Am I crazy?

[fishjunky]

Hello all, first post here.

I currently tow a hobie pro angler kayak on an aluminum triton lxt jet ski trailer. It has angle iron racks to accommodate another kayak (or two) above the pro angler. The whole package weighs appx 350 lbs. My, ahem, "tow vehicle" is a 4 cyl, 1.8 L, FWD hatchback. It tows this just package just fine, accelerating and stopping are no problem. Tow/haul rated max is 1500 lbs including passengers and driver. Right now I live in a relatively flat area, but am moving soon to the mountains.

I really like the pro angler, works great, stable enough to stand up and throw a cast net. However, once I move back I'll be near a couple buddies that like to fish and foresee wanting to go with them often.

What I am considering doing, is extending the tongue on my trailer to accommodate a jon boat. I am leaning towards a 1436 size. Yes I know they are not the most stable, etc, but with my car limitations and width of my trailer (40" between the fenders) I don't think I can do much more. Remember I am coming from a kayak, not downsizing boats, so almost anything like a jon boat will feel bigger and more stable.

I have read a lot of how-to's and think the best way to extend the tongue is to buy stock the same dimensions as my existing tongue (3" x 3" x 3/16") and splice it. The tongue is welded on so I can't replace it. I would think the extension would need to be 4'. Would a 2' (1' each way) splice inside the tubing be sufficient? Can the splice piece be 1/4" aluminum square tube (2.5" x 2.5" will have a little slop due to my existing material is 3/16")? The winch stand would need to be on the coupler side of the splice.

Right now the pro angler kayak sticks way out past the end of the trailer. The trailer is built with a 10-11' jet ski in mind, and the pro angler is just under 14'. So the tongue definitely needs to be extended unless I got a 12' jon boat, which I am not interested in. Also, the square front end on a jon boat needs more clearance at the back of the car than the pointed nose pro angler does.

The jon boat would almost always be used solo or me plus one, but would occasionally be used with me plus 2, which I know will be very crowded. I can use a different tow vehicle for these occasions.

I have access to an older but rebuilt 2 stoke 2.5 hp outboard, and would install a 12v trolling motor.

Weight estimate:
trailer plus spare, 2x4 bunks and tongue extension 170-180 lbs
1436 riveted jon 150-180 lbs
trolling motor and battery 80-100 lbs
2.5 hp motor and 3 gallon gas can 50-70 lbs? (not sure on motor weight)

So lets just say with those numbers, throw in some gear and I'm looking at about 600 lbs. I asked my (trusted) mechanic and he said he would try to keep it at 800-1000 lbs for tow, haul and people. So figure two adults at 200 lbs or so, and the package at around 600 lbs. Am I flirting with disaster here?

I thought about not including the outboard and moving up to a 24v trolling motor, but that doesn't really save any weight when you count the extra battery.

Anyway, this is what I'm kicking around in my head. Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[fishjunky]

picture of my current rig

 

[stevesecotec02]

I think your going to really be testing limits of your tow vehicle. I also think the weight you posted for trailer seems kinda light. Dont forget you will probably want to add seats to boat and other things that will all add weight and you mentioned a 2.5hp outboard for the 1436. It will be a dog with 2 people in a 1436 plus gear. I had a 8hp on my 1436 and even that at times made me wish I held out a little longer for a 9.9.

 

[fishjunky]

Thanks Steve.

Triton specs that trailer at 135 so I think I'm not too far off there.

I know its pushing it with my vehicle but if I can keep it to 600 lbs then with 2 adults I'd be at 2/3 of specified max.

Will the 2.5 push the boat? I'm not worried about planing out, just my moving forward. I could potentially upgrade the motor down the road. Remember I would be coming from a kayak where the travel speed is 3-4 mph, so I'm used to fishing in areas not far from the launch.

 

[PSG-1]

While I can't say for sure if you have enough vehicle, the method of splicing the tongue for more length is correct. You would want to use a piece of square tube on either the inside, or the outside, of your trailer tongue. (Inside looks cleaner) Make sure that your splice extends at least 8-12 inches into the existing tongue, on both ends of your splice. Drill a hole through the existing tongue and plug weld to the splice tube (as well as a seal weld where the inner splice tube joins the outer tube), or if you're not welding, drill 2 holes on each end, and through-bolt it.

If you think there is too much 'slop' in the fit-up when you put the tube together, you could always weld a thin strip of flat bar, or angle, along the inside tubing to take up the excess play. Tack weld it first, check it, then put a few stitch welds on there if the fit is right, then put it together and weld, or bolt it.

 

[fishjunky]

Thanks PSG.

This is aluminum so I'll be bolting only.

If I got 3x3x1/4" for the extension then 2.5x2.5 would fit snugly inside that. I could get 1/16" flat stock to shim out the 2.5 x 2.5 inside the existing tongue that is 3/16" thick tubing.

Both of my friends that I would be fishing with have full size trucks so they can tow if they are coming along. Probably fish solo most often and with my wife occasionally. Wife is a lightweight.

