LakeRider57

I currently have a 20' x 30' garage which I can easily extend to accomodate a longer boat but the garage door is only 8' which yields a 7' 9" usable height.

I would like to know the maximum boat heights on their trailers to help me determine if I will have to modify the current garage or have to build another garage.

Here are the boats under consideration:

Advantage Victory 28
Donzi 27 ZR
Fountain 27 Fever
Fountain 29 Fever
Formula 271 Fastech
Howard Bullet 28
Lavey Craft 2750 PokerRun
Lavey Craft 28 EVO
Nordic 28 Heat
Sunsation 288 S Performance/MCOB

Any input is helpful, thanks.

LakeRider57

Found out that the Fountain 29 Fever on 15" trailer wheels is 7' 6".

Any others ?

Sydwayz

There is no set answer. It all depends on the trailer as some cradle the boat, and others let the boat sit up on vertical bunks.

You can cheat a bit.

One, they make garage doors that go up into the ceiling to give you more door height, almost to the ceiling/bottom of rafters.
Two, you can get a drop hitch for your tow vehicle or tractor to allow you to drop the trailer tongue almost to the ground when backing in the garage.
Three, you can dig out your driveway as such that the back wheels of your tow vehicle drop 2-3 inches JUST as the highest point of your boat goes under the door.

30' deep is really nothing. You are usually going to need 5+ feet MORE than the length of the boat for the outdrive and trailer tongue.

And, having a low ceiling height almost renders the garage useless for anything more than static storage. If you can't get in the boat, adjust things, load/unload gear, open the engine hatch, change the oil, etc. etc.; just get a really nice full cover made.

BAJA WILL

Agreed, you will need to measure the max you have and check as you look at boats, their are tricks to get a few more inches, like letting air out of trailer tires/smaller tires, making bunks on trailer shorter, folding tongue on trailer, and so on you get the idea.

rv

We had a 28 Nordic that would fit in that height but the 30' depth is not enough.

LakeRider57

Thanks for the replies.

I can easily add 10' - 12' onto the current garage length because I'm pretty handy with the welder -- its really just the garage door I'm concerned about, its pretty hard to modify it without ripping the heavy frame out.

Griff

My 28 Pantera was 34' long on the trailer and would fit just barely under an 8' door.

LakeRider57

I'm contacting the dealers directly to get approximate heights on the trailers. Thought the info would be helpful to others, so I will post it as I get it:

Boat Height on trailer
============== ===========
Advantage Victory 27 < 8' (dealer says easily fit)
Advantage Victory 28 < 8' " "
Advantage X-Flight 29 < 8' " "
Checkmate Convincor 270 7' 6" (approx.)
Checkmate Convincor 300 7' 6"
Donzi 27 ZR --
Fountain 27 Fever 7' 6" (approx.)
Fountain 29 Fever 7' 6"
Formula 271 Fastech --
Howard Bullet 28 --
Lavey Craft 2750 PokerRun 6' 4"
Lavey Craft 28 EVO 6' 4" (same hull as 2750)
Nordic 28 Heat < 8' (owner says will fit)
Pantera 28 < 8' (owner says will fit barely)
Sunsation 288 S & SSR --

US1 Fountain

My 27 Fever just fit under a standard 7' door. But that trailer had torsion axles, which let the whole rig sit lower. Another thing to consider.
My 32 sits on a spring axle trailer, which required a header to be raised and an 8' door installed.

Also the approach to the door matters. A nice slope will work to your advantage. The truck will pull the high spot(windshield) down after the trailer wheels are inside while entering.

Even thougth some work will be required, if it is possible to install a taller door, I'd count on that and not limit yourself to the current door. You'll kick yourself settling for a smaller boat in order to save a couple days garge remodel work. Once thats done, it's done.

ziemer

Not on the list, but my 24' Pantera fits in through my 9'W x 7'H garage door on spring tandem trailer w/ 15" wheels.

The torsions will drop it an inch or so too.