Towing A H16 Behind An RV

I want to tow my H16 behind an RV, but the mast extends beyond the trailor tongue and is too long to fit behind the RV. How do people tow their cat behind their RVs..........or what is another way to trailer the mast so it will fit behind a motor home? Thanks.

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2005 Hobie 16 - Ventura Nationals Boat #21
http://www.JackieandAlan.com

Hey Alan,

I cant speak personally but all the ones I've seen trailer their mast on top of the RV. Don't know how they got it up or down. Hmmmmm. Hope this helps.

David

How tall/big an RV?

You could try moving the mast crutch closer to the front cross bar of the boat to increase the upward angle on the mast. But if you're driving that Class A I saw pictures of on your website, that's probably not going to work.

A third brake light/running lights attached to the mast head while trailering may be you're only easy option if you don't want to do what David suggests.

One kind of goofy solution could be using a stinger on the RV. Basically a hitch extension that moves the draw bar back. I have to use one with my truck because of my cabover camper. Looks something like this:



That will only gain you up to four feet and only works if you've got a stout enough hitch to support the added leverage. Mind you, a 16 and trailer is pretty light load.

I have the 2.5" Reese Titan receiver and about two feet of extension pulling a trailer loaded with kayaks and windsurfing gear (about 2800 lbs total). It has worked good for about 60k miles.



Hope you guys had a good drive to Jackson and back. And thanks for swinging by this week.

Brian C

Brian, my RV is a 28' class C. Actually, the class A in that photo belonged to a H14 guy and he put the mast on the roof. But my mast is bigger and heavier, and the herniated disk in my back won't allow me to lift a mast on the roof. As it is, my wife has to step it because I can't lift anything.

Anyway, that stinger idea sounds good. Did you buy that somewhere or did you make it? I may also look into moving the mast crutch back toward the boat. My only concern with moving the mast crutch is that the mast head will be too close to the ground in the rear. My last option is to tow my jeep behind the RV, then tow the boat behind the jeep. But I need to see if that is legal in Oklahoma and surrounding states.

Thanks for the tips and photos. We'll probably see you in a month or so while passing through.

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2005 Hobie 16 - Ventura Nationals Boat #21
http://www.JackieandAlan.com

A class C rig is still pretty tall, but maybe a foot lower than an A. If you'd had a high top B, there'd be a chance of making the mast crutch trick work. I think with what you and I drive, the mast just isn't going to clear the roof. Time for plan B.



I bought it. It was part of the installation package when I got that cabover. The stinger was also made by Reese. But it only fits in that particular hitch. You probably have a 2" box. There are stingers for those. They do tend to be shorter for the 2" box.

http://www.reese-hitches.com/receiver_tubes.htm
http://www.etrailer.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=E&Category_Code=EXTENDER

Those are just places with pictures. I've not done business with either of them so it's not a recommendation.

Things to remember if you do go with a stinger:
- longer safety chains on the trailer
- derate the tongue weight capacity on the hitch (I lose 200 lbs of tongue weight capacity with my 2' stinger)
- practice in a parking lot. Moving the pivot point back totally changes how a trailer tows. When you turn left, it swings right a whole lot more.



A very valid concern. You can fix that by moving the mast up in back with a taller mast crutch. But either way you'll still have a bunch of mast sticking out past the transoms. I would definitely add lights and flags on the mast if you're not going to try to haul it on top of the RV.

Something else to think about is what happens if you have the mast too close to the back window and drive through a dip. When the back wheels hit the dip, the mast could come through that window. That would ruin a day.



I think you're going to find that is probably illegal in a lot of states if one of the towed items is a vehicle. People do it. But it's a major hassle to tow tandems. Been there.



No problem, sounds good and have fun if I don't see you,
Brian C

I ended up making a telescoping mast support with a pully on the top for raising the mast with the halyard. (see the hobie catalog) I didn't have problems with the tow car, just raising the mast. But this could be a double fix for towing from an RV and someone that can't raise the mast by muscle alone. I used the "mast stepper II" figure from the catalog to make my own. I'm working on my second one now! Good Luck!

One other item to note, when you extend the front mast crutch, the slope tends to make the mast slide back towards the ground as you drive. Make sure you tie a line from the back of the mast to the trailer. Grinding you mast off will also make for a bad day...

...instead of on top, can the mast stored on the side of the rig with u shaped hooks? If there is overhang, make sure you clear the boat and trailer. and you are good to go. Just watch out when backing up with the mast hanging off the back of your rig. Just take the wires off at the mast tang and there will be little to go wrong.

You can also put an aft mast stand on your trailer. I put one on mine. I don't have an RV, but I do tow the H18 with 2 bikes and 2 kayaks on the roof rack. I hate to have my mast sticking out much past my transoms.

I also have the extended forward mast support. The V on this is about 7' off the ground when the trailer is level. The aft stand V is about 5'.

Yes, the aft stand does remove for launching the boat. It is also helpful for using an EZ Stepper 2 as the mast starts above the horizontal which makes it easier to winch up.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Just move the mast back until it's even with the tongue of the trailer.
Hang a flag off the back of the mast. We have a number of motorhomes that tow 16's and haven't had any problems.
I have a driveway reflector that I put in the head of the mast along with a red ribbon.

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Pat Bisesi
Fleet 204 Syracuse, NY

Pat, are they still using the mast stand or are they laying it flat on the tramp? If they are still using the mast stand, how far is the mast head from the ground in the rear? Thanks.

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2005 Hobie 16 - Ventura Nationals Boat #21
http://www.JackieandAlan.com

You still use the mast stand and tie down on the rear cross bar.
The mast ends up a little below the rudders.

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Pat Bisesi
Fleet 204 Syracuse, NY

Alan
There's your boat (I'm on boat 01) at a light air gate rounding.
Are you going to make it to RI for this years Nationals?

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Pat Bisesi
Fleet 204 Syracuse, NY

Alan,

I agree with Pat. Our 20 mast is a good 5 to 6 feet past the end of the boat. We have a bright red dinner napkin tied to the halyard. Add a reflector and you're good to go.

Speaking of hauling. Will we see you at Cheney this weekend? We have some new 16 sailors coming down with us.

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

Pat, thanks for the photo! As far as the Nationals, I seriously doubt it. I'm a rookie Hobie sailor and it will probably be years before I'm ready for anything like that. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out race courses.



John, thanks for the invite, but we have out-of-town guests arriving this weekend. Besides, I'm not sure if I'm ready to skipper a race....maybe next season when I have more experience and have weekends off. My goal now is to get to where I can handle the boat with confidence in all types of conditions.

Anyway, thanks for all the replies and help with figuring out how to tow behind the RV. I'm gonna give it a try in the next couple of days.

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2005 Hobie 16 - Ventura Nationals Boat #21
http://www.JackieandAlan.com

It's a great opportunity to improve your skills quickly. We were invited to race our third weekend with our new 16, and never looked back (I wasn't sure either)

Enjoy your weekend and your new boat.

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297