bertram31.com

Buying a B25 from Ohio. Trailer is shot. Have to go pick it up and haul it back to NC. I have settled on a New trailer from a manufacturer I am familiar with and I am down to three choices.

Here are the boat specs to the best of my research:

1972 Bertram 25 Mark II convertible (Its the open boat with a canvas top NOT a Sportfish Flybridge, Not a Hardtop)
Twin Mercruiser 165 Sterndrives
Advertised weight 4450 per 1970's sales literature
Fuel tank may be anywhere up to 115 gallons
Has a dinette and Galley
Suspect 35ish gallon water tank

Below are the trailer options. I'm inclined to go with the 9000lb trailer but is that overkill for this open boat?
I regularly tow it 100+ miles. Truck is plenty capable (12,300 lb capacity)
These are not the GVWR's these are the capacities BTW.

Aluminum I-Beam 25' Boat 6400 lb capacity $4975
Torsion Axles
Aluminum Rims 
4 wheel Disc Brakes ( 2 Wheel Standard) Surge
Saltwater Package - All Stainless Hardware and Aluminum Wood Brackets 
Stainless Lug Nuts 
Aluminum Spare 
Spare Hub Spindle Carrier 

Aluminum I-Beam 25' Boat 6900 lb capacity  $5585
Spring Axles 
Aluminum Rims 
4 wheel Disc Brakes - Surge
Saltwater Package - All Stainless Hardware and Aluminum Wood Brackets 
Stainless Lug Nuts 
Aluminum Spare 
High Mount Spare Carrier 


Aluminum I-Beam 25' Boat 9000 lb capacity $6350
Torsion Axles
Aluminum Rims 
4 wheel Disc Brakes - Surge
Saltwater Package - All Stainless Hardware and Aluminum Wood Brackets 
Stainless Lug Nuts 
Aluminum Spare 
Spare Hub Spindle Carrier 

Ouch, I don't remember paying that much for my trailer, but I didn't get rims or a spare tire.

I doubt that you need the 9k trailer, I'd lean towards the 6900# one capacity wise as it is close to what I've run successfully for years but the torsion axles of the 6400# are somewhat appealing (I've had a spring break on me).

I think but do not know for certain that Bertram's published weight did not include a fuel load so the weight could be almost 1000# more than the 4500 stated. Even so the 6400# would give you 900# or 16% reserve for extra stuff, with empty tanks even more.

I guess the big question in my mind is how close is the boat to 4450.

I know fiberglass gets heavier with time due to some water absorption. Whats unsettling for me is that the ads say both the FBC and the Moppie are both 4450.

Anybody had their open boat weighed? CamB25 says his hull weighed 3200 pounds without engines and rigging.

Read somewhere that L6 Sterndrives are 650lbs each

3200 lb
650
650
= 4500 without rigging.

Is this a one time tow or will you be towing long distances regularly? Are you a leadfoot or do you noodle along at the speed limit?

I tow my 20' baron 1,500 miles each way every summer. I have done this drive about 8 times each way. I used to have a tandem axle trailer that was the right rated capacity for the boat. Many years I had problems with bearings or tires or lug nuts. I got really tired of breaking down. Two years ago I purchased a tri axle trailer that was built for a B25 and had a capacity of 9500 lbs. The thing is really long, but it tows very smoothly and is a dream to back up due to it's length. I have not had a problem ever since, I know it is massive overkill, but it allows you to hammer along at 80 mph without being stressed. I check all the bearing temps and tie downs everytime we stop for fuel which is about every 5 hours.

If it is just one trip, buy the cheap trailer, drive slowly as you can stand and you should be fine, more than one trip, go for the overkill!

When I bought my boat I got it from Waukegan, IL and took it home to MA on a dual axle trailer rated for 4050#. I drained the tanks and took everything I could out of the boat which was detachable and heavy. I had spare tires + bearings, the tires got a bit warm so I was going slow and was regularly taking 1 hr breaks but got home without anything going wrong.

Here's a pic when I got home https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z1bnQSCHQhPDgvNb7

I agree with Rocket's theory of if you want to tow a lot, go a bit overkill but I don't think you have to do 2x the boat's rated weight. I've been fine with a trailer rated at 7250# and think that when I replace it I would go a little lighter. I am rebuilding my B25 with all composites and taking a lot of weight out of it.

I tow 100+ miles 5-8 times per year. And I drive fast. I have burned up plenty of hubs on my caronlina skiff trailer. I guess I know why. The dealer probably issued the minimum rated trailer. Lol.

ktm_2000 wrote: Here's a pic when I got home https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z1bnQSCHQhPDgvNb7

Those wheels are dinky.

Ttownthomas wrote:
Those wheels are dinky.

Here's towards the other end of the spectrum..


I'd tend to lean toward Rocket's advice on the longer distance commutes, but honestly this thing takes up a huge amount of space in the drive way, and also sits high. On the other hand, the extra length is useful when launching at a shallow ramp.

Yes those wheels were tiny, the Bertram was way too big for that trailer (it was for a 22' boat and rated for 4000# ) even so the Bertram made a 1000 mile trip home on it. My current trailer is much more substantial.

Chris,

Is there nothing available between 6900# and 9000#? Seems like a big jump. Is the 9k trailer a dual or triple axle

I would avoid spring axles. Rust, rust, and more rust. I hauled my Scout to VA escaping from hurricane Florence and realized that somewhere along the way one of my springs had snapped in half. Lots of rust after only 1 year of in and outs.

Cam

HotSpot, that's very similar to my set up



I don't think I got the photo posted correctly, it did not show up in the preview

Attsaladda boats....

wowww...that's a 1st.

Can't say I've ever seen a trailer mounted on top of a rack on a truck.
or a boat stacked on top of a boat on top of a trailer....with a truck pulling it with a boat mounted on top?!

I've seen marinas with less boats...


Great looking boats...but that view is pretty intense too.

That ford must be a beast. I would have thought you'd need a dually to do what he is doing carrying the boat on top.

Most 3/4 ton trucks are good for carrying at least 2000# but I would think the work body would be pretty heavy

I went through the trailer dilemma when I bought my Bertram in Maine (I live in Georgia). Ended up buying a Seal Lion trailer with a 7000+ capacity for around $3500 new. I was having trouble finding a used trailer for $2500 that would not need 1K to go the 1200 miles. Anyway the Sea Lion is a reasonable trailer not a great one as it has a lot of Tie Down Engineering parts on it (an Atlanta Co) and I still have not forgiven them from their earlier disk brake kits. Also I prefer spring trailers as I can replace a spring on the road but can’t do that with a torsion axle—the spring trailers are also cheaper. Finally you can have too much trailer as learned years ago when I used a trailer with 2x weight capacity (10K needed 5K) and the road shocks eventually killed all the engine gauges due to the stiff ride.

Bought from these folks: http://traileroutlet.net/product/com-7300/

Ended up buying this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2019-Load-Rite ... 3211051719

that seems like a really nice trailer, torsion axles each rated at 5k. disc all the way around. Nice!!!!

I like the "Road Ends in Water" sign. I am sure there is a story behind that sign.