Trailers
Page updated 15 June 2006
A trailer may be used only for winter storage or for slipping into a different river, lake or shore every week throughout the season. It may be towed hundreds of miles every month or never leave the marina. That means an acceptable trailer for one owner will not be for another.
The evidence is that when a SeaHawk was purchased new from Reedcraft or Moores, the trailer supplied would have been built by Marine Weld of North Walsham. The initial assumption was that they had a standard design for the boat. However, few boats appear to have trailers that match one that is known to have been supplied with the boat when new, called the Show Trailer on this site.
This page limits itself to general comments that may be helpful to those looking for a suitable trailer for their own boat. At the bottom of the menu on the left there are links to pages describing a Show trailer, one known to have been used with the boat shown at the 1992 Earls Court Boat Show, other Purpose-Built trailers and converted Standard trailers that SeaHawk owners are using.
Key Measurements
The measurements below are intended as a guide for those considering buying a trailer for their SeaHawk. They are taken from the Show trailer.
| From bow support to front of platform | 38" |
| From front of platform to start of outriggers | 36" |
| Width of platform surface | 9" |
| Width between outriggers | 44" |
| Distance between outer edges of outriggers | 53" |
| Length of outriggers | 45" |
| Height of outriggers above platform | 5¼" |
| Front of outrigger to wheel centre | 26" |
| Height of platform above ground | 13" |
Weight Distribution
Obviously, the some of the measurements above are critical in ensuring that the boat sits securely on the trailer and does not move when being towed. It is also vital that the trailer has sufficient nose weight.
Those who have used a caravan or other trailer will be used to the business of adjusting the load in order to provide a suitable weight on the towing hitch. If the boat is too far back on the trailer there will not be sufficient nose weight for towing to be safe, the main danger being that the trailer can "snake" uncontrollably, in extreme cases causing the trailer to overturn.
The typical boat trailer offers two ways of adjusting the nose weight of the trailer: fore and aft movement of both the road wheels and the bow support. Balancing these two allows you to adjust the position of the centre of gravity so that it is just ahead of the road wheels.
Given the shape of the SeaHawk hull those with Standard Trailers, with rollers rather than a platform on which the keel sits, may have less room for manoeuvre than those with Purpose-Built Trailers.
Once the trailer is unhitched you also need to take care when climbing onto the boat or unloading any heavy items from the front of the cabin. Either action may be enough to shift the centre of gravity behind the wheels. The trailer will then tip smashing the stern on the ground! Always ensure that the trailer is propped to prevent it tipping before climbing onto a boat on its trailer.
Trailer Height
Marine Weld say that on their trailer the height of the central platform from the ground is about 13". Speedboat trailers are often designed to carry boats far higher off the ground. For example, the boat described on the site with the Standard Trailer rides some ten inches higher.
Although additional height reduces the risk of grounding when manoeuvring from horizontal ground onto a steep slip way (Keep the jockey wheel high!), it also means that far deeper water is required for launch or recovery.
The extra height may be necessary when launching a speedboat with a heavy, high powered, engine already mounted on the transom, but usually the comparatively light engines used on a SeaHawk will be mounted after launch. Launching, but more particularly, recovery can be a problem for a well-ballasted yacht if it needs to be winched onto a trailer, rather than floated on. In general, therefore, the lower the better is the rule for trailer height.
Break-Back Trailers
Some trailer-sailors argue that a "break-back" trailer is to be preferred if launching and recovery is a regular activity. A break-back trailer has a separate "cradle" for the hull, as well as the conventional "chassis". The cradle is mounted to the chassis and hinged so it can be tilted backwards during launch or recovery.
A break-back trailer does not need to be driven as far into the water as with a conventional "fixed" trailer and little more water is required than that to float the boat. Sufficient depth for the full trailer to fit under the boat as it is floated is no longer needed.
Feedback from those who have used a break-back trailer who might be able to comment of whether they are likely to be of benefit with a SeaHawk given its unusual underwater lines would be welcome.