Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Hi,

I am going to pick up the 200 Mariah Shabah I purchased. It is about a 3 hour drive to haul it back. I asked on here and checked the boat weight in the brochure and it says the boat weighs 2550lbs. I don't know the weight of the trailer but it is a single axle eagle spirit, guessing the weight is about 1000lbs, is that about right? There is no extra stuff in the boat and the gas tank I assume will not be full. As a result I am figuring the total weight to be between 3550 - 3800 lbs. Is that about right? My dilemma is I don't really want to drive my GMC 2500 Cargo Van to pick it up, I rather drive my Ford Edge but it is only rated for 3500 lbs towing. I know this is only for selfish comfort but could I haul it with the Edge.

thank you

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

You probably could however most towing is recommended at 80% of rating and you will be around 100%. Also if things go bad, you could wreck the boat and also the car and maybe yourself. Then again, I can convince myself to try it.

Ford Edge SEL | Boating Magazine

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

I haul my 180 with a Mazda Tribute and usually with a few extra things in the boat. I know i'm pushing the tow rating but i've done it for 5 yrs now and as long as i take my time & brake early i've been okay.
Like simpleaz, i could convince myself to use the Edge just for the extra comfort factor.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

I pull our 180 Diablo with a Chevrolet Equinox. I pulled it on a 6 hour round trip yesterday and didn't have any issues.
Ironically I watched someone towing a slightly larger boat with a Ford Edge on the interstate yesterday. It seemed to be doing fine. You'll probably need to flip your draw bar depending on how much tounge weight the boat gives you. I have my 3.5" or maybe its a 4" drop flipped upward with the 2" ball. This keeps the trailer level, but does squat our baby SUV.

The equinox is also rated at 3500lbs... I could probably convince myself to towing something larger, especially after I install air bags in the rear coils this spring.


Good luck,
Nick

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Scratch that... I did not see an Edge, I guess it was a Ford Flex. I'm assuming that they share some of the same towing characteristic's though. I will say, our Equinox ran fine on the interstate, but if you plan on hitting any large hills you'll probably want to carry as much momentum as you "legally" can. It's kind of hard to do this in Ohio, the Highway Patrol LOVES to issue tickets.

If your vehicle has a trans temp gauge keep an eye on it. Our vehicle does not, but I also plan on adding a trans cooler and gauge to be safe.

Nick

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Thanks for your input guys and the article link. This makes me feel more comfortable about taking the Edge. It is pretty much a flat drive so there should be no issues there. Just going to take it easy and drive carefully. Just needed some reassurance from guys who have some experience with this.

thanks
Les

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Does the boat trailer have a spare? If not make sure you inspect them... and throw in a can of fix a flat as a precaution. That way if something were to happen.. perhaps the temporary fix can get you to a station.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Thanks Nglauer didn't think of that, I did check out the trailer and it looked in great shape. The guy I bought it from hauled it about 10km to the lake so that I could test it out. It does't have a spare tire though, so I will definitely go pick up a can.

thanks
Les

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Well the trip has been completed but not without incident. On the positive side the Edge handled the haul just fine. On the negative side about half way back the trailer shreaded a tire into bits. I did not have a spare and the can fix was not going to help in this situation. Ended up calling a flatbed tow truck which towed the boat to the nearest shop in the middle of nowhere but they luckily had the tire I needed. This added an extra 3 hours to the trip as well as an extra $360 to the price tag but all is well and the boat is home. Took the boat for a spin and I have a new question regarding the trim but I will start a new thread for that.

thanks
Les

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Yeah, something I should invest in. A spare tire. Not that I trailer much..
Glad to hear your towing went without incident. I used to pull my 202 with '89 chrysler turbo minivan, though it was boosted a little over stock... ;)

