Here is something that boat owners rarely think about--blowing a tire on the boat trailer. When you think about going boating or fishing, you are not thinking about tires because your brain is already wired into the idea of a boat skimming the water for the day. Since a boat does not use tires to move, the tires on the trailer take a back seat in your brain. However, if you should end up in a position where you are miles from the water and your boat trailer blows a wheel, here are some options for towing your boat.
Drop the Boat Trailer and Go Buy a Wheel
You could just drop the boat and boat trailer roadside and go buy a boat wheel, if there is a boating shop nearby. However, you will need to either have someone stay with the boat so that the police do not try to remove it, or leave a note taped to the boat with the date and time that you left it so that any police officers on the road can see that you did not leave the boat there overnight. It might also be a good idea to call the local police and alert them to the fact that you are leaving a broken down boat trailer and boat on the side of the road to go get a new trailer wheel. Then you can continue onward towing your own boat yourself after you repair the wheel.
Call Towing Services and Specify a Flatbed Truck
Most towing companies for vehicles have a flatbed tow truck for heavier trucks and cars and for vehicles that cannot be towed the usual way because of problems with the wheels. Call a service you know has a flatbed truck for times like these, and then ask the service if they can tow your boat trailer into a boat trailer repair shop. There may be an extra charge because you cannot take the boat off to load the trailer onto the flatbed, but at least your trailer and boat would be hauled somewhere out of danger besides the side of the road. For more information, contact a business such as Jim's Tow Service.
Call a Marina and Boat Specialty Store
Some marina and boat specialty stores offer onsite trailer wheel repair. If you have such a store in a twenty-mile radius of you, you might want to give them a call. Have all of the necessary information regarding the boat trailer's wheel ready so that the repair technician brings the right replacement wheel to you. The store may also offer towing services specifically and only for boats in this situation.
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