Big drive coming up...

[OTN]

All:

The time is almost here for the annual Lake Powell houseboating trip. I'll be towing my '09 VTX with a tandem axle trailer (all wheels with brakes) behind a 2004 F150 FX4...from Missouri. To Utah. My buddy will be towing his 21' Triton behind a Tahoe.

Tips? Suggestions? Cover or not? I'm planning on going without cover after reading most opinions on this site. I'll also pull the paddlewheel before the trip.

I'll start off with the easiest suggestion to make: "Get a real truck with a diesel engine."

t

[Bobby Light]

If you have a towing cover I would use it. I personnaly don't pull my boat without a cover unless it's a very short trip, you won't like what your boat looks like without a cover. I wouldn't tow it with the stock malibu cover though your boat will be rubbed raw.

Make sure you have a spare or two for the trailer. If you have tow/haul mode on your truck use it in the mountians. Your boat is brand new so you shouldn't have to worry about the trailer to much. Just check the hubs everytime you stop.

[Sixball]

I kept my shipping cover for long halls and bad weather halls. Check with your dealer see if he can save one for you.

[DONTW8]

Take some beach towels and secure them to your back seat rest. The cover will flap behind the windshield and beat on the rear seat back or motor cover. The flapping may cause a discoleration in your seat back/motoer cover and you can protect it by using towels.

You can also consider buying some of the foam pipe insulation, the kind that has a split in it for insulating water pipes. You can open that split and place the insulation on your windshield frame. This will save a wear spot on the underside of your boat cover.

The obvious. Trailer tires at maximum psi shown on the sidewall. Wheel bearings full of grease. I have zerk fittings on mine and use the marine grease and I have the bearings repacked every few years. I've owned boats since 1972 and never lost a tire or a bearing. My average trip is 100 miles round trip and I make one or two long hauls each year.

[WakeGirl]

Take some beach towels and secure them to your back seat rest. The cover will flap behind the windshield and beat on the rear seat back or motor cover. The flapping may cause a discoleration in your seat back/motoer cover and you can protect it by using towels.

You can also consider buying some of the foam pipe insulation, the kind that has a split in it for insulating water pipes. You can open that split and place the insulation on your windshield frame. This will save a wear spot on the underside of your boat cover.

The obvious. Trailer tires at maximum psi shown on the sidewall. Wheel bearings full of grease. I have zerk fittings on mine and use the marine grease and I have the bearings repacked every few years. I've owned boats since 1972 and never lost a tire or a bearing. My average trip is 100 miles round trip and I make one or two long hauls each year.

You totally jinxed yourself, hope you were knocking on some wood when you wrote that.

He's more than likely got oil bath hubs, not much you can do for that if you have a seal blow unless you know how to do the repair & have the parts on-hand to do it.

[DONTW8]

WakeGirl,

I know you're right. I have victimized myself before making similar statements.

It gets worse. I don't carry a spare. AAA ?

[txwakejunkie]

All:

The time is almost here for the annual Lake Powell houseboating trip. I'll be towing my '09 VTX with a tandem axle trailer (all wheels with brakes) behind a 2004 F150 FX4...from Missouri. To Utah. My buddy will be towing his 21' Triton behind a Tahoe.

Tips? Suggestions? Cover or not? I'm planning on going without cover after reading most opinions on this site. I'll also pull the paddlewheel before the trip.

I'll start off with the easiest suggestion to make: "Get a real truck with a diesel engine."

t

Any time we go on a long haul we just tape over the paddlewheel, never pulled it out.

Only tips i can think of would be, Haul your gear in the truck and not the boat! check all tire press as stated above, if you dont use your cover then use your wind block under the windshield, take your table plug out and any thing else that could become loose and fly out. If you dont have covers for your boardracks and towerspeakers then wrap then with plastic bags or somethiing to catch all the bug guts so it's an easy cleanup when you reach your destination.

Edited May 27, 2009 by txwakejunkie

[Sunsetter95]

WakeGirl,

I know you're right. I have victimized myself before making similar statements.

It gets worse. I don't carry a spare. AAA ?

Heck, I carry one on the trailer, and take another on longer trips.

Edited May 27, 2009 by Sunsetter95

[WakeGirl]

WakeGirl,

I know you're right. I have victimized myself before making similar statements.

It gets worse. I don't carry a spare. AAA ?

Oh you're totally screwed now. I try very hard to not make statements like that, but every so often I do & Mr. Murphy always seems to be ready when I do.

[Bobby Light]

All:

The time is almost here for the annual Lake Powell houseboating trip. I'll be towing my '09 VTX with a tandem axle trailer (all wheels with brakes) behind a 2004 F150 FX4...from Missouri. To Utah. My buddy will be towing his 21' Triton behind a Tahoe.

Tips? Suggestions? Cover or not? I'm planning on going without cover after reading most opinions on this site. I'll also pull the paddlewheel before the trip.