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Make sure you'll have a proper jack !! I had a flat tire once and the jack from my SUV was dangerously unstable and barely managed to raise the trailer.. I purchased one from Ebay(29$),drowned it in WD40 and attached it with tie-raps to the axle of the trailer.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Don't feel bad, my parents lost a tire on their 5th wheel camper this weekend. It peeled the tread like a recap... except it came off in one complete section. I'll have to post a picture.. the tread rolled off and wrapped around the inside portion of the axel. It tore up the brake lines, inside paneling, insulation, and electrical wiring for the power slide out. It even got the outter fender trim which is Specific to their Carriage Cameo. Luckily Dad had a spare, however the tire that blew was on the drivers side facing all the traffic on I-77. He packed a wrench, bottle jack and all the other tools.... but realized that the jack handle of MIA. Luckily the tire blew about 45 minutes from home and I was able to bring some extra tools to ease the job. I will be buying a spare tire and wheel now. I figured I had nothing to worry about since my trailer has goodyear marathons... but after seeing Dad's goodyear come apart like a pair of cheap sneakers i'm a little concerned.

Glad you made it back safely and that nothing else happened.


Nick

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Wow, luckily my blowout didn't cause any damage just headache. Bad enough you get a blowout and then all that damage. Hope its not to expensive to fix it all. My heart was pumping pretty hard when the trailer was being pulled onto the flatbed with the bottom end of the motor about an 1" of the ground. It didn't help with the truck driver saying " I came all the way out here so I am getting this boat on the bed one way or another". First thing Monday after work I am going to get a spare and proper jack.

thanks
Les

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

A spare is needed. For some reason the PO of my boat put tires on the trailer that were borderline of the load rating needed. Why skimp maybe $10-$15 per tire on this? Anyway... I have popped both of those tires now this season. The spare saved me both times. Also... verify you have the proper tools to change the tire. My first experience was that my lug wrench wouldnt fit as it is for my 8 lug 2500 truck tires. I bought a foldable lug wrench and added it into my jack case in the truck. The first blowout was stressful because I had to drop the boat on the side of the highway and drive 15 miles to get a lug wrench. The second was without stress and I was driving again in 15 minutes since I had everything I needed.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

The PO of my boat had 2 light truck tires on the trailer instead of trailer tires. Going to change the other one before it blows.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

The insurance adjuster was supposed to stop and look at my parents trailer. It may have done some fiberglass damage when it tore the fender flare off, but minor damage that will be hidden behind the replacement flare. It reminded me of when a Semi looses a front tire.. it just chewed everything up. Hopefully the damage isn't as bad as it looks.

I would be paranoid watching my boat/trailer being pulled up onto a roll back. Did you wheel get damaged? I just realized that my trailer is a 6 lug 15" wheel. I never really paid attention to it when we purchased the boat. Now i'm wondering how much a spare wheel/tire is gonna set us back.

Good luck !!! glad you got her home safely in the end.

Nick

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

That sucks on the flat. It sounds like my first boat experience. I hauled it back from Lake of the Ozarks to Wichita Kansas and got a flat 3/4 of the way back in a small town. No spare tire! The funny thing now is that the previous owner and I talked about the lack of a spare tire just before I left. I told him I should be alright and I would get one as soon as I got home.
I also got a speeding ticket and the durango started to over heat.
BUT I love this boat! Haven't had a problem since I got it home.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Wow you are a brave guy speeding while hauling a boat. I was definitely taking my time.

Nglauer - I also have the 6 bolt 15 " (225 -75 -15) I picked up a spare with rim for $270

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Well I forgot to say it was only 40 in a 30 and it dropped down really fast.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Heck, I tow with a car ('05 Crown Vic)!

I lost a tire on my first trip out this summer, luckily I noticed it before the tire actually blew, it had acquired a baseball size lump in the sidewall that I saw in the side mirror. I limped along to the nearest tire place and got two new trailer tires. I had a spare, but it's a passenger car tire, I really need to get an LT or ST to replace that. I carry a 4 way and a hydraulic jack with me too, those cheapy jacks that come with cars are pretty worthless.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

You guys that are towing loads at or in excess of your tow vehicle's rated towing capacity are asking for trouble, IMHO. Towing capacity isn't so much about how much weight the tow vehicle can get moving, but how much weight it can handle without the tail wagging the dog and how much weight it can reasonably be expected to safely stop. Sure: If the terrain is relatively flat you can get the load up to speed and keep it there w/o destroying your transmission, but what if you have to pull a sudden avoidance maneuver? What if you have to panic-stop? Then you'll find out about towing load limits--the hard way.

