Trailering Advice - Thanks!

Greg Gaston (gaston.actuary@worldnet.att.net)
Sat, 06 Mar 1999 10:25:31 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Thanks to everyone for their input on trailering. This has been
tremendously helpful!

I have resolved to heed your suggestions as follows:

Motor - Off with her! (during transit). I trailer with a Jeep
Cherokee, so it would be difficult to put it in the back as the rear
hatch does not open all the way with the trailer attached. Naturally, I
would like to leave the trailer attached at least until the boat is in
the water, with the motor back on the mount. I have heard or seen a
diagram of a mount built on the front of the trailer. This brings the
weight forward and reduces the dynamics going on at the rear of the
trailer, thus reducing the stress on the transom. Chuck Arnold uses
this type of arrangement. Someone requested a sketch of this and I
would appreciate this also, Chuck, as I cannot find my information.

Towing Strap - On with her! There was almost universal agreement that
the strap should be on. Several horror stories brought this point home
(Ted Duke, Eric Johnson, Left Coast Larry, Mary-Rickman Taylor). My
difficulty, as mentioned, is that I can never remember the
configuration, so I fiddle around with it until I get it right. Thanks
to Ted Boyer for his simple and excellent advice - Draw a sketch!
Alternatively, I may use David Reiss' advice and keep the straps
buckled.

Shrouds and Stays - There were a lot of good suggestions here. The one
that sounds like it may work best for me is from Eric Johnson. Eric's
method is to bring the rigging parallel with the mast, (except for the
backstay - which I have now resolved to install thanks to the
discussions on this topic). Starting at the top of the mast, wrapping
the halyard around it in a spiral fashion, continuing to the base of the
mast. (Chris Wray uses a similar method.) I am ordering the snap on
covers suggested by Eric Pederson and Wes Harrison.

In response to questions about Asheville, I responded directly to Harry
Gordon about the Grove Park Inn and to Bob Patten about Lake Lure. The
Grove Park Inn is a magnificent resort/hotel in Asheville and I
encourage anyone to stay there if they are in the mood for an upscale
vacation. Lake Lure is a local lake stuck away in our mountains but the
fees for day use are quite high.

For those traveling to the east coast from points west, please stop in
Asheville. I will be glad to answer any questions or give you tips. We
visited here often when we lived in Atlanta. Loved it so much that we
moved our family and business here about 5 years ago. We purchased our
Potter with the idea of having a boat that would be easily trailered up
and down the mountains to the coast of the Carolinas.

Thanks again to all. You are a wonderful and entertaining group. Hope
to see each of you on the water some day.

Greg Gaston
WWP-19 #808 "Peppermint Patty"
Asheville, NC