I'll start off with the easiest suggestion to make: "Get a real truck with a diesel engine."

t

Any time we go on a long haul we just tape over the paddlewheel, never pulled it out.

Only tips i can think of would be, Haul your gear in the truck and not the boat! check all tire press as stated above, if you dont use your cover then use your wind block under the windshield, take your table plug out and any thing else that could become loose and fly out. If you dont have covers for your boardracks and towerspeakers then wrap then with plastic bags or somethiing to catch all the bug guts so it's an easy cleanup when you reach your destination.

He doesn't have to worry about that. The plugs on the 09's are so hard to take out it took me 5 minutes with a screw driver to get mine out. I had one fly out on my 06' though and know what you mean.

[gregtay]

As other said... use a cover.. just make sure it's a cover that doesn't flap in the wind at 75MPH. I have a custom cover from Bakes and it doesn't move an inch.. the back doesn't "full with air".. it's just rock solid.. super super happy with it (pricey but worth it.) On my last boat i puchased an expensive cover from Overtons and after my first trip it trashed my boat.. so unhappy.. i took it off and never used it again. Towing without a cover works for local trips.. but if you are out on the freeway and get caught in a strom you are going to want a cover... road grim on your intrior will take days to clean up.

Also.. make sure you have a spare. I never carried one but one day i picked one up.. the next year i had a complete blow out (on a single axle trailer) on I90 in the middle on nowhere Eastern Washington. I was back on the road in 5 mins... without a spare it would have been a VERY long day.

When i trailer at high speeds on the freeway i stop every 90ish miles and just jump out and walk around the trailer, check the straps, look and feel the tires and bearings.... one time i jumped out and did a walk around as we were driving though a little town.. i was shocked when i walked by a tire and found it 1/2 full and you could hear the air leaking out. I drove over to the local tire shop and i was back on the road in 30 min. Most of the time everything is just fine but tightening down a strap or noticing a hot bearing can save you a lot of pain down the road. Have a GREAT trip.. Powell is worth the drive.. so jealous.

[OTN]

Take some beach towels and secure them to your back seat rest. The cover will flap behind the windshield and beat on the rear seat back or motor cover. The flapping may cause a discoleration in your seat back/motoer cover and you can protect it by using towels.

You can also consider buying some of the foam pipe insulation, the kind that has a split in it for insulating water pipes. You can open that split and place the insulation on your windshield frame. This will save a wear spot on the underside of your boat cover.

The obvious. Trailer tires at maximum psi shown on the sidewall. Wheel bearings full of grease. I have zerk fittings on mine and use the marine grease and I have the bearings repacked every few years. I've owned boats since 1972 and never lost a tire or a bearing. My average trip is 100 miles round trip and I make one or two long hauls each year.

You totally jinxed yourself, hope you were knocking on some wood when you wrote that.

He's more than likely got oil bath hubs, not much you can do for that if you have a seal blow unless you know how to do the repair & have the parts on-hand to do it.

They are oil bath hubs (and '09s at that), so hopefully won't have to worry about them this trip.

I second the notion on the table plug. Took tools to get that thing out.

I asked my dealer if he had a towing-style cover, but he told me they're a couple hundred dollars and he couldn't just give me one. Bummer. I guess I'll roll without the cover unless we run into some weather.

Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes down...

[WakeGirl]

I've had 2 trailers with oil bath hubs. The first, an '04, I never had a single problem. The second, the '06, ended up needing all 4 seals replaced. The irony of it is that the '04s were supposed to be the worst for problems. Go figure. Anyway, put that on your list when you do your walk-arounds. Look at the hubs to see if they're leaking at all - if they are it will be painfully obvious & you'll need to find a trailer shop that can do the repair.

[JasonK]

no cover = poss. broken windshield and dirt

check your trailer wheels hub's for excessive heat in the first hour of towing.

[Bobby Light]

I've had 2 trailers with oil bath hubs. The first, an '04, I never had a single problem. The second, the '06, ended up needing all 4 seals replaced. The irony of it is that the '04s were supposed to be the worst for problems. Go figure. Anyway, put that on your list when you do your walk-arounds. Look at the hubs to see if they're leaking at all - if they are it will be painfully obvious & you'll need to find a trailer shop that can do the repair.

These are the new hubs in the 09' trailers and supposedly the best yet.

http://www.ufpnet.com/Portals/0/PDFs/VAULT%20Brochure.pdf

[zad0030]

Sorry to jack the thread...

What does everyone do with their bow filler, windscreen, and jump seat? Is it more fuel efficient to put the windscreen in and block the air or to just let it pass through?

[WakeGirl]

I've had 2 trailers with oil bath hubs. The first, an '04, I never had a single problem. The second, the '06, ended up needing all 4 seals replaced. The irony of it is that the '04s were supposed to be the worst for problems. Go figure. Anyway, put that on your list when you do your walk-arounds. Look at the hubs to see if they're leaking at all - if they are it will be painfully obvious & you'll need to find a trailer shop that can do the repair.

