly in the southeast but a few coast to coast trips and have moved masts as long as 65 ft fully rigged. The rules and regulations vary greatly state to state. For under 50ft length in FL and GA nothing can extend more than 5 ft behind the back edge of the trailer and/or 5 ft in front of the tow vehicle bumper. No matter lights, flags, banners, streamers, etc...
Out west a lot of states use the 2/3rd of wheelbase formula: Nothing past the back of the trailer longer than 2/3rds of tow vehicle wheelbase.
Every state makes their own rules.
In the last 30+ years of towing I have had 2 rear windows on tow vehicles punched out. Once by a hard brake that caused a load shift and the other by someone running into the back of the mast on the trailer and pushing the mast forward. Yes, also through his windshield. Nobody hurt but pretty scary for everyone. Especially him.
Because of those two experiences I added a 2x4 extension on the forward mast crutch on my main tow trailer to make sure all masts clear the roof of my tow vehicle. Also an elevated rear mast crutch to try and haul masts as level as possible. Kind of Farrier style if you have ever seen a Farrier trailer. Been working great for years now with no incidents.
Brad
2x Stiletto 27s
Ford Transit Connect current tow vehicle
Killed 2 Sprinters, one Chevy 1500 and 3-4 Astro Vans (I miss those Astros)
Edited by bradinjax on Sep 22, 2019 - 07:19 PM. -
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Posted: Sep 23, 2019 - 02:51 PM
this is a realllllly dangerous way to transport a boat
as mentioned above: " in FL and GA nothing can extend more than 5 ft behind the back edge of the trailer"
and much more importantly:
" I have had 2 rear windows on tow vehicles punched out. Once by a hard brake that caused a load shift and the other by someone running into the back of the mast on the trailer and pushing the mast forward. Yes, also through his windshield."
we had a person killed by a mast that ended up going through a windshield on our beach - different situation than described above but it certainly could kill anyone that was behind you if they got rammed into your mast via being rear-ended.
As mentioned above by Dana, we have a sprinter van on our beach, owner had a g-cat 5.0 (killed via lighting), now sails a supercat 17. the trailer yoke was extended and he drives with the mast at a higher angle. -
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Posted: Sep 23, 2019 - 09:44 PM
I fabricated a telescoping mast support for the front of my trailer.I can telescope when I have the slide in camper on the back of the pick up.It works well
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Posted: Sep 24, 2019 - 02:03 PM
Thanks all, I think I'll go with a hitch extension from e-trailers. Never knew these existed. Their 34" version has a rating that far surpasses weight and tongue weight of boat and 34" should be enough so that mast isn't too far behind trailer or too close to ground.
Thank you again!
James F25C -
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Posted: Sep 24, 2019 - 02:21 PM
probably not an issue with a spriter and multi axle trailer but please keep in mind that extending the hitch will change the center of gravity of the tow package and also reduces the SWL of the hitch system -
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Posted: Sep 24, 2019 - 07:07 PM
Noted -
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Posted: Sep 25, 2019 - 08:04 AM
I made a cheap and easy extension:
- Two galvanized steel tracks for sliding closet doors, from the hardware store
- a v shape bow stopper or roller, to support the mast
- three long bolts, one for the bow stopper and two for the tracks
- covered the tracks with blue pvc flat hose and plastic cable ties, also from the hardware store
The upper part is a bit wider, just bended the tracks slightly.
two advantages:
- the width is very close to the mast width so i finally avoided that it rotates to the side after a few miles
- i kept a good length of the tracks above the rubber support so the mast wont fall out. I still tie it secure but dont need to tension in excess as before.
Edited by Andinista on Sep 25, 2019 - 08:10 AM. -
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Posted: Sep 25, 2019 - 12:05 PM
I tow with a GMC 2500 Sportsmobile conversion. The current front mast support keeps the mast above the pop top roof when it's in the down position. If I want to raise the pop top with the mast on the trailer and hitched, I have to telescope the mast support up.
A sailing buddy towed with a converted church bus. He had to rack up the mast on the roof of the bus.
Whatever you do keep your overall height in mind. Also what happens when you come down the driveway or drive across a dip in the road. As the rear wheels of the tow vehicle go into the dip the mast can come down and impact the roof.
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Virginia
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Posted: Sep 25, 2019 - 02:08 PM
Just as an aside my sprinter van in a previous life was a 'money van' used by a check cashing company in Miami to drive into bad neighborhoods to cash checks. Bullet proof glass all around and 1/4 inch steel plating in the interior including the back doors of the van. When I was touring the Western states right after I bought it I was happy for the extra security for my expensive cameras. I was bragging to my brother about how secure it was and how hard it would be to break in. He replied give me a twenty pound sledge hammer and I could break in in five minutes. -
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Posted: Sep 25, 2019 - 02:19 PM
LOL!
i want a van full of money . -
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Posted: Sep 26, 2019 - 11:37 AM
You could try something like this extension I made to back my cat into the water when the van needed to stay off the sand (or get stuck). Mine was adjustable. Yours could be shorter of course.
j
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Posted: Oct 04, 2019 - 06:41 AM
Thanks all, per advice your I found trailer tongue extensions on etrailer.com. They have a simple one 36" long and I think that is just long enough so that my mast isn't sticking way out off the back of the boat. It still may not be legal in all states but at least it isn't sticking out ~7'. They have 48"ers but they have additional hardware and the tongue weight isn't much so I think that would be overkill.
Thanks again!
James -
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Posted: Oct 04, 2019 - 06:56 AM
Running ratchet straps or chains and turnbuckles from the end of the extension back to the outside corners of the tow vehicle helps control sway on long extensions. I use chains on my long extension.
Pete
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Pete Knapp
Schodack landing,NY
Goodall Viper,AHPC Viper,Nacra I20
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