Camping in a trailered Mac?

[K9Kampers]

Remember, when camping in a trailered Mac at the campground, it is against the law to deploy your fenders!!

However, to play on neighboring campers, you can 'set' your anchor in the grass with scope & tell them that you're ready for any big rainstorms!

[Sumner]

A couple more general thoughts.

If we are just trying to get from point A to B we have stayed in Walmart parking lots. The bathrooms are usually real clean in the morning. Problem is that more and more Walmarts are not allowing overnight parking.

It would be nice to be able to divert the sink to even a simple holding tank inside as someone else mentioned. Not too cool to have that water running out the side of the boat. It is a pain not being able to use the sink also. On our way to Priest Lake in Oregon we stayed in the park on Lake Pend Oreille. We got there late and the campgrounds were full. They said that if we were self-contained we could park in one area though. Of course we told them we were self-contained and were careful to not use the sink there.

The other potential problem is do they look at a boat the same as an RV. Going to Florida I found a state campground north of Port Charlotte. The idea was to stay there a couple days and finish rigging the new shrouds, get food and other supplies and fill up the 40 gallons of water containers on-board. It took about 4 phone calls before they finally said that they would allow the boat to park with the other RV's. Then when we were close we called and the park was filled .

They gave us the name of a nearby private RV park and we talked to them on the phone and they were unsure about letting us stay there amongst the other RV's but finally said we could park the boat over in a parking area where others had boats parked. We had to put the Suburban in a numbered parking space a couple hundred yards away, but were allowed to stay on the boat. We thought we would only be there a couple days, but that turned into 4 or so. About the 3rd day they said we could only stay one more as they didn't know if there insurance covered them with us staying inside of a boat vs. an RV. They were real nice, but said don't come back with the boat.

My advice is to check ahead and be up front that you are staying in a boat and will that present any problems.

The mosquito netting suggestion above can be a biggie if they are present. We almost got eaten alive on the U.S./Canadian border sleeping next to a closed building of some sort and even then had the hatches all closed and it was about 90 that night. Not fun. Even with some screened vents you don't have anywhere near the ventilation as with an RV. This usually isn't quite as bad on the water. The temps were in the 90's on Priest Lake and Kootenay, but on land not on the water.

Saying all of that staying on the boat has rewards, costs less, you are sleeping in your own bed, you aren't hauling things in and out of a motel and more,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[csm]

Lots of good input from experienced macampers; the only thing I'd add is to make sure the family is ready for this. Considering all "technical" issues make sure the family is "all in". It would be a shame to spoil future macfamily experiences over a dad-driven plan that turned out unpleasant.

[Chinook]

Thought I'd weigh in on this topic with a couple of comments. Regarding towing on steep roads, assuming you have adequate power in the tow rig, the downhill run is most likely to cause trouble. The surge brake will be engaged for extended periods if you have to slow down for curves. I burned out a set of boat trailer brakes doing that on a steep downhill run into Jackson Hole once. You can disable the surge brake by drilling a hole in the sliding coupler and inserting a bolt, which will keep it from moving. Be sure you have a good 2 step folding ladder for climbing in and out of the boat. Also, check how level the boat is when hooked up to your hitch. Leveling the boat for sleeping and camping purposes when it's on the trailer can pose problems. Be sure to have a good supply of leveling boards, to drive trailer wheels up onto. Also, have an extra hydraulic jack along, and some blocks of wood in several sizes, since you'll be jacking the trailer on and off your two rig fairly often. If the tongue jack on the trailer fails, you'll want a backup capability.

[DaveB]

Sumner,
I have been following this post but have not sugested anything since trip was inland were I have not Covered.
As you know many Marinas here in SW Florida or thruout state will charge $0-14 to launch the boat over a 24 hr period.
Homestead Marina has wash down fresh water with rest rooms like many other do.
Those who chose to park in a Marina or campsite with no hookups. Use a compression fitting inserted on the exterior Hole to a 5 gal. inflatable carry on. Have as many as it takes for grey water.
I like Traveling to diffrent Launch sites and Paying Average $10 and enjoy.
Sum. You have always contributed your resources and Traveling Trips! Thanks for the much detail reports.
Dave

A couple more general thoughts.

