MASTERCRAFT TRAILERS
26-2
attractive, convenient, trouble-free service. Now, it is up to you to give it proper care and maintenance to be sure
it will continue to perform safely and satisfactorily.
The purpose of this section of the manual is to help you do just that. Please read and follow its warnings and
instructions carefully. Also, because all trailers are not exactly alike, be sure to read and comply with any
warnings and additional information supplied by MasterCraft in your owners’ packet. It’s the best way to obtain
peak performance.
A Proper Match
The key to carefree boat trailering is the proper match of boat to trailer. This proper match is only one reason
why the MasterCraft engineering department has designed your trailer to carry the full weight of your boat,
engine and gear. It also provides the proper support for the boat hull during storage.
Load-Carry Capacity
Check the metallic certification label attached to the left, forward side of your trailer. It will show the maxi-
mum load-carrying capacity of the trailer. It will also show the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), which is the
load-carrying capacity plus the weight of the trailer itself. Be sure that the total weight of your boat,
engine, gear and trailer do not exceed the GVWR.
Be especially careful to avoid overloading your trailer by putting heavy baggage, camping gear, etc., inside the boat.
Don’t tow the boat with a water-filled bladder for wakeboarding. Empty the contents or the
tongue weight will be incorrect.
Don’t tow the boat with wakeboards left on the board racks. Doing so may void your warranty
and cause damage to your boat or to vehicles following behind you as boards and/or racks may
become disengaged.
Weight Distribution
Improper weight distribution can cause a boat trailer to fish-tail (sway from side-to-side) as it moves down the
highway, putting excessive strains on both trailer and towing equipment, increasing gas consumption and some-
times causing an accident. The most effective way to guard against fish-tailing is to make sure the weight load on
your trailer is properly distributed.
It is extremely important that 5-to-10 percent of the total weight of your trailer should be felt at the trailer
coupling ball when the tongue is parallel to the ground. A bathroom scale can be used for this determination.
For example, if the gross weight of the trailer, boat and gear is 3,000 pounds, the weight on the tongue should
not be more than 300 pounds, but not less than 150. (Some auto manufacturers say that tongue weight should not
exceed 200 pounds when using a weight-carrying, bumper-mounted hitch with full-sized cars.)
The importance of an adequate download on the hitch ball cannot be over-stated.
Before towing this trailer, be sure to read and familiarize
yourself with this section of your manual.
The total weight of your boat, engine, fuel, water and gear
must not exceed the trailer’s maximum load-carrying capac-
ity. Overloading can cause serious injury or property damage.
Note: Maximum load-carrying capacity is the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rate (“GVWR”) less the weight of the empty trailer.
Trying to tow with water-filled bladder(s) may not only cause
the total weight limits for the trailer to be exceeded but may
also result in the improper distribution of the weight on the
trailer thereby making towing difficult and/or causing insta-
bility when towing, which can be very dangerous to you and to
other motorists. You should NEVER tow with water in the
ballast bladders or tanks!
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