Does constantly trailering a boat cause great harm in the long term?

Question

I have a 19' SeaRay that for the last 2 years I've been trailering it everytime we use it. My step-dad (a self proclaimed no it all) claims this is bad on the engine mounts and such because of all the bumps in the road and that over time if I keep trailering it, its going to eventually ruin it. I was just wondering if there is any validity to this or is he just talking nonsense? And we're just talking about 5-6 blocks of city driving to the river and the bumps would be mostly from a set of railroad tracks that cross the street.

Answer 1

No. It will not hurt the boat. Make sure the boat is secure to the trailer with your rear tie downs. I have a 98 procraft that I have been towing since 98 and the lake is approx 60 miles one way, no problems. Make sure you do the simple stuff, good tires and inflated, tiedowns and the front bow secure to the winch.

Answer 2

No it is just nonsense it takes the same bumps just as hard on water as on the trailer only differce is you can control the bumps on the road by the speed you travel. and they also make motor mounts that help stabilize the motor for trailering if needed . I travel with my boat to several states all the time I have had now for 6 years and probably have over 15,000 miles on the trailer and nothing wrong . so hope this answer your question.

Answer 3

Well he is correct, in a way. Long-term trailering does cause damage, not only the bumping, which puts strain on the engine mounts and the structure of the boat, but also most of the wear and tear on the boat is caused by loading and unloading.

But, once yo are aware of this, there are many steps that yo can take to minimize the damage.

ensure that everything is well strapped down
check that the boat is positioned correctly on the trailer mounts
and keeping your speed down when you tow

Answer 4

God I hope not! I tow my Sea Ray I/O all the time.

The towing that you do is no worse than the beating the boat takes cutting wakes and waves and it is designed for that.
I would be more concerned about the truck you tow it with. The transmission fluid is not designed for constant towing and long change intervals. If you are towing regularly the change interval needs to be cut in half for a boat your size and even more often than that for larger trailers and loads.
I use synthetic fluids that will handle the heat a lot better too.
Great Boat! Enjoy

Answer 5

Wise beyond your years got it pretty good. You father in law appears to not know much about boats.

I would actually say that trailering is better for your boat, because (as ironic as it sounds) water is not very good for your boat. If you leave it in the water, you will need to anti-foul it, and the moisture will still cause all sorts of corrosion throughout the boat and engine.

I wish I could trailer my boat, but there are no hard stands where I want to leave it.

Answer 6

Your Father-in law is dumber then a bag of hammers.

The 19 Sea Ray is a very strong boat. As long as your trailer is properly bunked, Going down the street is no harder than running through a chop.

Answer 7

I think it wont hurt it. I always trailer my boat and I live 35 miles from the water. It's never hurt mine at all. I wouldn't worry if I were you.

Answer 8

One other thing, when tying down your boat, I would recommend adding a transom saver. It takes the pressure off the transom (where the engine is mounted to).

Answer 9

if you properly tie your boat down to trailer and go slow over railroad track then you boat will be fine.

Answer 10

i can only talk about my experience,our aluminum started to stretch the rivet holes and leaking there,we replaced the trailer rollers with platforms and that seems to have cured it,no problem with engine mounts