If we are just trying to get from point A to B we have stayed in Walmart parking lots. The bathrooms are usually real clean in the morning. Problem is that more and more Walmarts are not allowing overnight parking.

It would be nice to be able to divert the sink to even a simple holding tank inside as someone else mentioned. Not too cool to have that water running out the side of the boat. It is a pain not being able to use the sink also. On our way to Priest Lake in Oregon we stayed in the park on Lake Pend Oreille. We got there late and the campgrounds were full. They said that if we were self-contained we could park in one area though. Of course we told them we were self-contained and were careful to not use the sink there.

The other potential problem is do they look at a boat the same as an RV. Going to Florida I found a state campground north of Port Charlotte. The idea was to stay there a couple days and finish rigging the new shrouds, get food and other supplies and fill up the 40 gallons of water containers on-board. It took about 4 phone calls before they finally said that they would allow the boat to park with the other RV's. Then when we were close we called and the park was filled .

They gave us the name of a nearby private RV park and we talked to them on the phone and they were unsure about letting us stay there amongst the other RV's but finally said we could park the boat over in a parking area where others had boats parked. We had to put the Suburban in a numbered parking space a couple hundred yards away, but were allowed to stay on the boat. We thought we would only be there a couple days, but that turned into 4 or so. About the 3rd day they said we could only stay one more as they didn't know if there insurance covered them with us staying inside of a boat vs. an RV. They were real nice, but said don't come back with the boat.

My advice is to check ahead and be up front that you are staying in a boat and will that present any problems.

The mosquito netting suggestion above can be a biggie if they are present. We almost got eaten alive on the U.S./Canadian border sleeping next to a closed building of some sort and even then had the hatches all closed and it was about 90 that night. Not fun. Even with some screened vents you don't have anywhere near the ventilation as with an RV. This usually isn't quite as bad on the water. The temps were in the 90's on Priest Lake and Kootenay, but on land not on the water.

Saying all of that staying on the boat has rewards, costs less, you are sleeping in your own bed, you aren't hauling things in and out of a motel and more,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[Sumner]

..... Use a compression fitting inserted on the exterior Hole to a 5 gal. inflatable carry on. Have as many as it takes for grey water.....Dave

That is a great idea, easier than having a diverter under the sink and a container there since the area is usually full of other junk.

On another note did you get the PM a month or two back with our phone numbers and when I thought we would be back down there? Looks like it will be late Jan. now,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[DaveB]

Sum,
I did get the PM , Give me a call before you arrive.
I just got back from West Coast Trailer in Port Charlotte, I picked up my twin axels,4 springs and all new bolts. Price was $492 (includeing tax) far less than quoted and at least $100 less than closest price I received.
I should have it all togeather this weekend, next weekend I will pull the motor and install a new lift motor and lower the motor to the next hole.
Hope every thing is done for a October launch.
Dave

On another note did you get the PM a month or two back with our phone numbers and when I thought we would be back down there? Looks like it will be late Jan. now,

Sum

[uanhanlouee]

Don't drill anything through your surge brakes. Boat dealers use a "Cheater" that clamps on the surge brake slide and prevents brakes from activating. You can put a string on it and pull it off in an emergency. Goind downhill without trailer brakes can make you vehicles brakes overheat, glaze and fail. Then you are headed downhil with a boat pushing you. Not a pretty sight or outcome..

[kevinnem]

I didn't read all teh post, only about1/2, sorry if this has been recomenedd already.

F you are concerned about teh boat, with all of you in it, on the trailier either due to teh sway, . or the shear weight, you should consider getting a set of jacks, .. and placeing them on eh trailer behind the wheels, you would only need to take them up a inch for the weight to trasfer to the jacks, and that way the mac would not "bounce".

