Wood Zeppelin
New member
You know when you see the broken down boat trailers on the side of the highway and worry about the poor guy, and wonder what you'd do if it was you!? Well it happened to me today. And what an interesting experience it was! I learned a few things:
(1) Not all towing companies can handle a disabled boat/trailer combo, even my little 16' Angler!
(2) Allstate "motor club" roadside assistance doesn't cover boat/trailers (or at least not without a good fight).
(3) The guys who would tow it wanted to charge $175/hr, round trip for their tow truck, in heavy traffic near Tacoma.
Lucky Solution! Lucky because we broke down about 300 yards from the marina/boat ramp. I'm scared to think what might have happened at freeway speed. Solution: A very helpful guy from Breakwater Marina suggested we take a wood block he had laying around and use at as a "sled" in place of the wheel that broke off at the spindle. SEE PICTURES! I put my jeep in low range gears and went very slowly. The reason it worked so well is that the spring u-bolts dig into the wood, securing it in place. It slid well over the asphalt, down to the marina parking lot, and even down the boat ramp! Launched the boat, went fishing (of course!), moored the boat so now it's easy to fix the trailer!
PS how do I post the pictures?
(1) Not all towing companies can handle a disabled boat/trailer combo, even my little 16' Angler!
(2) Allstate "motor club" roadside assistance doesn't cover boat/trailers (or at least not without a good fight).
(3) The guys who would tow it wanted to charge $175/hr, round trip for their tow truck, in heavy traffic near Tacoma.
Lucky Solution! Lucky because we broke down about 300 yards from the marina/boat ramp. I'm scared to think what might have happened at freeway speed. Solution: A very helpful guy from Breakwater Marina suggested we take a wood block he had laying around and use at as a "sled" in place of the wheel that broke off at the spindle. SEE PICTURES! I put my jeep in low range gears and went very slowly. The reason it worked so well is that the spring u-bolts dig into the wood, securing it in place. It slid well over the asphalt, down to the marina parking lot, and even down the boat ramp! Launched the boat, went fishing (of course!), moored the boat so now it's easy to fix the trailer!
PS how do I post the pictures?