A perhaps foolish question on towing a Sea-Doo

I have a 2014 RT with 33k miles and recently moved to Lake County in Central Florida.

On a bit of a whim I had a tow package installed. The thought was maybe camping in a motorcycle pop-up camper (now less likely) or perhaps a Freedom Trailer to allow touring with my lady who simply needs to bring more than 2 pairs of jeans on a long trip. But then I had a silly inspiration.

Lake County Florida has thousands of named lake and water recreation is a big thing. My new community has a boat ramp that connects with the Harris-Chain-of-Lakes which provides a lot to explore and can even get you all the way to the ocean through a connection to the St. Johns River. With my new tow package could I tow the lightest Sea-Doo?

I know that the tow limit is 400# and we know that it is not the max capability but attention must be paid. Unfortunately the dry weight of the Sea-Doo Spark is about 400#. Add a trailer, fluids, you are at least 550#. Sounds iffy to me. Even if I just keep it in the county to get to different boat ramps, some of those trips, while short, can easily reach 55 mph. Perhaps not good for Spyder engine and transmission?

Two other concerns:
With only one tire in the back am I risking sliding Spyder into the water on a slippery boat ramp?
Dealership pointed out that relatively low profile tow ball could require me to back the Spyder into the water more to properly float the Sea Doo.

One thought, could I only launch from my community boat ramp? I am only going 15 mph in the community and only a short ryde from my garage to ramp. Would still open up many lakes for fun and there are fueling stops along the paths.

Anyone have insightful theories? Anyone have real life experience? Anyone here use their Spyder to tow light weight water craft? Would be a fun picture for a Spyder to pull a Sea-Doo but I am interested in cool water Rydes during the summer!

Thanks for any input...
Walter

All weight & other towing aspects aside.... :rolleyes:

You (probably - cos I ain't admitting anything here! :p ) would need to back further down the ramp/into the water in order to release/reload the Sea Doo if the trailer remains connected directly to your Spyder hitch.... but if you disconnect the trailer & use a Jockey Wheel on its drawbar with a longish rope allowing you to maintain an attachment between the Spyder & the trailer, you can keep the Spyder well up on the dry high traction surface at the top of the ramp & simply push/lower your trailer/Sea Doo down the ramp far enough to unload/load it safely, then use the rope to pull it back up the ramp when necessary! :ohyea: Here's a link to a Jockey wheel that's very similar to the one I u.... err, am familiar with. ;)


https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Trailer-...edirect=mobile

Jeez, I don't know if that link will work, it's bloody long! :yikes: Regardless, if it doesn't, you should still be able to see one by googling 'Trailer Jockey Wheel'. Makes it a whole lot easier to move your trailer around when it's not hooked onto your tow tug/Spyder, AND with the addition of that rope between tug hitch & the coupling on the trailer, you can still unload/load your Sea Doo on all sorts of ramps or even just by lowering it over a (not TOO steep) bank that isn't really a ramp at all! :thumbup:

Disclaimer: by providing this information I am simply offering a suggestion that I believe will work for you, and am in no way admitting that I've ever towed a Sea Doo with a Spyder & launched/recovered it in this manner. :rolleyes:

I have a Spark and I could not imagine backing it at a boat ramp with my F3. My Tucson pipe goes under water many times.

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Originally Posted by Peter Aawen

All weight & other towing aspects aside.... :rolleyes:

You (probably - cos I ain't admitting anything here! :p ) would need to back further down the ramp/into the water in order to release/reload the Sea Doo if the trailer remains connected directly to your Spyder hitch.... but if you disconnect the trailer & use a Jockey Wheel on its drawbar with a longish rope allowing you to maintain an attachment between the Spyder & the trailer, you can keep the Spyder well up on the dry high traction surface at the top of the ramp & simply push/lower your trailer/Sea Doo down the ramp far enough to unload/load it safely, then use the rope to pull it back up the ramp when necessary! :ohyea: Here's a link to a Jockey wheel that's very similar to the one I u.... err, am familiar with. ;)


https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Trailer-...edirect=mobile

Jeez, I don't know if that link will work, it's bloody long! :yikes: Regardless, if it doesn't, you should still be able to see one by googling 'Trailer Jockey Wheel'. Makes it a whole lot easier to move your trailer around when it's not hooked onto your tow tug/Spyder, AND with the addition of that rope between tug hitch & the coupling on the trailer, you can still unload/load your Sea Doo on all sorts of ramps or even just by lowering it over a (not TOO steep) bank that isn't really a ramp at all! :thumbup:

Disclaimer: by providing this information I am simply offering a suggestion that I believe will work for you, and am in no way admitting that I've ever towed a Sea Doo with a Spyder & launched/recovered it in this manner. :rolleyes:

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:agree: .... at one time long ago I had two jet ski's and had a Saab 900 .... because of the low tail pipe, a friend welded a tow hitch on the front of my Saab, and this worked out fine ..... the boat ramps vary in steepness ... on the one hand that's a plus, the boat will release earlier, how ever a WET ramp that's steep is also problem ..... The weight is a concern NOT because of Pulling it , it's because Stopping it is going to be much harder .... I know of folks here that put electric brakes on their nCamping trailers to solve that issue ..... But it's a very DIY fix ...... good luck .....Mike :thumbup:

Walter, I like your idea. The info above is very good info. Remember that your hitch (ball) is only inches off the ground so your ground clearance is minimal at best. that can be modified by reconfiguring your trailer tongue. Also, the existing tongue height would need to be changed to accommodate Peter's suggestion of the "jockey wheel". I would pay alot of attention to tongue weight also. I would avoid going over 50lbs for safety reasons. But that can be adjusted by moving the trailer axle fore and aft. As Mike mentioned, I would seriously consider investing in trailer brakes. Not only helpful when going forward but helpful when holding you on the ramp. I've researched trailer brakes and they are expensive but safety wise, they could be worth twice what they cost. I was looking at a wireless trailer brake application that even increases the cost but simplifies the installation. Good luck and stay on the safe side.

