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Thanks for your post and the picture, this is just the kind of information I need.
I was originally going to go for the 8" wheels, since the Aero is light, but the clearance off the road might be a concern which I hadn't considered.
I'll probably go for a new style trailer so I don't need to worry about the lighting board mount.
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27/03/2017 19:54:37
Posts: 0
Mike I bought my Aero s/n 1141 in 2014.
Like you I intended to club sail to get familiar with the boat before travelling with it, intending to purchase my own trailer later, which I did last year.
For collection from RS I was able to hire a new 250-275 road base from Mersea Trailers. Since 2012 I believe all new dinghy / boat trailers have to have extension arms that place the lighting board beyond the transom of the boat. They usually come with a wide lighting board, my hire trailer did, all you have to supply is your car number plate.
Since then I've borrowed a Mersea Laser Double Stacker with box, and an older Mersea 250-275 without the lighting arms. Neither entirely satisfactory.
Lifting the Aero in & out the double stacker did some minor damage. It was also a heavy thing to tow.
The older and the brand new Mersea 250-275 put the transom of the boat low to the road such that I had to be very careful towing over kerbs, speed bumps, and on & off my driveway.
I looked at the price of the RS trailer, and wondered if I could make a saving going elsewhere. I would recommend you contact Tony Blackmore of Admiral Trailers.
They have made several 25-275 trailers for RS Aeros. And I'm well satisfied with mine. It came with the lighting extension arms and wide lighting board.
Crucially when hitched the boat is held horizontal with the transom well clear of the road.
I would recommend you go with:
10" rather than 8" road wheels; less jolting to the boat over UK potholed roads. and a dolly wheel; makes pushing the trailer and boat around the boat park to & from your car just so--o easy!.
A point to note regarding wheel size:-
The Aero trolley wheels if left on the their axles when towing even with 10" wheels are barely 3" off the ground. I take them off when travelling. They are so close to the road that traversing kerbs, speed bumps, drive ramps etc. can risk them contacting the road, transmitting the full combination weight through the gunnel arms to the boat; maybe not drastic, but I suggest not good either.
Follows is a picture of my Admiral trailer with boat on trolley behind.
In the end I didn't save much over the RS and Mersea prices, but I did get to know a lot more about what I was buying before committing.
If you do go the older trailer route I recommend getting lighting board straps sewn onto the top cover; so much easier and convenient than pintle mounting.
Good Aero Sailing
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27/03/2017 17:56:08
Jonathan Rickels
Posts: 104
hi, I recently put down a deposit for an Aero, so hopefully be joining you on the water soon.
Previously I've just done club racing, so have no experience with road bases etc.
I am planning to buy an RS 250-275 road base at the same time. There's no picture of the roadbase on the RS website, so I'm hoping someone can share some basic tips. For lighting board, will a 4'6" board (with fog light) be the right size? Also, is a 6m electrical cable long enough? Am I better off making a transom mount, as I've seen in a few posts on this forum, or does this roadbase have another option?
Thanks in advance!
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26/03/2017 10:33:26
Posts: 0
