By Tom Jenkins
Seeing that just about anywhere I sail I have to travel, I figured I am probably a good source for trailering information hence the reason I am writing this guide. Id does not matter which Lido series you have, classic, or post 6000 the Lido is trailered in pretty much the same manner, however there are several aspects to watch out for when your going down the road. Below is a set of reminders for trailering your Lido, items meant to help protect and prolong the life of your boat.
- On Long trailer tows of you Lido it is advisable to remove the centerboard, to keep the board from chafing on the inside of the centerboard truck. If you don’t want to go to the extreme of removing the board, I highly suggest stuffing rags between the board and the slot both in the bottom and in the cockpit to keep the board stable, and away from the centerboard trunk walls.
If you do remove your centerboard and want a great way to store the board, buy a snowboard bag for it. These bags usually are long and wide enough for the Lido foils and are well padded so the board remains protected, and not just sitting in the back seat of your car when traveling. Board bags can be bought at most surf and snow ski shops for prices between 25 and 80 dollars.
- Any one who has spent any time fairing and or polishing their hull’s bottom, will want to deck their trailer to keep rocks and gravel from hitting the hull.
- Place mud flaps on both the tow vhicle and the trailer.
- Close up any gaps between the fenders on the trailer frame to keep gravel and dirt at bay.
- Teflon your hull (yes its now legal as of General Membership meeting 2001). By applying teflon on your hull this makes cleaning your boat once you have arrived at the regatta site, so much easier. Don’t believe me, trailer your boat a 500 miles, and then try to wash it clean, now trailer your boat 500 miles after a teflon job, and try to wash it, see the difference!
- While the bunk systems on Lido trailers vary as much as the deck colors of Lidos, there is one preferred manner to which you have your Lido sitting on the trailer. Ideally you would have the hull suspended never touching the trailer when traveling down the road. While actual suspension is not able to be done on the Classic Lidos it certainly can be accomplished on the Post 6000 series (look at the rails and use your imagination, or come take a look at my Laser trailer) For the rest of the Lidos that must sit on the bunks, I suggest either buying or building a bunk system like that of the post 6000 series trailers.
Hull bunks that conform to the shape of the hull, will help keep the highly pliable Lido hull in the shape it was meant to be. There is one MAJOR problem with bunks that conform to the hull shape, and that is water retention. Any time you submerge the hull conforming bunks on the Lido, it is CRITICAL that you allow the bunks to completely dry. If the bunks stay pressed against the Lido hull you will inevitably find small blisters on the hull. What I do for my classic Lido, when I lunch ramp sail, is after the boat goes back on the trailer I lift the boat up and place life jackets under the boat to give at least ¼" clearance for air flow. Usually once the boat is up off of the bunks the bunks will dry rapidly.
- If you have a post 6000 series, many owners who regularly trailer their boats have noted that the centerboard bungie cord seems to chafe between the board and the trunk walls, which causes excessive wear on the bungie. So, keep an eye on the bungie cord.
- It’s a good idea, if you have a clean, new mast to cover your mast while the mast is on the trailer in the traveling position. Snipes have always covered their masts because the Snipe masts are highly expensive units. Mast bags can be purchased through Quantum Sailmakers in San Diego, they have the pattern from my mast. Having the mast covered keeps your halyards clean, and keeps bug debris off the mast while trailering.
- Most importantly make sure your trailer is ready to tow. Check the bearings, repack every year, especially if your trailer goes into salt water. Use Buddy Bearings to help keep water out of the wheel bearings. Make sure your registration is up-to-date, and your lights work.
- Here is a road tip DO NOT get out of the first two lanes, this is a big eye catcher for the Highway Patrol in California, and if your out in the "speed" lanes you must be going faster then 55, Ticket Time!
Version 1.1 Trailering-
Updated 10-12-01