For Ron and Sue Lange, who live aboard their 24-foot Alaskan Trailer Tug Popeye in the summers, the little boat defines flexibility.
If they want to cruise the San Juans, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast, Desolation Sound or the Discovery Islands, they leave from the south Puget Sound area. To go farther north into MacKenzie Sound, they trailer Popeye up Interstate 5 into Canada and launch in Westview.
Thus is the power of a trailer cruiser: the ability to incorporate land routes into your float plan and launch or land a cruise from just about anywhere. The increased mobility makes it easier to visit more places in less time, dodge rough weather and bypass difficult stretches.
Trailer boats – whether power or sail – can also be more economical. While you may need a larger vehicle for towing and a trailer to go with it, trailer boats eliminate slip fees and save on fuel costs. On long trips, the boat can also become a home-on-wheels at rest-stops and camp grounds.
Overall, the setup can stretch the utility of a smaller boat. While larger cruising boats often have all the comforts of home, trailer cruising stresses simplicity. In fact, it's that practicality – and the novelty – that make it so attractive.
"If the boat meets your needs and you enjoy the experience of cruising, that's what's important," Ron Lange said, "not the size of the boat."
RON LANGEPopeye cruises the inside passage that leads to Alaska. THE POPEYE
The Langes, of Roseburg, Oregon, know well the joys of trailer cruising. Every summer they stay on the 24-foot tug for a month, cruising the inside passage that leads to Alaska. They say it's their boat's easy maintenance, versatility, shallow draft and economy that make it so easy to appreciate. Last summer, during a one month cruise, Popeye traveled to 22 different anchorages and marinas.
Popeye was built in 1996 by the now-defunct Murphy Boat Company in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. The company built only 10 Alaskan Trader tugs before it went out of business.
Before Popeye came into their lives, the Langes (Ron is a retired fireman, Sue is a real estate broker) used to trailer their 25-foot Catalina sailboat. But the effort to prepare the mast and sails before launching took hours. They wanted a boat that was more carefree, something mobile, something that was easy to unload from a trailer.
Enter Popeye. They were the boat's third owners, purchasing her, they said, for her pilothouse layout and very "shippy" appearance.
With a draft of 30 inches, shallow depths that keep larger boats away are no problem for Popeye. And with one half the horsepower of most trawlers, Popeye can make the same journey, see the same sunsets, and explore the same remote inlet on the north coast of the inside passage, for a fraction of the fuel price.
The Langes gave Popeye the personal touch before their first big cruise. Sue added brass fixtures and lanterns, lace window coverings and comfortable upholstery. Ron did some woodwork and installed inlayed flooring. They had a custom made canvas bimini installed to shade the stern cockpit, a covering that is easily removed when the boat leaves the water for trailering and gives them a little more space on board in the summer.
Ron and Sue think it is particularly fun, they said, to drive along the highway, which always elicits the waves of passersby. The couple was once followed for 20 miles into a rest stop by another motorist who couldn't take his eyes off the little tug following behind their truck on a trailer.
WHAT IT TAKES
If you want to join the ranks of those who trailer their boats, you'll need to satisfy a heavy list of needs, starting with the right vehicle.
Having the proper tow vehicle can mean the difference between enjoying the tow experience or dreading it. We have all seen rigs zooming down the highway with sagging trailers wagging behind. A tow rig is like a tool. You can buy an inexpensive tool that is made for occasional use, or a commercial, heavy-duty tool that will not only make the job easier but will last longer and increase your level of safety (in this case, on the road).
