piratesgold
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Posts posted by piratesgold
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Sure the Captiva will tow OK but like any car, it is not designed to tow above capacity, safely, it is not. No car should tow above capacity, what I subscribe to is a healthy margin in any case i.e. 2T BMT and 3T towing with 300kg tow ball rating. If you tow to near capacity, then the vehicle needs to be setup correctly and the complete 'weight' picture is taken into account. The majority of BMT rigs under 2T will have basic mechanical brakes (usually in varying levels of service and effectiveness) The Captiva's tow rating ranges from 1.5T to 2.0T (depending on the model) and the tow ball weight load limit is probably around 150kg - 200kg (I can't actually find this info curiously enough) which is probably typical of a 5.5m glass boat, slight guesstimating here but most of us have enough experience around boats to know. If I were towing with a Captiva, I would make sure that the boat, fully loaded with fuel, bait, fishing gear, batteries, radio, safety gear, gaffs, your lunch, your mates esky full of beer also comes in under 1.5T or 2T depending on the model of Captiva. In addition to this, if I were towing with any model Captiva, I would also use a weight distribution hitch. I would use a WDH device on any car that is towing close to it's capacity. The Captiva is still a soft roader therefore it has normal suspension, just like a car, loaded up, it will sag at the rear, braking distance and steering control dramatically reduces and I mean by many metres. So, in reality, both the towing weight and the tow ball hitch car manufacturers recommended capacities are more than likely being exceeded in this case so insurance is also still a problem, if it came down to it.
Back to the comparison, besides better 4WD suspension, the heavier vehicle will have better control, less body roll induced by the load, lurching and sag and that's under normal driving, not an emergency, simple physics. I have done enough towing miles in 4WD and soft roaders to know, & currently I own one of each & tow with both. In a lighter weight car, your car is the passenger and the boat is taking the car for a ride, that's the bottom line. A genuine 4wd or similarly rated tow vehicle, properly setup for towing is usually heavier, this makes a huge difference, the boat is now taken for a ride by the car, not the other way around, the suspension has a higher load rating (much better because the front tyres are still firmly on the ground) and most importantly, the brakes have better stopping power in a good 4x4, larger discs etc. The more a car gets pushed around by the the boat while towing, the more dynamic the loads become, this is not good. For example, if the car wallows and lurches while towing, the tow ball capacity will temporarily exceed it limits due to different loads and angles being imposed onto the tow ball. If you slam the brakes on or swerve or both, the lighter the car, the softer the suspension, the weaker the brakes, the less control of your total load you will have.
I haven't even begun to look at the vehicles payload capacity but we can assume that with a couple of adults in the front, kids in the back, boot load chocked up with gear and a tow ball weight being exceeded, this example rig is not in my version of 'safe', I can almost guarantee that the Captiva's LEGAL payload, vehicle axle load is or is uncomfortably close to being exceeded on a typical family holiday, towing a 5.5 glass boat. The laws must assume that we all don't have professional driving skills because 99.99% of us towing do not. Sadly though, peoples understanding of 'safe' can vary wildly and this is exactly why we need much tougher control and towing laws that are the same across Australia...As boaters, we are way behind caraveners and 4wd'ers when it comes to knowledge on all aspects of towing because the majority of our trips are short, local boat ramp and back. Its when we hitch up for that 300km long hilly tow holiday and take the whole house with us, that's when things start to get out of hand.
I was under the impression that the boat must be empty whilst being towed, not loaded with gear and beer, tents and bait? the same with caravans?
Johnno
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I use willy, weatherzone and oz weather, and recon on the common forecast from them all as they are all different. recently I found this bewdy site, updated every 3 hours, click on a spot and get local conditions, zoom out for the whole world
http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=149.46,-35.83,3000
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How much water do you intend carrying = additional weight
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
my thoughts too, with the weight of the system and the tanks, 1 litre of water weighs 1 kg, it would mount up. so for a trip out, your would need to rinse after launching, and rinse after retrieval. if you can get it down to a jerrycan for each, factor 25 kg for each jerrycan. provided you do not alter the structure of the trailer, by ubolting and hoseclipping everything in place, it should pass test. it would be worthwhile getting your trailer and fully loaded boat weighed first so you know how much additional weight you can add (the boat is supposed to be empty whilst on the road, not full of gear, but allow for that anyway, and watch your towball weight. this is for cleaning the trailer and possibly the engine right? the boat structure gets washed later at home, as it is better protected by paint? I considered spray coating the inside of the trailer frame with tectyl, making my own super long pressure sprayer
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Hi Guys, does anyone have a set of plans for a scissor net? much easier than working it out myself, I have googled and come up with nothing solid, also where would I get the approved size of netting?
getting hungry, Pirate
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oooh that area looks popular, lets close it. or
no one fishes there, so we will monitor it, and if they start to use it we will close that too!
that's my cynicism done for today!