Kev.

[dlandersson]

I thought this looked kinda neat

http://www.habitent.com/

Habitent is a compact, easy to erect, adjustable cockpit enclosure designed to fit a wide range of sailing boats without the need of permanent fixings to enhance your yachting outdoor living enjoyment; giving shelter from the sun, wind and rain and providing a versatile low cost option to cumbersome traditional sailing boat cockpit canopies.

[ROAD Soldier]

I thought this looked kinda neat

http://www.habitent.com/

Habitent is a compact, easy to erect, adjustable cockpit enclosure designed to fit a wide range of sailing boats without the need of permanent fixings to enhance your yachting outdoor living enjoyment; giving shelter from the sun, wind and rain and providing a versatile low cost option to cumbersome traditional sailing boat cockpit canopies.

I swear they stole my idea I was designing something similar to that out of my old 4 season backpacking tent . However theirs is pretty neat and mine when completed will only work on my a 26X.

[Berber Boy]

I have camped in my several times and found it quite comfortable for two though I have had five. Under cold conditions without power to run a small radiator you need plenty of good bedding to keep warm.

Having had a recent disaster with a bearing failure (see Disaster and Wheel Bearings) the marina where my trailer is currently under repair the trailer specialist strongly recommended that the boat needed to have two axles.

People on this forum talk about adding a second axle but how does that work with the existing torsion bar system?. Do you put a new set of axles on with springs as a matched pair or do you put a second torsion system on or mix and match. The last being highly unlikely I would think.Would welcome on input regarding that!

BB

[mastreb]

I thought this looked kinda neat

http://www.habitent.com/

Habitent is a compact, easy to erect, adjustable cockpit enclosure designed to fit a wide range of sailing boats without the need of permanent fixings to enhance your yachting outdoor living enjoyment; giving shelter from the sun, wind and rain and providing a versatile low cost option to cumbersome traditional sailing boat cockpit canopies.

Great idea! Thanks!

[Retcoastie]

Is the Habitent available in the US??????

[Tomfoolery]

People on this forum talk about adding a second axle but how does that work with the existing torsion bar system?. Do you put a new set of axles on with springs as a matched pair or do you put a second torsion system on or mix and match. The last being highly unlikely I would think.Would welcome on input regarding that!

This probably needs its own thread, but here goes. With a TB suspension, you have to have very close to equal loads on both axles while stationary in its towing attitude or the hitch load will be more or less than what you want. Since there is no equalization between axles, that means that either a) you have identical suspensions on each axle, or b) you have different suspensions but they're phased such that the static loading is the same. The second one is going to be hard to do, but I would imagine it's possible in some cases.

If it were me, I'd contact the fabricator who makes MacGregor's trailers for them, and get another identical axle. There is probably a sticker on the axle somewhere with the manufacturer's info on it, including the model/serial number for the axle. If you like the tongue weight as it is now, mark the location of the axle center on the frame (plumb line) so you can move the original and space the new axle an equal distance on the other side of that line. If you want more, make the new center a little behind the line - the further it is, the greater the tongue weight. It's easy enough to calculate in advance if you know what the whole rig weighs and what the tongue weight is now.

One big advantage of leaf spring trailers is that it's relatively easy to add an axle using mismatched axles and still get a soft ride. TB axles have much lower static spring rates (softer) than equivalent leaf springs, so a bit of spring rate mismatch is probably not going to be noticed, but getting the static preload close to equal will be a challenge if they're not matched.

I suppose you could always shim the entire axle down, which ever one is too light, but you always risk one or the other carrying the empty trailer on it's own if the static spring rates are different, or one axle being loaded lightly enough that the tires lock up when braking. I suppose if there are brakes on only one axle, and they're on the one that's carrying more load when empty, it's not a problem, but it's kludgey. Probably a good reason to make every effort to source another axle just like the original, if possible.