G23 Trailer Capacity w/ 18" Wheels

[blueroom]

I see a lot of dual axle Boatmate G23 trailers with 18" wheels, and had wondered why my fully loaded trailer was ordered with 15" wheels. I think I know now.

I was on Boatmates page and saw something interesting. If you get the dual axle G23 trailer with 18”" wheels it is only rated for a capacity of 6900 pounds - the 15” wheel XL version has a capacity of 8300 pounds. With the G weighing in at 5900 dry, you add 500 pounds or so for fuel and such, it only leaves you 500 pounds for gear and everything else. It could be very easy to overload the trailer, especially if you add any additional weight, have a bunch of gear, etc. Even the 18”" wheel triple axle trailer is only rated at 8200 pounds (100 less than the double XL with 15’s), which I guess is why you see some triples out there. I always figured was overkill but now understand. If you are in an accident, no matter who is at fault, an overloaded trailer could be a liability.

http://boatmatetrailers.com/models_nautique.php
(XL) - We are now offering an XL or Extra Load rated trailer for the G23. XL models can only be ordered in the 15" wheel setup and recommended for those customers that may travel long distances or with a heavy load of gear on board. 18" Wheel options can't be rated at 10,000# GVWR unless ordered as a Triple-Axle Setup.

Thought it was interesting.

[NautiqueJeff]

And remember, that's not even taking the weight of the trailer into consideration, so at 5,900 for the boat and 1,500 or so for the trailer, they're already overloaded.

EDIT: After reviewing their site, maybe the trailer weight is already taken into consideration.

[R0CKETMAN]

tire rating governs vs wheel diameter ie more sidewall higher load rating I'm thinking.

[Nautiquehunter]

Or maybe they were trying to lower the rig for clearance through a garage door.

[BigEasy]

Man this makes me want to rethink the triple axel. I tow quite a bit.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[LakePowellMan]

I did the triple axle Boatmate for my 2016 G23 and love the way it pulls. I load it up with a week's worth of gear and pull it to the lake five hours one way and it pulls like a dream with the 18" tires and triple axle.

[surroundsound64]

Can you make a u-turn with it if you had to? Seems like if you do anything but highway towing you will just eat tires.

[nyryan2001]

^^^^ you're wrong. Towing a G with a triple is a dream. Especially if you townwith a 1/2ton

[surroundsound64]

Good to know!

[gundogg]

I am looking at ordering G23 with boatmate trailer and now I am more confused than ever. I wanted the 18" wheels and I did not really want to run tri-axle setup. I prefer the look of tandem and I am concerned about the super tight mountain road to my cabin and backing into my tiny driveway at the cabin with the triple. I would guess that it is the tires that are limiting factor on the 18" tandem. I have an email in to boatmate at this time to figure it out. I thought I was having a hard enough time picking colors... now I have to go back and reconsider my trailer options.
While considering all trailer options....Anyone running electric over hydraulic?

[BMANNING]

I ended up ordering a Boatmate tandem axle trailer with 18's, however I typically only tow 20 miles round trip. We do take a couple long trips each summer (200+ miles one-way) so I will be curious how the trailer handles during those long hauls. One would assume that if the tandem axle w/ 18's was not sufficient from a weight capacity standpoint, Boatmate and/or the Nautique dealer would not sell them. At least I would hope that is the case.
On a side note, I order the under-hull spare tire mount as I thought it looked cleaner without the spare hanging on the side. Anyone else opt for the under-hull spare tire mount? If so, what are your thoughts regarding spare tire accessibility?

[gundogg]

I am still undecided on which way to go. I prefer the tandem in appearance. You trailer looks great.
the response from boatmate is below:

Thank you for the email and I will be glad to answer your question. On the G23 XL model, the GVWR rating is 10,000 lbs which is due to two factors. Factor one is that we use 5200 lb axles on the XL Version along with the 15” wheels. In this scenario, you actually have 10,400 lbs of axle capacity but your 15” wheels/tires is the limiting factor of 10,000 lbs thus making the GVWR rating 10,000 lbs. On the G23 standard trailer, we use 4,200 lbs axles thus making it 8,400 lbs however we still use 15” wheels/tires so in this case, the axles are your limiting factor. The reason the 10k trailer only can use 15” wheel is the 18” wheels can’t carry a carrying capacity of 10,000 lbs in a tandem axle configuration but only a triple axle configuration. This is why if you want 10k GVWR, you must go with a triple axle if you want 18” wheels.

[greggmck]

I just sold my 2016 G23 with a dual-axle trailer and replaced it with a 2018 G23 with the triple-axle trailer. During the boat swap I had a chance to compare trailer tongue weight. (I have al hitch with an internal tongue weight gauge.) Both G23s were completely empty of gear but both had full fuel. The tongue weight on the dual-axle trailer was 650 - 675lbs. The tongue weight on the triple axle trailer was 175 - 200lbs! After thinking about this it makes sense. The triple axle configuration has the wheels spaced well under the center of gravity of the boat. In my opinion, there is no comparison towing the G23 with the triple; the triple winds hands down for handling. There is also no need for a weight-distribution hitch or air bags with the triple-axle trailer because there is so little tongue weight to distribute. The low tongue weight is why the towing experience with the triple is so much smoother (less rear sag, less bouncing = safer). I will never tow a G23 with a dual-axle trailer again!

[srock]

Its a big of looks over performance. The smaller wheel with more rubber has a better load capacity and is much smoother riding. I go with ugly galvanized trailers becasue they last with no maintenance. So you can guess what tire size I prefer.

[Team230]

I'm ordering a G23 now. I'm debating between a double axle with EOH brakes or a triple with Surge Brakes. 15" wheels for me. After reading this post, sounds like the Triple is the way to go. Thanks GreggMck!