You might find yourself in for a nasty surprise from your insurance company, as well.

Jim

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Sorry, but the crown vic tows far better than my wifes jeep grand cherokee (which has a 5,000 tow rating). The crown vic has a longer wheelbase, full frame, bigger transmission cooler, a v8, steeper rear axle ratio, it weighs more (4,200lbs), and has larger brakes, all of which make it a better tow vehicle. The crown vic was actually listed as Trailer Boat Magazine 'tow vehicle of the year' in '93, which is before Ford dropped it's tow capacity rating to 2,000lbs (because they stopped offering tow packages on cars since they sold so few of them). It was a marketing/sales change, suvs sales were booming.

The "insurance company won't cover you in an accident" argument has been repeated on the internet before, but never with any examples. I meet all state laws regarding what I am towing.

Maybe I should go buy an F250 quad cab to tow my 3,200lb load a dozen times a year?

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Is that a matching wheel to what you already have? How do you mount it on the trailer?

I'm going to pick up a spare this week. A friend of mine works for a place called Polar Service Center, they sell alot of trailer parts and happen to carry a few different styles of wheels and tires. He has a Cooper 225-75-15 on a silver modular wheel (the one with the holes drilled in it). He priced me out at an excellent deal of $107.00 + tax. I can hardly buy the tire alone for that price. They stock every kind of light, bearings, axles.. anything you can think of for a trailer. I'm pretty sure he's giving me the wheel / tire for his cost... but if anyone was looking I bet he could set you up with a great deal.

I also priced one at Overtons. They have the chromed steel direction wheel like mine with a carlise tire, then they have the same tire mounted on the aluminum 5 spoke wheel. The aluminum looks much nicer and is actually cheaper? any idea why?

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

Has anyone seen one of these axle jacks in use:

Overton's® > Overton's Easy Lift Trailer Jack With Storage Bag

If it's a good product I might add it to my boating list for next summer. I also need to buy a lug wrench, I never even thought about that. I guess I should make an emergency kit with spare light bulbs, fuses, zip ties, flag, etc. Perhaps I will fabricate a water tight locking box at the tounge of the trailer. It'd make for a good step and a great place to keep emergency gear? Anyone have anything like this mounted on their trailer?

trailer tongue box - Google Product Search

I figure I'll have to fabricate one specific to my trailer due to the limitation in available area near the tongue... but man it'd make a handy step climbing into the bow.


Nick

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

It is a good idea to 'test' out your tools and supplies before heading out. I took the Apache Trail to Apache Lake in Arizona recently and didn't know I tore a sidewall until I launched the boat and another boater saw the bubbles coming out of the tire. The good news is I had made sure I could remove the spare and actually be able to use it.

The funny part is I checked it the day before I tore the sidewall. Talk about so glad as I was in the middle of no where. I tried to pop the trailer up on a rock to 'jack up the trailer" however I ended up using the Nissan jack. It worked well.

Best part was I found out about it while the boat was in the water so I could easily get to everything. If I didn't have an angle socket with the boat on the trailer, I would have been struggling to get the spare even off the stow mount.

I am thinking of adding the upright spare carrier to remove this worry. Also, laying flat the sidewalls get grooves in them from resting on the trailer. Discount Tire tells me no worry but I want the tire to work when I need it so the vertical mount is probably going on when I have some time.

In the end, a couple new tires, and back in biz.

Re: Hauling a 200 Shabah
 

I am concerned with this as well because I have a short wheel base SUV that really isnt designed to tow anything. I know of a guy in Florida who tows his boat with the same vehicle but there are no hill like what I will face here. I am sure we will be storing the boat at the lake during the "off season." Do we know what the tongue weight is on a 96 Z200 shabah? If I have to tow it I will have to buy a hitch is why I ask.

Only 13' long....
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...IMG_0558-1.jpg