Possible solution https://bomboard.com/

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Originally Posted by Bfromla

Possible solution https://bomboard.com/

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HOT dam! And not a bad price!

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Originally Posted by 2dogs

Walter, I like your idea. The info above is very good info. Remember that your hitch (ball) is only inches off the ground so your ground clearance is minimal at best. that can be modified by reconfiguring your trailer tongue. Also, the existing tongue height would need to be changed to accommodate Peter's suggestion of the "jockey wheel". I would pay alot of attention to tongue weight also. I would avoid going over 50lbs for safety reasons. But that can be adjusted by moving the trailer axle fore and aft. As Mike mentioned, I would seriously consider investing in trailer brakes. Not only helpful when going forward but helpful when holding you on the ramp. I've researched trailer brakes and they are expensive but safety wise, they could be worth twice what they cost. I was looking at a wireless trailer brake application that even increases the cost but simplifies the installation. Good luck and stay on the safe side.

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Actually, there's not likely to be any need to change the existing tongue height, that's not usually a biggie at all, especially on the road going trailers (as opposed to off-road trailers :rolleyes: ) I've seen that're designed for a Sea Doo, which are generally pretty low anyway. ;)

The Jockey Wheel gets screwed/clamped into a bracket mounted on the trailer drawbar, and there are usually 3 ridge lines in it's outer tube so that it can be clamped in any number of a variety of locations - below, on, or above each ridge line & of course anywhere else on the tube if the load is light enough & you're game; then you can adjust the rolling height to suit anywhere between about 7.5" above the ground (it is a 6" dia wheel on the one shown, altho you can go lower if you get one with a 4" dia wheel! ;) ) right up to about 24" above the ground :D . - see the attached pics. :thumbup:

When you're actually towing & the trailer is secured to the tow vehicle's tow ball, you simply screw the wheel down low/tight enough; un-clamp the Jockey Wheel from the draw bar; & store it for travel in whatever place is safest while you're towing - the trunk of the tow vehicle maybe, or in your trailer, Sea Doo, whatever. So one sized Jockey Wheel will suit quite a few tow vehicles, pretty much regardless of how low or high their tow ball might be.... :ohyea:

On the trailer shown in the pics, the tow ball can be anywhere between about 4" off the ground & 29" or so off the ground & the tow hitch/draw bar will still fit & work - but it does sometimes make for some odd looking trailer towing stances at the extremes, and that can impact on the tow ball load & towing characteristics if the angle is too steep either way. :lecturef_smilie: . I generally try to keep the draw bar angled down towards the tow ball/hitch just a little below level if at all possible, and the Sea Doo Trailers I've seen have ideally matched that. Of course, you might get completely differently designed trailers over there compared to those we do here in Oz, where just about every trailer comes with a Jockey Wheel of some sort instead of those props or stands that I've seen so many of over there... and those dinky little lightweight 'pressed tin' hitches you lot often use instead of the solid steel or cast iron jobbies we use really wouldn't last very long on the roads over here either!! :roflblack:

Over to you! :cheers:

Ps: Yes, I know the 2nd pic is sideways, that's cos I took it in portrait mode to fit it all in! ;)

All good advice however I think the most dangerous part of See Dooing in Florida would be dodging the gators. But I've heard that's some big salties in Oze also.

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Originally Posted by 2dogs

..... But I've heard that's some big salties in Oze also.

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The Child Bride & I used to travel/work up in croc country back in the day, & somewhere in the archives we've got pics of each of our 4 kids as young teenagers lying in this guy's mouth! :shocked: . He was BIIIGG!! nojoke

https://drivenorthwestqld.com.au/thi...krys-the-croc/

But, as the article says, he was killed quite a few years back now! :lecturef_smilie:

These days, only the biggest of male salties top about 6.1 metres/20'3", altho since croc hunting was banned back in 1971 due to the rapidly dwindling numbers of them in the wild, their average size & overall numbers have been steadily growing again! Now days, it's not at all that uncommon for the average sized big fella out in the wild to be getting up around 5.5/18' or so! Definitely too big to tackle with a knife, even if THAT'S a knife! :rolleyes: In fact, there are quite a few beaches & estuaries up North where you seriously don't hafta worry about sharks at all.... And you really don't want your Sea Doo to break down! :yikes:

found back 2020

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Originally Posted by Bfromla

found back 2020

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I remember that post / pic ...... but I doubt that whole thing didn't weigh more than 175 lbs., and I'\ll bet the trailer never went into the water :dontknow: ...... Mike :thumbup:

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Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911

I remember that post / pic ...... but I doubt that whole thing didn't weigh 175 lbs., and I'\ll bet the trailer never went into the water :dontknow: ...... Mike :thumbup:

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:agree:

Been reading this thread with interest. Towing a Sea-Doo seems like a fun idea. I am a life long boater and have seen my share of launch ramp comedies. Under sized vehicles and oversized trailers/boats don't do well at the launch ramp. Lots of skidding, rubber burning, and bad words. Just saying...... Jim

Watching the launch ramps can be good entertainment.