Also I could foresee not taking the outboard every time depending on what my plans for the day are.

Just myself and the rig without outboard would be less than 750 unless my numbers are way off.

At any rate my dad has a utility trailer that weighs 500-550 so I'm going to pull that around at some point to see how it goes.

 

[PSG-1]

fishjunky » 9 minutes ago[/url]"]Thanks PSG.

This is aluminum so I'll be bolting only.

If I got 3x3x1/4" for the extension then 2.5x2.5 would fit snugly inside that. I could get 1/16" flat stock to shim out the 2.5 x 2.5 inside the existing tongue that is 3/16" thick tubing.

Gotcha. If it's aluminum, yep...bolting is your only option, unless you have a spoolgun to weld aluminum. I happen to have a piece of 3" x 1/4" square aluminum tube about 3 & 1/2 ft long left over from another job. Only problem is that it would probably cost as much to ship it to you than the cost of the tubing itself. Aluminum tubing that size is about 11-12 dollars per foot, so, that's about a 40 dollar piece of tube. So, be forewarned about sticker shock when you go to buy a piece of this tubing, they're not gouging you, that's what it really costs. We joke about it being 'a dollar an inch' :shock:

 

[fishjunky]

I know ... that stuff is expensive! I priced it out online last night. There's a decent metal salvage place here that might have what I need. They sell by the pound.
It would still be cheaper than going through the title, registration and tagging process again (not to mention playing with tools is a lot more fun than dealing with bureaucracy).

None of this would be happening until January or February though because I'm about to move.

 

[fishjunky]

So I had a thought.... if fishing by myself (towing with my car) I could leave the outboard at home.

How far will a trolling motor take a 1436 boat on a single charge? I'm looking at minn kota power drive V2 45 lb thrust. The newer minn kota have variable speed instead of 5 speed so it helps the battery last "up to five times longer".

I would try to get a used hull, so I would probably have limited choices, but I like the looks of the Lowe 1440 MV. Its just a little wider and built with thicker aluminum so I think it would be a better long term investment.... the trade off is that the hull is 205 lbs vs 135-170 or so for most 1436 depending on model. Would that 1440 size be too big for my trailer? I have right at 40" between the fenders. The beam will be wider obviously but the bunks will raise it up.

 

[fishjunky]

Does anyone have a comment on the stability of a 1440 vs 1436?

I would prefer to buy used and there seems to be a whole lot more 1436s available, but I like the extra 4 inches and mod v of the Lowe 1440 ... if it will fit on my trailer.

Thanks

 

[earl60446]

Fishjunky
Your vehicle if in decent shape will tow that jon boat, motor, trolling motor, friends and beer just fine. Hook it up and don't worry about it.

I had a 2001 chevy prism (toyota corolla) and it had a 1.8 liter engine, 4 banger. I towed my 14ft lund, 15hp mariner, battery, trolling motor, steel trailer, all kinds of gear and me and my buddy. Both over 250 lbs, no problem at all, drove at the speed limit all the time, all over WIS, IL, MS, AR and TN.

Tim

 

[fishjunky]

Thanks Earl!

I saw a Jon for sale today on the side of the road. It was a little more work than I want to put into a restoration, but it was a 1538 best I could tell. Seemed plenty roomy.

Also found out a member of my local fishing website has a Lowe 1440. Sent him a message and he loves it. Uses it river and lake and has even taken out into the ocean on a calm day. I hinted at getting together sometime.... we'll see if he bites.

 

[fishjunky]

Would it be bad to have the beam of the boat be wider than the tires on the trailer?

The lowe 1440 has a 59" beam, and my trailer tires are about 53-54" outside to outside.

A lot of the 1436 boats seem to have a 55" beam.

My trailer is 40" between the fenders. The fenders are about 4" higher than the rails of the trailer at the highest spot.

 

[PSG-1]

It's preferable to have the trailer a little wider than the boat, with the wheels to the outside of your hull. This gives the most stable ride. However, I have seen plenty of trailers that weren't wide enough for the boat they were on, I've even had a couple myself.

 

[fishjunky]

Thanks PSG.

It makes sense that it would be better to have it wider, but I'm hoping I can work with what I have.

The majority of the weight would be centered I think, and its not a very tall load.

I just don't know if the extra 2 inches on the 1440 (per side) would make a big difference vs the 1436.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Towing you are fine - how about launching? Concrete ramps or gravel?

 

[fishjunky]

Most all the ramps around are nice paved ones. Some are kinda steep though.

 

[PSG-1]

You should be fine. Just make sure you have your bunk brackets set high enough that your hull doesn't rest on your fenders, or you'll quickly wear out the tire. Or, if you don't have fenders, it will walk the boat right off the trailer sideways (I've actually seen this happen at a ramp)

 

[fishjunky]

I have fenders and they are actually taller than they need to be. I have 8" tires and I could easily fit 10" tires.

I guess I could remove the fenders... never thought about that.

 

[fishjunky]

Did some googlin' .... seems removing the fenders is a bad idea.