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Hey Guys,

I'm new here. I want to buy a Whaler. I need it to fit into my garage which is 20' long x 8' wide. I heard about some type of swing arm trailer. I would like to get as much Whaler as I can. Any information will be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Aren

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Hi Aren and welcome to Whaler Central.

You're facing what many people face when buying a Whaler, where to store it. A few things you have to think about when buying a boat that will fit in your garage is how long the boat is from the tip of the cavitation plate on your lower unit and/or your engine cowling to the very front of the trailer. Like you had mentioned about the "swing arm trailer", there are trailers out there with a fold back type tongue (swing arm) or you can modify an existing trailer with a swing arm tongue. In my opinion, I think you might be able to squeeze a 17' in there with a folding tongue on your trailer.

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Welcome!
Cliff gave good advice. One other thing to be careful about is the height. I was building a shed for my boat years ago and made it extra long for future use with a bigger boat. When I got the bigger boat, only about half fit into the shed. It was too tall! Good luck with your search.
Mike

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Mine just fits with an inch or two on either end. I have to put it on an angle also. I think I have about 22 or 23 foot garage.

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I have a standard 1 car garage, and my 15' barely get's in there, it's outside now, the "Mustang" convertible is moth balled in it's spot, it was a LOT better when I could work in the garage instead of the driveway, I miss it, people suggest selling the car because, they say that "My Passion" is clearly with the "Whaler".

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I too have a 15 that barely fits in my 20' garage straight in. I don't have a swing-arm tongue though, that would help a little. But I don't believe I could get a Montauk in there, even with a hinged tongue. Perhaps others have done it, but if it is possible it would be very very close. Turning the motor to one side helps a little. If your back wall is drywall, you could cut out a piece to provide an extra 3.5" to the inner drywall assuming you have 2x4 studs. In addition to the clearance for the motor, you also have to deal with the trailer's winch mounting post ahead of the bow. So it doesn't help you even if the tongue hinge is underneath the angled winch post for the shortest possible tongue. And if the hinge is too far back, you start running out of (fixed) tongue real estate to mount the jack. If anyone has successfully put a Montauk straight in a 20' garage, I'd like to hear it. Then I can start thinking about moving up!

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My 99 Montaulk is just under 21' on the trailer with the motor down. My garage is 21'6"... just enough. This was one of the primary reasons that I purchased it as it will fit in a 8' opening. My last boat would have never made the width issues on a trailer...

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Mattgieger has a 17' Montauk. How deep is your garage Matt?

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Thanks for all the feed back guys.I am on the hunt for a 17'er and I'll be sure to let you guys know how I get it shoved into my 20'2" garage.
Aren

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I too had this problem years ago. I purchased a trailer with a swing away tongue that solved that problem. But it depends on the trailer manufacturer and swing tongue. My neighbor has the best set up I've seen. He has his tongue cut so and sleeved and receives the tongue like a reciever hitch on your truck. I'll take pics so you can see next time. I sold the 16 nauset and bought a 25 outrage. Many may think you can't garage a 25 but I do with an inch to spare to the center console rail

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Yes, I concur. You will be limited to a Montauk or similar 16'-7" model, and that will only work if the trailer is equipped with a Swing-Away tongue.

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I can get my 13 footer in my garage but only with about 2 feet to spare with a normal length tongue. The garage is about 20 foot long. Don`t forget to factor the outboard in the length of the boat.

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We have a great article in our article section on the swing-away tongue with brake actuator.
Tongues come in different lengths too.

http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=85

Anyone read it?

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My garage is almost 21' and I had my montauk with the trailer in there. I had to angle it a bit, but it fit.

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Ditto

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21' exactly. Leaves me 2" behind the cavitation plate of the "down" motor, and 8" in front of the tongue. If I had a 20' garage, a swing-arm trailer would be the ticket. My shepherds crook clears the 7' door by an inch, but my boat sits pretty high compared to others. There's a side-view pic of the rig in my garage on my personal page.

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You can gain an inch or two by turning the motor left or right in the down position.

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I'll have to try that with the ol' lady :0)

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I'm sure the "ol' lady" will appreciate that. What a class act.

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That's pretty funny Matt! Lol.

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Oh Man, we could really "RUN" on this one but, remember "W/C" is a family site ! LOL !

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Nice Matt!