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not sure about prawns, though most locals recommend the lake, I find the bigger flatties drifting along the 20 mtr mark, also 6 spine leatherjackets and red rocks, hit a shoal of very small snapper last season, looking for their parents this time. keep you eyes on your pot, mine got lifted and the bait clip removed (it was tied in)
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neoprene chest waders have a lot of buoyancy, but unfortunately float you upside down if you try and swim in them, and are not easy to get off! many years ago my father (commercial fisho) fouled his prop and got washed on the rocks, had to swim for it in oilskins and waders, only a couple of metres then a vey heavy climb out of the water, he said it was a hell of a struggle, and he was a fit man, had to cut his waders down to booties in order to climb the cliffs,
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darn, missed it, we are moving home to Culburra Beach this weekend, and I was hoping to see the Lake wollumboola opening and draining out. also can't wait until prawn season and warmer weather, getting the boat in and a bit of serious fishing. sunshine and seafood, bliss. may bump into you on your trip reese
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did you find my rig in the 'weedfish' it sounds like one of the ones I caught recently, brown in colour and kinda ugly? lol
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Hey Chickenman, log on to the local newspapers in Nowra for fishing reports, but take em with a pinch of salt as the authors want to sell you bait and lures, also fishing camping and boating stores sometimes have area reports, as do most tackle shops and angling shops
pirate
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be knackered in a 4 knot area
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Hi Guys, Anyone got a fishing report for the Culburra/Shoalhaven/Jervis Bay area, land based. I'll be there next weekend for a week. ? anything on the beaches, Is fishing still allowed at The Tubes? any good spots for squid and baitfish? Any help welcomed
thanks, Pirate
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the bar is not particularly bad, but like everything, on occasions it can be, I've never had difficulty in a 475m. research is the key, there are a few shallow bits on the north side of the channel. hang around a bit and see where the locals cross it
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Hey Guys, has anyone fished the new shoalhaven artificial reef recently? its been there 6 months now so it should have bedded in, just interested to see if it is working
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anyone fished the shoalhaven reef recently, be interesting to see how it is doing?
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I was in Port Neill (SA) many years ago during a storm, fishing with a bunch of blokes off the jetty. one bloke went nuts, screaming to all put our rods down and lie down, pushing over those who wouldn't. about 10 seconds later the jetty was hit by lightning, he had seen the corona (st elmos) on the railing and floodlight. about 8 blokes said in unison "Eff this, I'm off to the pub, via the dunny"
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You need a mate at shoalhaven heads!! Beautiful place there actually!
hoping to move to the area sometime this year, then I can look out the window to see what the weather is like!
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remember to test your fuel system before you do the trial, not good if you plug the second tank in after running dry, and it won't prime!
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I often predict catching a good size snapper, 100% wrong so far, though predictions of snagging the bottom are all good
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not so much of a weather forecast, but more like a wild guess, more of a pain for me as I live 350km inland, and need to book ahead if I want to fish at the coast., Sea conditions are even worse to predict and seems most of the webcams now charge fees................unless anyone knows of a free webcam at shoalhaven/crookhaven heads?
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Well Reese, looks like we will have to find our own then, judging by the lack of replies. we will be in a camper towing a boat, may see you around there
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Does anyone know the best method/ location of prawning in the Shoalhaven, Greenwell point area? paddling with a lamp, or dip-netting from a boat? and is there any running at the moment? any off Culburra beach? also after squids if there is any preferred locations or general areas. I am down there late next week and hungry!. thanks, Pirate
So you think you can tow 3.5 tonne?
in Fishing Chat
Posted
I expect it was bourne of the fact that people would tie stuff down on a trailer, but would not necessarily think of the contents of the boat, and that they also need to be secured. But also the point that as you mentioned, the weight of the gear needs to be taken into account. fridge, beer, bait, gear, rods, fuel etc