We left the RAC after 30 years of subscriptions as they got too expensive whilst giving cheaper rates to new member, I also never got over them selling out as a club a bit like Building Societies.
We are with Green Flag throgh Caravan and Motorhome Club. I believe they cover any size of towed vehicle so long as it's legal, that had better still be the case, they were also consistently the best price I could find
This ia a minefield. Part of the problem is the size of a Mac on its trailer. The regulations limit a trailer being towed by a <3500kg tow car to a maximum of 7m, a Mac on its trailer is about 9m long. This causes recovery companies to assume it is too long BUT the regulation length does not include the draw bar length i.e. from the ball hitch to the winch post nor does it include the load overhang i.e. from the back of the trailer to the propeller.
It boils down to what the recovery company says in its small print, some say trailer length and most don't define what they mean and some say total length (then you are definitely not covered).
As has been said it will often boil down to the guy at the side of the road so I would absolutely recommend getting a written confirmation and keeping a copy with you.
When I still had a trailer :0( this is what I found:-
AA towing <2.3m wide, no length limit except for european cover trailer <7m total length.
Autoaid trailer <10m total length (no use to me as they won't cover vehicles used for business)
GEM not covered for towing trailers
Greenflag trailer <7m total length
LV Britannia trailer <8m incl draw bar and coupling excluding overhang. <10m total length.
RAC trailer <6.4m width <2.55m
This may now be out of date but it makes the point they are all different
I was assured by the rac that they would be ok with Mac both here and abroad. It’s not the standard rac recovery. It’s their ‘arrival’ scheme which is linked to the caravan club.
Thanks for the comments guys. Here's some more information.
I reckon the West Mersea trailer is 7.3 m overall and the boat overhangs at the back by 1.7m. Brittany Ferries allow up to 9m trailers max - which is just OK - never had a problem although they sometimes get a tape measure out at check in.
The RAC breakdown cover via Camping and Caravanning Club does look excellent - no length restrictions
Another possibility is Mayday via The Caravan Club but they do UK only.
I did build a fold up A frame draw bar for a boat trailer (not a Mac). It allowed the trailer to be shortened by about 1m but gave a terrible turning circle! The justification was to meet maximum length limit and make a substantial saving on various ferry charges for the guy who was taking the boat across Europe.
Keith Barton has made a very nice system for bringing the mast further forward to overhang the draw bar rather than the stern....particularly useful for taking the the M on ferries since it has a talmer mast.
Hello all
We left the RAC after 30 years of subscriptions as they got too expensive whilst giving cheaper rates to new member, I also never got over them selling out as a club a bit like Building Societies.
We are with Green Flag throgh Caravan and Motorhome Club. I believe they cover any size of towed vehicle so long as it's legal, that had better still be the case, they were also consistently the best price I could find
Best wishes Jonathan
This ia a minefield. Part of the problem is the size of a Mac on its trailer. The regulations limit a trailer being towed by a <3500kg tow car to a maximum of 7m, a Mac on its trailer is about 9m long. This causes recovery companies to assume it is too long BUT the regulation length does not include the draw bar length i.e. from the ball hitch to the winch post nor does it include the load overhang i.e. from the back of the trailer to the propeller.
It boils down to what the recovery company says in its small print, some say trailer length and most don't define what they mean and some say total length (then you are definitely not covered).
As has been said it will often boil down to the guy at the side of the road so I would absolutely recommend getting a written confirmation and keeping a copy with you.
When I still had a trailer :0( this is what I found:-
AA towing <2.3m wide, no length limit except for european cover trailer <7m total length.
Autoaid trailer <10m total length (no use to me as they won't cover vehicles used for business)
GEM not covered for towing trailers
Greenflag trailer <7m total length
LV Britannia trailer <8m incl draw bar and coupling excluding overhang. <10m total length.
RAC trailer <6.4m width <2.55m
This may now be out of date but it makes the point they are all different
Check before you breakdown!
Dave Newton Sailbadthesinner
I was assured by the rac that they would be ok with Mac both here and abroad. It’s not the standard rac recovery. It’s their ‘arrival’ scheme which is linked to the caravan club.
Thanks for the comments guys. Here's some more information.
I reckon the West Mersea trailer is 7.3 m overall and the boat overhangs at the back by 1.7m. Brittany Ferries allow up to 9m trailers max - which is just OK - never had a problem although they sometimes get a tape measure out at check in.
The RAC breakdown cover via Camping and Caravanning Club does look excellent - no length restrictions
Another possibility is Mayday via The Caravan Club but they do UK only.
Plenty to think about
Mike
I did build a fold up A frame draw bar for a boat trailer (not a Mac). It allowed the trailer to be shortened by about 1m but gave a terrible turning circle! The justification was to meet maximum length limit and make a substantial saving on various ferry charges for the guy who was taking the boat across Europe.
Dave Newton Sailbadthesinner
I think some my posts not getting posted ?
This one was OK!
Rick Jones (Treasurer), former 26X & 19 owner, Isle of Wight
Keith Barton has made a very nice system for bringing the mast further forward to overhang the draw bar rather than the stern....particularly useful for taking the the M on ferries since it has a talmer mast.
Why do I keep getting both blank and repeat posts !
Me to
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