albin 25 trailer specs and pics ??

[gregor]

Hello fellow albin 25 owners
My Albin 25 is in the water in Petaluma,Ca and am trying to get together a dual wheel trailor.so I can get her to Brookings,Oregon. I have a trailor kinda older with an old 25 ft boat on it that we can pull off to maybe use but how does one configure a trailer with the boat 500 miles away so we can just go down empty and load and return. I know this must sound dumb on my part but I have never had a wonderful mini trawler that I could haul on a trailer. Have owned my Albin for 11 years but she was always in the water on S.F. Bay. I guess there is a rule of thumb guide idea or something so any help would be appreciated. Am missing hanging out on "Thistle with my border collie mix "Freya"
Blessings and cheers
Gregor

[WillieC]

Desert Albin is really the guy you need to talk to. He hauls his A25 all over kingdom come, has had to repair it on the way and keep it moving. I use mine between my driveway and my boat ramp and sometimes to the public launch if the tide isn't right. Mine has four bunks, not rollers. The winch is set up high so it pinches the top of the hook when fully drawn up. You likely will need a big strap to hold the back end to the trailer since most A25s don't have hooks like ski boats. Dual axle, 4 brakes a must. I haul mine with a 3/4 ton Ford with the 7.2 or is it 7.3 powerstroke diesel. Two wheel drive is fine.
The Ford also has a class 5 hitch, very beefy, which is nice. I also use a three foot extension on the tongue to get the boat farther down the ramp. Here in the lower Puget sound, many of the ramps are too gentle too launch these babies. Neighbor's kid has a ten foot extension tongue for his go fast cruiser. He needs a forklift to move it around. The extension!
Good luck! Wish I could help more.

[Beta Don]

I have a trailor kinda older with an old 25 ft boat on it that we can pull off to maybe use but how does one configure a trailer with the boat 500 miles away so we can just go down empty and load and return.

You'll need to carefully evaluate your 'old trailer' as to it's ability to haul a heavy boat long distance. Was the trailer rated for sufficient weight when it was brand new? Trailers lose capacity as they age - Corrosion, wear and tear, damage etc. At a minimum, if it is still heavy duty enough for the boat, you'll need 4 new tires (maybe wheels too) and a thorough going through of the brake system

There are few miseries in life worse than having a breakdown in the middle of nowhere with an old trailer carrying a too heavy boat - It will cost you big bucks just to get it off the freeway if you suffer anything worse than a blown tire. Don't ask me how I know!

To answer your last question, you'll need to have a Travel Lift set the boat atop the trailer and make adjustments/modifications to properly fit the boat to the trailer - Supports where they need to be and positioned fore and aft so you have the proper tongue weight of around 10% of the load. Hauling a 25' outboard boat and a 25' inboard boat are not the same, especially if your A25 is heavier than the other boat - The center of gravity of inboard and outboard boats is quite different and where they need to set on the trailer will be different also. Please make sure it's a safe load before you hit the road and good luck on your trip!

Don