Boat height on trailer - The Hull Truth

gunner10 · 04-19-2009, 08:19 PM

I bought a boat last year and knew it would be tight too tight to fit it under a 7ft door. It turns out to be about 6 - 7" too short. I can install a new 8ft. but before I do this does anyone know the minimum required ground clearance from the bottom of the hull. Currently I have about 17" of clearance and if I went to a wider, low profile bass boat type trailer then could I shave an extra 7" to get it in under the 7ft. door. The new door install is rather expensive so opting to lower the boat first. Any thoughts.

Sportfisher236 · 04-19-2009, 08:28 PM

The door switching would be slightly expensive and a pain. I would think the trailer deal would be doable.
I put 8' garage doors in all of the homes I build now a days.

epanzella · 04-22-2009, 07:23 AM

Installing tallers doors is quite a project. Assuming you have to headroom to begin with, you have to cut the framing, raise the header and patch the siding. You may be able to get a panel for your existing door or you would have to replace the door. You need new tracks either way. If you have an opener you might not have room for it. As far as trailer height, the main concern is the suspension travel causing the tires to hit the boat. If the boat fits between the fenders, you can do whatever you want. When the trailer gets down to about 6 inches of ground clearance you start to have clearance concerns with the ground if you have a steep driveway or a severe dip in the road. The longer the trailer is, the more likelyhood of dragging. Drop axles usually lower the trailer 4 inches, some 6.

petrel · 04-22-2009, 10:13 AM

I encountered a similar problem. I priced custom trailers, but they would not lower the boat enough and sacrificed ground clearance. The folks at Owens & Sons trailers were very receptive to the project, but just could not meet my height needs. I had a contractor quote raising the door header, but in my case I would have had to buy an expensive outside roll-up door to free up the clearance, so the whole project was cost prohibitive. I considered jack hammering out the garage floor and having a "trough" poured deeper than the rest of the floor on a gradual taper from the driveway, but that introduced it's own unique set of problems. I even looked into installing smaller wheels and tires on the trailer when storing the rig in the shop, which was way too much trouble.

I ended up installing a ClearSpan temporary building in my yard just for boat storage. It was the most practical alternative in my situation. It is a great building (mine is almost two years old now) and does a good job protecting the boat. However, it is big, ugly, and your neighbors (and possibly your family) will hate it.