Sailboat Towing How-To: Protect Your Sailboat Mast & Avoid Permit Fees

Having your sailboat towed? If possible, insure that the mast as stored does not extend more than 4 feet past the rear of the sailboat. This is to avoid damage to the mast from vehicles driving behind the trailer-mounted sailboat — or damage by the mast to other vehicles. Damage to the mast or injuries to people can also occur in parking lots and highway rest areas while the towing vehicle is backing up or turning in tight spaces. -- For such reasons, some states impose permit fees on vehicles that exceed the 4-foot mast overhang limit, and require the rigging of strobe-lights and/or flags on the back of the mast.

Butch Cottom, a veteran boat transporter at Autri Transport in Ridgeville, Indiana, notes: “Whether you tow a sailboat yourself, or have a transport company like ours do it, it’s best to minimize the length of mast rear overhang. If it looks close to the limit, you can almost count on getting stopped by a law officer, who will want to measure the overhang. The driver may be ticketed for violating the rules of the road.” Also, masts are very expensive – why take a chance of damaging them?

“Typically,” says Butch, “it’s a marina that prepares sailboats for towing, and unrigs and secures the mast atop the boat for the owner. If your mast is longer than the length of your sailboat by more than 4 feet, ask the marina to secure the extra length facing forward. It’s not in the way then. If there is no way to avoid the rear overhang, and you are towing it yourself, then obtain permits as needed, and rig strobe lights and flags along the mast section extending beyond the sailboat. If a transport company is towing for you, they will take care of permits and rigging lights and flags for your mast.

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