For eight years I have used an RM extended combi trolley/trailer for the nineteen foot two inch Ness Yawl Lowly Worm III. I have just exchanged this for a Brenderup trailer to allow the launch and recovery to be made directly by utilizing keel rollers and side rollers. I thought recording some of the salient points of each might be helpful to other members who might be considering what type of trailer to buy for a long or a heavy dinghy.

The combi trolley/trailer consists of two galvanized 'A' frames, one with simple trolley wheels and the other road wheels, suspension and a tow hitch. Both frames have a jockey wheel at the apex. This rig is fairly light, an advantage for moving it around by hand and requiring only a small car to pull it. The boat is floated onto the trolley which is submerged on the beach or slipway. The trolley is then pulled out and winched onto the trailer pick-a-back style and locked on with a bolt and pin. Only the plastic wheels of the trolley go into the water, the trailer wheels and bearings are kept well away from salt water. If I sailed with a crew I would have this trailer still. However there are some disadvantages for the single hander.

It is difficult to get the boat floating centrally over the trolley and to pull it out of the water by oneself. A second person is needed to hold the floating boat in position whilst the trolley is hauled out. My one attempt at building 'arms' to hold it was unsuccessful, though I am sure this could be done in fact. Getting the boat plus trolley up onto the trailer is also tricky and an effort, though it does save on gym membership fees. This type of trailer is really designed for a smaller dinghy (my trailer was extended in length as a 'special'). With the long length of the Ness Yawl almost a half of the hull was overhanging the trailer at the rear. I therefore carried all the heavy items of gear; anchors, ballast and food, in the car. This entailed a fairly lengthy loading and unloading ritual at the start and finish of each trip to the coast – an important consideration if you live a long way from the sea.

Production day boats like those of the Drascombe range use roller trailers. I have therefore gone for something similar hopefully with a balance of net advantage.

There is a full length bed to the new trailer. The four keel rollers allow the boat to be pushed back and into the water by hand – a walkway down the trailer allowing the sailor to walk unhindered the length of the trailer. The boat is supported at the sides by further angled rollers. During launch and recovery the trailer remains attached to the towing vehicle with its wheels only just in the water - no deeper than half way up the tyres. To recover, a strap is hooked to a shackle located low down on the bow post. The boat is then winched up with very little effort. The keel rollers at the very back of the trailer are located on a swivelling frame to guide the boat onto the trolley centrally. I am awaiting some plastic guide tubes to further assist keeping the hull straight for when there is a strong cross tide or wind.

There are some other neat features to this particular Danish made trailer. It is generally very well finished compared to others I saw at the Southampton Boat Show. It has mudguards designed to be stood on, these together with optional 'steps' on each side make leaning into the boat a much easier job when it is out of the water. The wiring for the trailer board is inside the chassis with an 8 pin plug at each end, parked in dedicated holders. The trailer-board can therefore be unclipped and unplugged right at the stern and stowed in the car upon launch and be quickly replaced on recovery. This is another timesaver on each trip. In addition, as the boat is supported beneath the full length of its keel I can stow the boat in the driveway at home to speed up launch and recovery at the coast. I am now in the process of replacing the 90 lb of removable ballast with a 120 lb galvanized steel centreboard. This should be fine for handling with this type of trailer whereas the boat would be too heavy for me to manhandle with the combi. The anticipated advantages of the steel centreplate are better windward performance and timesaving on launch and recovery.

The Tow Car

A major point of consideration with any trailer decision is the size and type of car to pull it. The combi rig was pulled fairly easily by both a Peugeot 205 and a Honda 1.4 Civic. However the heavier boat and trailer of the second type requires a stronger and heavier car. Especially to tow boat and trailer over a beach, up a slipway or over thick seaweed a 4 wheel drive comes into its own. Further, a car with high pulling power at low revs (torque) is ideal. The heavier the kerb weight of the car the better for towing on the road too. If a light tow car is used it is better to load the car with the boat's gear thus increasing the weight of the car and lightening the trailer.

Both of the trailers discussed above are unbraked. The law specifies that axle weight of an unbraked trailer must be less than 750kg. The car's manual is the point of reference for precise towing specifications. Exceed the weights specified in the manual and you will be breaking the law and invalidating your insurance. The car manual therefore should be the first point of reference if you are considering buying a new boat or trailer. In a study on trailers 'Boat Mart' Magazine (June 2004) states that best practice is that the laden weight including the boat, and everything loaded into it when trailing e.g. engine and camping gear is less than 85% the towing vehicles kerb weight. However the lower this percentage is the better are the car's performance, stability and road handling.

A few other points of consideration: The trailer number plate must be the same shape and colour as the one on the car. The towbar must not obstruct the car's number plate when the car is not trailing. Separate third party cover for the trailer is required when towing. The stern drive of an outboard and the ends of masts must be protected with buckets or covers so that there are no sharp edges to injure others. There is a speed restriction for trailing of 60mph on motorways and 50mph on other roads. It is prohibited to use the outside lane on 3 and 4 lane roads and motorways.

This list is far from exhaustive. Towing law is quite complex so if in doubt check carefully.

Trailer Security

Given the prevalence of car crime most dinghy sailors share a sense of relief on returning from a trip to find the car and trailer present and unvandalised. Marina launching tends to be expensive but one valuable by-product is the increased safety and hence peace of mind in leaving the car and trailer in a marina car park. However it is the nature of the game that trailers may be left in remote areas. The trailer needs to be immobilized whenever and wherever it is left unattended, in a boat park, a motorway service station or the front garden. A two-fold security system is recommended. A lock should be used to immobilize the tow hitch, locking the trailer to the parked car when the car is present. However the wheel also needs to be immobilized with a clamp to prevent the trailer moving at all. Alternatively a heavy chain can be used to lock the trailer to a fixed point. The chain may not be feasible at a rest stop or near the launch site, so it is best treated as a supplementary device to a wheel lock.