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Center of Balance for Building a Trailer

Dana Berube, #99, Whirlwind

Several members of this list have information regarding the construction of a trailer suitable to haul a Triton.

The following was posted by David Harwood (Re: Triton center of balance)

I asked Pearsons about the center of balance before loading #155 on James Baldwin's trailor (both now at the Triton Factory) in 1988. They advised me that the center of balance is located approximately at Station 4. If you don't have a copy of the recently distributed drawings, measure the length of the waterline (LWL) and multiply by0.4 to obtain the distance from the forward end of the waterline to Station 4. Mark this location on the hull with a piece of masking tape.

Measure the distance from the hitch to the midpoint of the axles. Multiply this length by 0.1 (10%) and put a second mark on the trailer that distance ahead of the axle midpoint. Load the boat with the first mark above the second. Now make a (permanent) mark on the trailer directly below the front end of the waterline.

Curiously, when I looked a copy of the Triton lines drawing, Station 4 appears to be located six feet aft of the start of the waterline. This is even further forward than the result derived from using the .4 calculation mentioned above (?).

Station 4 is located about a foot forward of the centerline of the mast. Hopefully, someone with practical trailering experience will chime in.

stephen

With any sloop I have always used the mast base's position as the center of the weight and never had a problem towing. I have never towed any boat over about 12,000 lbs.

If you are a very extreme worrier you can weigh the trailer, and the boat, and then load the trailer with a grain scale under the tongue support of the trailer. Then fiddle the boat around on the trailer until about 10% of the total weight is on the scale.

Then mark the trailer and the boat for next time.