Hello. New here. Boat ordered.

[Snowman8]

I haven’t had a winch handle stolen yet. I do have a spare handle in my shed, I may have to start carrying it in the boat now..

[R6outboard]

Nice boat, you will definitely enjoy it. Without a folding tower you will need a 12’ door. I have a 10’ door in my building and I can’t get my R5 in with the bimini up. I am at least 6” too tall but I have a larger than average trailer. Even on my old trailer it wouldn’t fit in by a couple inches. My R5 even with the bimini off will not fit into an 8’ door. The windshield glass is too tall, even on my old EZ Loader trailer. My new trailer is a custom built Loadmaster trailer. I highly recommend them!!!

I am of the other opinion with the folding trailer tongue... if you have the room I vote not to get it. Some trailer manufacturers won’t even put the feature on larger trailers. I had a bad experience with my old one quite a few years ago. We spent the day on the water, and on the way home we stopped for supper, while in the restaurant someone decided they needed the keeper pin more than I did. We came out after supper and I checked the hitch before we left and the pin was gone. I am obsessed with checking my hitch because I pull trailers most every day at work. I know I checked it at the boat ramp and everything was okay. So there I was on a Sunday evening trying to figure out how to get the trailer safely home. Luckily I had my work truck so I had some miscellaneous nuts & bolts in my tool boxes and was able to put bolts in place of the long pin. Needless to say my trailer tongue was bolted solid after that experience. The likelihood of that happening again is rare but I have a 60’ long shed so I will never purposely own a folding tongue again.

Hello and appreciate the information. Checked my paperwork and my dealer sells Load Rite. The google reviews are not great (2.5/5) but only 20 reviews total. Think they turn out a lot of trailers so thinking it might be ok. Plus I have a welder friend that does aluminum. However want to see if the dealer is open to the swap (I know it is not ordered yet). Basically get a Load master and charge me same mark up they do on the normal company they deal with. Seems like an uphill battle but will see what they say.

Note- Building a garage so can error on the side of caution and go 35' interior depth. Sounds like a 10' door will work. I ordered the folding tower. Or thinking to wait till the boat is here. Crossing that bridge next 3-4 weeks. Need to get some estimates.

[Snowman8]

I would suggest contacting Loadmaster direct. I worked with Megan, she was wonderful! It is so nice to call a business and actually have a human answer the phone, every time! The trailer they built me is by far the nicest trailer I have ever pulled. It loads straight every time, I had nothing but trouble with my EZ Loader trailer and I wish I would have changed trailers years ago! Will you be using your boat in salt water or fresh water lakes only? I’m not positive but I don’t think they will build an aluminum trailer but I think they will galvanize a steel one. What will you be pulling your boat and trailer with? I had them build my trailer 2’ longer than they would have normally built for an R5 and I had them error on the heavy side of tongue weight to make it pull better. I will only pull it with my Ford F350 or my wife’s F150. I wouldn’t pull this setup with anything less because it will really squat the F150 before I air up my airbags, it will even drop my F350 before I air up the air bags on that truck. The trailer pulls straight as an arrow behind my wife’s F150 down the freeway, no hint of any kind of sway passing semi’s or going around corners.

I’m not too tech savvy but I included a link to Loadmaster trailers in Port Clinton Ohio hopefully it works. The first time I contacted them was right through their website and believe it or not they responded within a few hours the next morning. Their customer service is amazing, I truly have nothing bad to say about them. If you talk to Megan tell her you have been talking to Richard in Minnesota, she might remember me as I thought I was a pain asking so many questions during the build process... PM me and I can send you more pictures of my trailer if you are interested. If you are interested I can also get you a length over all of my boat and trailer so you will know roughly how long it is for your building.

https://www.loadmasterboattrailer.com/? ... gL3DPD_BwE

[R6outboard]

I’m not too tech savvy but I included a link to Loadmaster trailers in Port Clinton Ohio hopefully it works. The first time I contacted them was right through their website and believe it or not they responded within a few hours the next morning. Their customer service is amazing, I truly have nothing bad to say about them. If you talk to Megan tell her you have been talking to Richard in Minnesota, she might remember me as I thought I was a pain asking so many questions during the build process... PM me and I can send you more pictures of my trailer if you are interested. If you are interested I can also get you a length over all of my boat and trailer so you will know roughly how long it is for your building.

Richard thank you for all the information. Going to hop on this tomorrow and see what the dealer says on getting out of my current trailer. Seems like the load master is a much better trailer. Anyhow to be continued. If I can get out of my current trailer will be happy to get some dimensions from you. Appreciate.

[R6outboard]

Will you be using your boat in salt water or fresh water lakes only? I’m not positive but I don’t think they will build an aluminum trailer but I think they will galvanize a steel one. What will you be pulling your boat and trailer with?

About 95% fresh water. Some time at the coast. I don't need an aluminum trailer however that is what the dealer sold me with the boat.

The tow rig- "Houston we have a problem". I have a 19 raptor. It is rated for 8000 but am sure it will squat a lot. All my business trucks and previous trucks have airbags. Do not want air bags on the raptor. Had a max tow 3.5 f-150 before and rode like a brick. I even changed out the shocks to bilsteins. It was still terrible. The 19 raptor received new adaptive fox shocks (over passive bypass valve) so hoping that helps some with the squat. Currently like the ride a whole lot more than my previous trucks. Almost bought a ram for the air suspension but found the raptor instead.