These are the new hubs in the 09' trailers and supposedly the best yet.

http://www.ufpnet.com/Portals/0/PDFs/VAULT%20Brochure.pdf

Yeah, they also said that they had all of the problems fixed after '04.

[cyoda44]

They are oil bath hubs (and '09s at that), so hopefully won't have to worry about them this trip.

I second the notion on the table plug. Took tools to get that thing out.

I asked my dealer if he had a towing-style cover, but he told me they're a couple hundred dollars and he couldn't just give me one. Bummer. I guess I'll roll without the cover unless we run into some weather.

Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes down...

Ask your dealer for the invoice on your boat.... you might find that you purchased a towing cover and never received it.

[Bobby Light]

I've had 2 trailers with oil bath hubs. The first, an '04, I never had a single problem. The second, the '06, ended up needing all 4 seals replaced. The irony of it is that the '04s were supposed to be the worst for problems. Go figure. Anyway, put that on your list when you do your walk-arounds. Look at the hubs to see if they're leaking at all - if they are it will be painfully obvious & you'll need to find a trailer shop that can do the repair.

These are the new hubs in the 09' trailers and supposedly the best yet.

http://www.ufpnet.com/Portals/0/PDFs/VAULT%20Brochure.pdf

Yeah, they also said that they had all of the problems fixed after '04.

Time will tell but these are a totally different design. I don't want to replace seals, I did it on the last trailer.

[bobofthenorth]

If you have an IR thermometer take it along. Whenever you do a walk around take the thermometer and shoot everything in sight. One wheel noticeably hotter than the other? Note that the sunny side will normally run 10 to 20 degrees hotter. Likely low air pressure. Easy to check hub tembs and use it on the tow vehicle too.

[MalibuTime]

I recall a line item for a shipping cover (I think or it was included in the freight charge) anyhow it was maybe $85. A heavy plastic cover with a kind of felt-like liners. This was what the factory shipped the boat in.

As for the comment from WG - if you see oil leaking at all get it fixed. I suggest you spend some time on google and find trailer repair specialist all along your route, as well as tire repairs etc. Plot them on a map and have a list of phone numbers, addresses and hours. If you do need a repair, you will be very happy that you put that together ahead of time.

On other thing, I am a little bit paranoid about getting ripped off, and having my boat parked in a hotel lot overnight is a stresser. I would suggest getting a locking nut for your prop, http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=778 last thing you want to do is go out in the AM and find your $400 prop missing. Add to that wheel locks for the trailer. I haven't yet, but will this summer as I sprung for alloys over steel wheels. And a lock for the spare.

Also, hit any front surface of the boat/trailer ( and front of your rig) with quick detailer spray wax, and take the bottle along. It makes cleaning bug guts off much easier to have a fresh spray of wax on there.

Have fun, a houseboating trip on Powell is definitely on my bucket list. Now I feel like a wimp since it is relatively a short drive from here (2 days) compared to your trip!

Edited May 28, 2009 by TheBlackPearl

[FijiRob]

Towing cover and Enkay mud flaps.

[WakeGirl]

I recall a line item for a shipping cover (I think or it was included in the freight charge) anyhow it was maybe $85. A heavy plastic cover with a kind of felt-like liners. This was what the factory shipped the boat in.

As for the comment from WG - if you see oil leaking at all get it fixed. I suggest you spend some time on google and find trailer repair specialist all along your route, as well as tire repairs etc. Plot them on a map and have a list of phone numbers, addresses and hours. If you do need a repair, you will be very happy that you put that together ahead of time.

On other thing, I am a little bit paranoid about getting ripped off, and having my boat parked in a hotel lot overnight is a stresser. I would suggest getting a locking nut for your prop, http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=778 last thing you want to do is go out in the AM and find your $400 prop missing. Add to that wheel locks for the trailer. I haven't yet, but will this summer as I sprung for alloys over steel wheels. And a lock for the spare.

Also, hit any front surface of the boat/trailer ( and front of your rig) with quick detailer spray wax, and take the bottle along. It makes cleaning bug guts off much easier to have a fresh spray of wax on there.

Have fun, a houseboating trip on Powell is definitely on my bucket list. Now I feel like a wimp since it is relatively a short drive from here (2 days) compared to your trip!

You could even call ahead to see which shops along the route can make a repair like that. Some are very familiar with the oil-baths, some.....not so much.

[ralong]

Awesome thread. Did anyone mention the trailer jack?

We are going to Norris Lake, TN from detroit in a couple of weeks. Soaking up all this good information. Just this week I booked a new custom cover for trailering (will post pics when done). Just an FYI if one were to order a new cover: I was told that sunbrella covers stretch over time and are not specifically made for long-distance towing and there may be a warranty issue. "Top Notch" and others are more durable and maintain their water protection so definitely discuss the material options with your fabric shop.

[Faceplant409]

I would just go ahead and order the rebuild kits for the hubs just to have. Those with some simple hand tools and a quart of 30wt engine oil (IIRC) and you can fix em on the road yourself!

Pat