WEEKEND TRAILER SAILERS
Towing laws
Important rules
There are myriad rules and regulations
regarding the towing of trailers in the
UK and Europe. Here is a summary of
the most important rules you must
heed and the commonly used
acronyms referring to them:MAM – Maximum Authorised Mass is
the maximum weight a vehicle or trailer
is designed to carry. It includes the
vehicle or trailer weight plus its load.
MGW – Maximum Gross Weight is the
maximum total weight as set by the
manufacturer.
GTW – Gross Train Weight is the
maximum weight a vehicle can move
on a road and should be engraved on
the vehicle’s VIN plate.
MTL – Maximum Towing Limit is the
total weight the vehicle can move from
a 12% hill start. The vehicle must be
able to repeat this procedure five times
in five minutes. This limit must never be
exceeded and should not be used as a
guide to your vehicle’s towing ability.
GVW – Gross Vehicle Weight is the
total weight (load and trailer all-up) a
vehicle is designed to carry.
KW – Kerbside Weight is the weight of
the towing vehicle without passengers,
but with 90% fuel and oil. In the EU this
includes the weight of the driver plus
7kg of luggage.
Nose weight – the maximum
downward pressure on your trailer’s
tow-hitch. The maximum must be no
greater than that stated in your vehicle’s
handbook and is usually between
50-100kg (typically 75kg).
Car to Caravan weight ratio – It
is strongly recommended that you do
not exceed an 85% trailer to car weight
ratio, ie. your fully-loaded trailer should
not be more than 85% of your car’s KW
(or maximum tow weight if this is lower).
Maximum Trailer Width for any
towing vehicle is 2.55m.
Maximum Trailer Length (not
including the A-frame) when towed by a
vehicle weighing up to 3,500kg is 7m.
Towing Mirrors must be fitted if your
trailer is wider than the rear of your car.
Brakes – Your trailer must have a
working brake system if the fully-loaded
trailer weighs over 750kg.
➜Cape Cutter 19
In 2001 Dudley Dix created this traditional,
lapstrake-hulled pocket cruiser to be
sound enough to take on an ocean
passage with confidence. Though she
looks like a classic working gaffer, she
boasts all the mod-cons of a modern
cruising yacht in a package small enough
to trail. First built in South Africa, she was
given a plumb stem and transom to
provide the longest waterline possible,
while still fitting into a 20ft (6.10m)-long
shipping container.
Her hull is a solid GRP laminate,
reinforced with stringers, and her
balsa-cored deck is bolted to the hull and
glassed over. Three-quarters of her ballast
is lead shot, bonded into the bilges. The
remainder is provided by her cast-iron
centreplate, which hinges up into the
saloon using a 6:1 tackle.
Her mast and spars are wood, and she
comes with either a high-peaked gaff or
Bermudan cutter rig, to keep her sails
manageable. A tabernacle supports the
mast safely for rigging and provides a
rigid mounting for the boom gooseneck.
Her genoa/yankee is on a furler, anchored
to the tip of her 1.40m-long bowsprit,
while her hanked-on staysail tack
terminates at the stem head. All lines,
including throat and peak halyards, can
be controlled using jammers and winches
in the deep cockpit.
Below, she is basic, but surprisingly
spacious and comfortable. There’s a
1.92m (6ft 3in)-long forepeak vee-berth,
under which is a portable toilet. Then
there’s a small GRP moulding each side
- one containing the galley sink, the other
a small hob. Aft of these are two 1.90m
(6ft 3in)-long settees.
Her performance under sail is impressive
for a small boat, thanks to a sleek
underwater profile, long waterline and
generous sail area. Her deep centreplate
reduces leeway to a minimum and she
tacks nimbly. She can also be motored
easily using a 4-6hp outboard in the well,
which is positioned forward of the rudder.
Contact Cape Cutter Marine,
01377 538110, http://www.capecutter19.com
Apart from the legal regulations you
must adhere to there’s a good deal
more to towing a large load than just
knowing the figures add up. Some
vehicles tow well, others don’t, even
though they might look the part.
Thought should also be given to
launching and recovering the boat.
Your large saloon might be able to tow
her without problems on the highway
but could well be useless down a steep
and slippery launch ramp.
Many of these boats weigh up to
1,500kg (3,306lb) when they’ve got
everything strapped onto them. Then
there’s the extra gear you’ll have in the
car, such as fuel tanks, outboard,
provisions, etc. In all, you’ll be driving a
pretty heavy load along the highway
and if you’ve never tried it before then
a little bit of training might be in order.
There are trailer-training schools all
over the UK that’ll give invaluable
advice and safety tips. Take your own
trailer fully loaded and they’ll advise
you on how best it should be balanced.License notes
The rules on what you can tow are
different depending on when you
passed your driving test. If you passed
your car driving test on or after 1
January 1997 you can:
■ Drive a car or van up to 3,500kg
maximum authorised mass (MAM)
towing a trailer of up to 750kg MAM
■ Tow a trailer over 750kg MAM so
long as the combined MAM of the
trailer and towing vehicle is no more
than 3,500kg
You must pass the car and trailer
driving test if you want to tow anything
heavier. Those who passed their
driving test before that date should
refer to the categories printed on their
driving license.Cape Cutter 19:
classic looks with
all the mod consChoose your tow vehicle wisely- not all are up to the job
A typical single-
axle braked trailerRoy Procter