Maiden Voyage of our new Hi-Tech Marine Trailer
We hauled out our Regal 2760 for the 1st time on our new Hi-Tech Marine aluminum trailer. The day was as uneventfull as we could expect for handling such a large boat at the ramp and around town.
We considered most of the major trailer makers - ez-loader, loadmaster, shorelander, and others before settling on the Hi-Tech brand. Most of the brands had a trailer suitable for our needs, but the Hi-Tech had the best set of features vs. price and had the advantage of being produced in nearby Panama City.
Read on for full details and more pictures:
The 2760 has a 3″ stepped hull which requires some extra work on the trailer builders part. In our case, Jason at Hi-Tech called Regal direct for exact measurements for our make and model year. He was able to determine that we could use straight bunks in conjunction with a pair of centering bunks by setting the main bunks to end just prior to the step. This saved us $150 of additional charge to have bunks cut down for the step.
Hi-Tech trailers use aluminum i-beam construction, torsion axles with removable spindles, standard stainless steel mounting hardware, heavy-duty strap winches, standard LED side-lights, Kodiak vented disc brakes, and lots of options like spare tire kits, LED light upgrades, and fancy aluminum rims. Trailers come with a 2 year warranty.
We opted for a tri-axle rated for 10,500lbs gross weight (~9400lbs carrying capacity to maintain warranty), standard wheels, the flush-mount LED upgrade (~$120), and a full spare kit (verticle mount, spindle, hub, rim, and tire ~179). Florida requires brakes on every axle so we have 3 sets of Kodiaks tied to a Titan surge coupler.
Hi-Tech builds to order and they completed our trailer in less than 2 weeks.
Jason told us on pick-up that we might need to toe-in the front of the main bunks to reduce the load on the centering bunks. This proved to be the case this morning and after moving each bunk about 2″ towards the center, the boat rode nicely on all bunks with plenty of contact on the main bunks. We didn’t have a scale to measure tongue weight, but the trailer didn’t compress my rear axle much on the truck and the trailer tracked straight during our 2 mile drive to the boat yard. Braking was pretty good considering the weight, but it still requires careful attention to surroundings to stay out of trouble. Max speed for the trip was 40mph - we don’t expect to have this boat on the highway anytime soon, but maybe next year we’ll head down to Miami for a Bahamas crossing.
Heading south from the ramp. Our friend Travis is gaurding my right side as I had a right turn to make from the center lane coming up and didn’t want anyone to try and cut me off. While the 2760 is a wide boat, mirror visibility isn’t bad because the beam is narrower at mirror height. Height on trailer is right near the legal limit and care must be taken in route planning.
Front view showing heavy-duty jack stand, strap winch (rated for 2500lbs with two speeds), and Titan coupler
Rear view showing main and centering bunks. You can just make out the LED flush lights. The center light bar functions as a 3-bar, brake light, and additional set of turn signals.
July 9th, 2006 at 2:57 am
Hi
I have a 1999 2760 and am two thinking of buying a trailer for my boat. How much did you pay for your one and what do you tow it with. I have a Lincoln Navigator and think this will be able to handle the towing side, any comments greately appreciated. My boat is in Melbourne Florida at the moment but I would like to keep it in Kissimmee where I live and be able to use it more ofton on the lakes and other coast lines.
Thanks
Chris