suitable trailer for my 25?

[tribologist]

That's how they do it in the Old Country. Yikes!

Those guys would row over to England and take over a town! No locks needed, just drag the boats over logs

[DesertAlbin736]

Just judging from photos the trailer appears to have potential. But at least should have some keel support added & rollers raised high enough to contact the hull. The entire running gear should be gone through & overhauled, brakes if it has them, new ones added if not. Pull, inspect, repack & replace seals on hubs & replace tires. Replace bearings (as sets with new matched bearing races) if needed. An A25 weighs about 2,000 kg & total of 2,700 kg including the trailer. The trailer's gross vehicle weight rating should be at least 2,800 kg. More the better. Likewise your tow vehicle should have at least that much towing capacity & preferably more. Do not trust tires that are even a few years old no matter how 'new' they look especially if you don't really know how old they are & how long they've been sitting out in the weather.

[Dieselram94]

In my opinion keel support is a must and easy to support by just adding blocks in between Keel and crossmembers. Just make sure to secure them well I would think you could come up with substantial blocking to support the sides so the boat is stable and not worry about any rollers that do not contact the hull. The down well and go, stopping frequently to check everything. And as has been mentioned CHECK wheel bearings and tires!!! I always touch each hub of any trailer I pull when doing a walk around just to verify it’s running cool. Slightly warmer than your hand and no more. As far as I’m concerned tires, breaeings and lights are not open for negotiation if going much distance at all. Brakes are always best but if you have a heavy pickup like what we call a 3/4ton or bigger and some common sense driving practices you can get by without them, however that’s completely your call. As you are responsible if something goes wrong any no one else.
Again, this is just my opinion and not advice as far as the brakes go.

[realslimshady]

I've given up on that trailer as a possibility, as it has been pointed out that the side rollers are far too low for the shape of the Albin hull, and aren't adjustable.
Can we please stop with all the 'check the condition of the tyres' messages guys? I wouldn't be contemplating a thousand mile tow if I didn't have at least a little experience....

[tribologist]

Lol! Best of luck!

[DesertAlbin736]

I wouldn't be contemplating a thousand mile tow if I didn't have at least a little experience....

Of course. Naturally. Didn't mean to be condescending. Just sayin'. Good luck on your search.

PS, always good to hear from someone from 'across the pond'. Albin 25's really do have an international following. If I ever have a chance to get over there I have a few bucket list items, HMS Victory & Charles Lightoller's yacht "Sundowner" of Dunkirk fame to name just two.

[Bob Noodat]

Here's a fellow who trails all the time. No bunks, all rollers, with the keel on rollers. Looks to me as if clamping 3 keel rollers to your trailer would work fine. It already appears to have two rollers, but are they adjustable, or sufficiently adjustable?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CC2PI0WhNXc

[tribologist]

Bob, that one is the funniest.

What a process. 9 minutes to get it in the water.

They just built a brand new ramp with the same silly incline in the next town over. I tried to use it but it was no chance with a bunk keel support.

[Bob Noodat]

I thought they did a nice, safe, unhurried job. What's funny?

[tribologist]

I was just imagining that on a busy weekend here in Connecticut with 5-6 guys waiting behind and 2-3 floating outside hoping to get up.

[Bob Noodat]

That's why they do their boating in Sweden and we do ours in Stuart Lake BC.

A related cultural contrast: in general North Americans seem to like to immerse their trailers fully, which is why bunks work for them. Of course that is also fast. Europeans, on the other hand, seem to have a dislike of wetting their bearings and brakes and so fit multiple rollers and strong winches. They take their time. Zen and the Art of Boat Ramp Use? Please make sure all those CT boaters stay down there.

[tribologist]

I sold my 13 ft whaler and bought a 17 ft center console for bottom fishing in the sound and it had one of those electric winches... 4ft/min. The seller was all enthusiastic over it. One I tried it and had to deal with an extra battery I opted for future shoulder surgery and called the seller telling him that he can have his winch back...

[tribologist]

They also have much smaller cars. You shoukd see the campers they tow with their midsize station wagons. With their gas prices it’s impossible to have a decent tow vehicle. This probably leads to sad/flat ramps. Fun to try to get 6000 lb out with a frontwheel drive midsize car.. i seen several trailers where they have two tongue jacks and two winches. They unhook the trailer and winch it into the water...

I don’t think anyone is DA’ing in Sweden. Would be so cool towing a A25 down to Central Europe and ride the rivers or the canals in Holland..

[Dieselram94]

In general terms speaking, if I took that long and went through lots of actions launching or retrieving I think I would be shot to death on the ramp. I have seen more altercations on boat ramps than I care to remember and it’s usually over someone taking too long. I have no issues fully submersing my trailers...

[motthediesel]

Interesting supports at the aft end of the trailer -- I imagine those are to reduce the lifting force at the hitch as the boat first comes onto the rollers? I've never seen those before, but as said above, here in N.A. we tend to dunk our trailers way more than that.

It seems to work well for him though, so not much to criticize I guess. I like the "safety jacket" on the winch line too!