Z5 Towing Qn

[tgator96]

Hey, guys. I've read conflicting reports about towing with a Z5. We have a 1200mi round trip coming up and I'm worried we might get some wear in the canvas from such a long hall. We'll definitely be securing it with the tethers on the front per the manufacture's recommendation but I'm very interested to hear if anyone can share their experiences towing long distances with a Z5.

Thanks

[swankster]

Towed mine at up to 80mph for a 4 hr trip and had to replace the frame. The stress and vibration separated a weld and caused a crack to develop on one of the tubes. The install was done incorrectly; it had more than a one inch drop from front to back on the Z5 on a 2010 SANTE 230. I think the weld was bad in the first place and they replaced it under warranty!!! When the new frame came, I did the install. The canvas was fairly easy to take off and put on. If I was doing an 1200mi trek, I would spend the 30 minutes on both ends and tow it without the canvas. It's not that hard to take off and put back on. It's better to have it when you need it, than look for a replacement when you want to be on the water with shade.

[tgator96]

Thanks for the insight. It looks to me to be a bit intimidating to remove the canvas and then remember how to put it back on. But i'm thinking i could video the take-down and that can help me figure out how to put it back if I run into any problems.

[81nautique]

Just towed mine 500 miles this weekend with the canvas on, won't do it again. I pulled the canvas off for the trip home. Putting the canvas back on is not a big deal. The tethers stop the frame from rising but not from slipping down from the force of the wind, I have 3" gouges of paint removed on both tower legs from the front clamps slidding down. That was a nice way to start a quick vacation weekend. Dealer said they'd put in a warranty claim and we'll see what happens.

[swankster]

Yes, pictures would help with the install. The trick is to untie the rope which on mine is under a flap at the back and un-thread it. The hard part is remembering how to thread it back...what support does it go over and what one under. I've had mine off and on three times in the two years I've had it. Once for the frame replacement and twice for longer trips. Anything over a three hour, high speed and multi-day stayover and the canvas comes off. I may be over killing it and would like to here from others. I still use the straps on the naked frame but notice a lot less vibration.

BTW Do you pull your boat with the cover on or off?

[jbwake]

We pulled ours off recently for a 4 hour drive and I tend to agree anything more than 3 or so hours it is probably worth it to avoid any problems/stretching.

It's not that hard but a few pics on a mates phone certainly make it easier when putting it back on.

We tow ours with the boat cover off. A quick clean at the other end is way easier than the alternative if the cover comes loose.

That is just how we do it. Others will have other opinions.

[robertsmcfarland]

very disappointing to hear what can happen, the z5 is a pricy great extra to have ,I have had the z5 on all my boats but never had to do any trailing ,according to the directions the front straps is all you need to do on a road trip ,maybe new directions or design is in order. good first hand information !

[bsb4fsu]

I towed mine 800 miles and back last year. I used the straps at the front and kept the speed under 70 MPH. I didn't see any canvas stretch on mine. I'm sure it depends on what vehicle you are towing it with and the aerodynamics of the vehicle. I tow mine with a Dodge Ram 4WD and maybe it just pushed most of the air over the top. I kept a close eye on the wind turbulence around the Z5 as I towed. Probably a good precaution to take it down.

[81nautique]

very disappointing to hear what can happen, the z5 is a pricy great extra to have ,I have had the z5 on all my boats but never had to do any trailing ,according to the directions the front straps is all you need to do on a road trip ,maybe new directions or design is in order. good first hand information !

All we do is tow so one of the main reasons I got the z5 is because it's trailerable. I'm going to ask CC and the Z5 mfg'r about drilling a hole in the mounting bracket so a set screw could be threaded in to keep the brackets from sliding down once set in the correct position. This could simply be a matter of the dealer not installing the brackets tight enough but without an extra measure to secure them I won't tow with the cloth on again. When I get back to the boat this weekend I'm going to see if I can rig up a temp towing bracket that will go from the front bar of the bimini back up to the front of the tower to hold it in place while towing, if I could rig up something with a quick disconnect I would tow with it again.

[tgator96]

BTW Do you pull your boat with the cover on or off?[/QUOTE]


We've only had a the boat for a month so have only towed it twice--home from dealer and back for the 20hr service. Both times I towed without the cover becuase I'm unable to get the cover on tightly. Basically, to get it over the rub rail at the stern, I have to leave the Velcro at the tower unfastened on both sides. I'm afraid it will cause too much wear like that when towing. It's stretched a little but not nearly enough to secure the Velcro on both sides (I can pretty much get one side closed but then not the other).

One member here suggested towing it around a bit with the cover on which caused it to stretch enough to fit properly for him but I don't keep my boat on the trailer so I haven't yet had that opportunity.

[tgator96]

I towed mine 800 miles and back last year. I used the straps at the front and kept the speed under 70 MPH. I didn't see any canvas stretch on mine. I'm sure it depends on what vehicle you are towing it with and the aerodynamics of the vehicle. I tow mine with a Dodge Ram 4WD and maybe it just pushed most of the air over the top. I kept a close eye on the wind turbulence around the Z5 as I towed. Probably a good precaution to take it down.

I tow mine with a Cayenne which I doubt displaces much of the air up around the tower. I did, however, watch the Z5 closely on the way back from the dealer (about a 1.5 hour drive) and have to say it was rock solid. I could not detect any movement at all.

[aarond0083]

A roundtrip to the lake for us is about two hours of towing. One of the biggest positives of the Z5 for us is that I can tow with it. I'll be pretty upset if towing ends up being a problem with our Z5, as it's designed to do just that.

[81nautique]

Maybe a quick check of the allen screws for tightness on all brackets would be a good idea before anyone tows again. We did a 10 hour tow overnight so in the darkness we never saw the bimini slip down. I will say I've towed this boat atleast a dozen times without a problem but this trip was with a different tow vehicle and I did get up around 70 at times so there may have been some forces at play that we hadn't experienced before. For peace of mind check those tower clamps/brackets.

[DealsGapCobra]

Removing the canvas is not a big deal, I did it to have my frame powder-coated and was able to reinstall after two months...I did have a few photos. If I were going that far I would remove it.

I tow about 35-40 minutes each way on the interstate to my preferred lake. I use the straps on the front and made a prop-rod out of PVC to support the nose of the top. I noticed when towing that my straps had some slack indicating the nose was moving down, the prop-rod solved this problem.

[bsb4fsu]

Removing the canvas is not a big deal, I did it to have my frame powder-coated and was able to reinstall after two months...I did have a few photos. If I were going that far I would remove it.

I tow about 35-40 minutes each way on the interstate to my preferred lake. I use the straps on the front and made a prop-rod out of PVC to support the nose of the top. I noticed when towing that my straps had some slack indicating the nose was moving down, the prop-rod solved this problem.

Thats a great point. I did notice on my 800 mile trip that the nose wanted to go down more than up. The straps actually weren't even doing much.