Curve ball. Ford website says that 8000 rating is with a weight distributing hitch. Otherwise 5000. Looks like I will purchase one soon. Only used airbags in the past so will be curious to see how well it works. Interesting physics and supposedly helps with the squat. Looking at the Weight safe true tow.

Currently a lot of unknowns... talk soon.

[Big Block Power]

Houston look for a class 4 hitch. 5000 lbs isn't enough as you found out. Also yep should have went with the Ram! Dam 4 letter word I can't say.

[R6outboard]

Houston look for a class 4 hitch. 5000 lbs isn't enough as you found out. Also yep should have went with the Ram! Dam 4 letter word I can't say.

Good news is that I live about .8 miles to the boat ramp I will use 90% of the time. However do want to be able to get on the road for a couple hours and hit some different lakes. Also the coast. Seems like a weight distribution hitch is my only option or find a new rig. Ram TRX? It tows 100 lbs more than the raptor. Plus a couple extra ponies to get to the lake faster.

[Snowman8]

My wife drives a max tow F150 and I drive a F350. I have never felt the F150 rides rough, we’ve had 4 different ones throughout the years. Yeah buy a RAM with coil springs, they carry loads really well. LOL! That’s why RAM comes from the factory with air bags...to each their own. I don’t care what anyone drives, I just know what I have had good luck with. Believe me my F350 work trucks get the crap beat out of them for 200,000+ miles and rarely have any problems. The F150 is mostly used as a car except for when it pulls the boat, but I wouldn’t pull my boat/trailer setup with anything less.

[Big Block Power]

Houston look for a class 4 hitch. 5000 lbs isn't enough as you found out. Also yep should have went with the Ram! Dam 4 letter word I can't say.

Good news is that I live about .8 miles to the boat ramp I will use 90% of the time. However do want to be able to get on the road for a couple hours and hit some different lakes. Also the coast. Seems like a weight distribution hitch is my only option or find a new rig. Ram TRX? It tows 100 lbs more than the raptor. Plus a couple extra ponies to get to the lake faster.

Trx is going to be a beast. Can't wait to get one in!

[Tuscany]

Congrats on the new order!

I have a little experience building a garage for the boat. A 10’ door with a folding tower will be very close. Our doors are 10x10, but we ordered the folding bimini. A folding arch would be close, and probably wouldn’t fit with the arch folded with the cockpit cover in place.
But, our Loadmaster sits tall on 16” rubber which tightens things up. Your depth at 35’ will be fine. Figure 5 feet needed space behind the trailer for the engine.
My R7 with 35.5 fits fine with the extended tongue and an extra 2’ of length. . In retro, I would have ordered a swinging tongue just to get it out of the way for walking around it.


Any questions, please feel free to reach out.

[Snowman8]

If you are dead set on having a swing away tongue I don’t think Loadmaster will build a trailer with one. You can ask but I specifically told them that I do not want one and she told me that they don’t build them. They may have changed their opinion of them since I built my trailer & you can definitely ask. That’s the best part about dealing with the people at Loadmaster, if you ask for something they will try to accommodate or they will tell you why they don’t recommend something and suggest something else. I do know that they build a removable hitch, it’s similar to a receiver hitch where a smaller tube slides out of the larger one. The one pictured on their site really only gains you about a foot of clearance but if that’s what you need to close the door then you are golden. But like Tuscany said 35’ will be sufficient.

I don’t know what kid of building you are planning on building but if you have the room build it long enough to back your truck & trailer in hooked up. My brother in law built a shed that is only 30’ deep and every time he goes boating multiple days in a row you have to back the boat in & unhook every evening. Then re-hook the next morning. My shed is 60’ deep so I back in close the door & walk away. The next morning I do my walk around to check everything over & drive away.

[AsLan7]

Congrats on the new order!

I have a little experience building a garage for the boat. A 10’ door with a folding tower will be very close. Our doors are 10x10, but we ordered the folding bimini. A folding arch would be close, and probably wouldn’t fit with the arch folded with the cockpit cover in place.
But, our Loadmaster sits tall on 16” rubber which tightens things up. Your depth at 35’ will be fine. Figure 5 feet needed space behind the trailer for the engine.
My R7 with 35.5 fits fine with the extended tongue and an extra 2’ of length. . In retro, I would have ordered a swinging tongue just to get it out of the way for walking around it.


Any questions, please feel free to reach out.

.
Nice pics T.

[R6outboard]

Congrats on the new order!

I have a little experience building a garage for the boat. A 10’ door with a folding tower will be very close. Our doors are 10x10, but we ordered the folding bimini. A folding arch would be close, and probably wouldn’t fit

Thank you. April can't get here any sooner.

Might need those 12' doors after all. Your garage looks quite nice. Great pics.

[R6outboard]

Thank you all for the information. Figured I would add a pic of the boat via cobalt website and a pic of the tower for all to see. They have 4 different tower and Bimini options. Changed my mind a few times.

Note the lower pic has the wake board racks and wake board holders on top of the Bimini. I did not get either.

[R6outboard]

Need opinion- Forgot I ordered the satin black cobalt lettering on the side. We originally had a lighter color with the black lettering. Then chose black hull color. Stick with it? Satin black on black basically. I am thinking it would look good. Thoughts?