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Does anyone have any experience towing and launching a 17' Boston Whaler with a 30' Class A motor home? I will be doing this over the Thanksgiving Holidays and could use any tips or advice you may have. This will be my first trip with the Whaler and the motor home. Thanks

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I've never done it, but the people I see do it have a trailer hitch on the front of their motor homes.

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If you are not set up for a trailer hitch in the front here are a couple of hints for backing up "blind". Try and get some flags/hardware with tennis balls on end that you can mount on the fenders of the trailer. Lay/clamp them flat so you can see the ends when the boat trailer and motor home are in a straight line. Those are guides to help prevent jack knifing. Back up the trailer so you can visually see the boat from the drivers side window. It will get you closer for straightening than backing up blindly using the passenger side mirror. A long tongue on the trailer may help to prevent the motor home from getting wet. Practice in a parking lot with shopping carts would help. Most motor homes (that I have seen) have a pretty long cantilever of the vehicle over the rear axle which makes it a little tougher getting clearance of the vehicle from the dock. Use a spotter who knows how to give signals (point left or right) as opposed to some one who makes circles with their hands directing. It is actually easier to back up larger trailers than the smaller ones. Good luck.

Garris

edit maybe a Good Samaritan may help you launch with a more launch friendly boat.

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Most "30' Class A motor homes" already have a camera for rear vehicle viewing, folks. I would certainly assume that this one does as well. If it doesn't, it is a simple matter to install one. It would also be possible to install a front tow bar with a trailer hitch to use for launching a boat.

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There are a couple of potential problems with launching a boat using a front mounted hitch on a motorhome.

The front wheels on a motorhome are located very close to the front bumper. This almost insures the front wheels will be in the water at some depth in order to have the trailer far enough into the water for an easy and safe launch. It will almost also insure the individual launching the boat will have to wade in unless they ride the boat during launching and drive it off the trailer. Due to the quality, not too wonderful, of motorhome wheels and expensive wheel covers I would never subject them to dunking in salt water.

OTOH, the rear end of a motorhome usually has a long overhang behind the rear wheels. The overhang is so long that it should never be necessary to get the wheels wet when launching a boat. The backup camera can be very helpful when using a rear mounted hitch for launching.

A lot of motorhome users bring along a vehicle to use while the motorhome is sited at a campground. Usually they are towed but if towing a boat it is complicated to also tow a vehicle. I would bring one along if another driver is available to travel with me and use that vehicle for the boat at the ramp. As a matter of fact I would just tow the boat with the vehicle vs the motorhome. Motorhomes get atrocious mileage and adding a boat behind will just make it worse. Plus, in all honesty, maneuvering around campgrounds, fuel stops, and eateries while towing a boat with a motorhome would be difficult, at best.

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The edit in my comment needs editing. I meant to say "...launch friendly vehicle." not "...launch friendly boat".

Garris

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Thank you all for your help. After some consideration and with your advice I have decided not to launch the Montauk with my motorhome. I called a friend that lives near the park and he will launch the boat with his car. I think I am going to start looking for a smaller class C motorhome. Maybe 24' or less.

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Any motor home would have drawbacks to launching. One idea could be to get a front hitch as well as an extension with it. Butch made a good point about the drawbacks with the trailer close to the front bumper. My truck has a 3 ft. hitch extension for my cab over camper for towing. You could get something similar for the front bumper, see what you are doing, and keep the front end out of the water. You will only be launching with it (not towing) so you only supporting the tongue weight (maybe 300lb.) for a few moments with no real banging around.

Garris

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Garris,

I agree that a tongue extension would be helpful and overcome the shortcomings I mentioned. I have a two foot extension I use on shallow ramps. It was sold as a hitch extension, perhaps they are the same with a different name.

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I looked at mine to see the manufacturer but my extension is a heavily built home made model that came with a cabover camper 20 years ago. I kept it when I upgraded the camper. Mine happens to have a plate that runs underneath the hitch extension that through bolts to the truck hitches chain holes. On any of the extensions, even ones used strictly for launching, I would set up two tightened chains on either side of the vehicles hitch to prevent swaying.

Garris