15', 16' Arima, will it fit?

[takemorepills]

New guy here, so sorry in advance if this is one of those "beat to death" topics....but I am looking to purchase an Arima that will fit in my garage. I have used Google to try and find the answer, but....

I have a garage that is 19' 6" deep, door height is 84" and width is double car so no issues for width.
My research turned up that an Arima 15' or 16' on a typical trailer is about 82-84" to top of windshield frame, and lowering the tongue will help in case of a tight fit. So I think I am OK there.

Regarding length on trailer, I am certain I will need a fold away tongue. But not so sure what the overall length will be. I am guessing that a 16' Arima will be just under 19' 6", and that a 17' Arima will require more depth than what I have. Oh, and I don't want to angle a boat in.

What do you guys think??

[J Chaser]

I have a 16 foot sea chaser with a fold away tongue. I will measure it for you tonight.

John

[Yachter Yat]

Hi Take:

   Per your request; here are the EXACT dimensions of my 16 SC on my EZ Loader roller trailer. These dimensions were taken by leveling down and across with a 4 foot level; hence.......very close.   

   Length is 22'-2" (266") from tip of coupler to farthest point of my new 60 HP Honda. (tongue is not collapsible type)

   Height is 6'-9" (81") from top of windshield frame to floor.

   Please note, the height was taken with the jack all the way down.  You probably won't be able to back that boat under a 7 foot door when hooked to the truck as it would sit a bit higher.  Consequently, you'll probably have to get it close and jack it down to back under and into the garage.   My door is 8 feet high so I have no problem.  Hope this helps.

Yat

[takemorepills]

I have a 16 foot sea chaser with a fold away tongue. I will measure it for you tonight.

John

Thank you!

[takemorepills]

Hi Take:

   Per your request; here are the EXACT dimensions of my 16 SC on my EZ Loader roller trailer. These dimensions were taken by leveling down and across with a 4 foot level; hence.......very close.   

   Length is 22'-2" (266") from tip of coupler to farthest point of my new 60 HP Honda. (tongue is not collapsible type)

   Height is 6'-9" (81") from top of windshield frame to floor.

   Please note, the height was taken with the jack all the way down.  You probably won't be able to back that boat under a 7 foot door when hooked to the truck as it would sit a bit higher.  Consequently, you'll probably have to get it close and jack it down to back under and into the garage.   My door is 8 feet high so I have no problem.  Hope this helps.

Yat

Thank you Yat! Quick question, is your OB up or down when getting that OAL?

I did consider door height and being hooked to a truck. The way my driveway slopes, the tongue should drop as the windshield goes under the door opening as my driveway slopes up away from the garage door at about the right spot for the tongue to drop. Plan B: I have an ATV/QUAD that I can use to push it back into the nearly level garage at a lower tongue height.

Thanks for the info, really appreciate the help guys!

[J Chaser]

Mine is 19' 5" from the folded tongue to the prop.

80" high. Boat is essentially at hitch level (2013 Chev 1/2 ton with a 2" drop)

1511 sea chaser on a Roadrunner bunk trailer.

John

[takemorepills]

Perfect, thanks!

[Yachter Yat]

Take:

   Sorry to be so long getting back.  The overall length was with the motor in the down position.

Yat

[curleys]

Hi Take,
I just purchased a 1997 17ft Sea Chaser, and wanted to store it in the same size garage.
Asking the seller to measure, the height several times.
Basically with the garage door up, the clearance was 6'5" and have my eye's closed, anything above that I better have them open for 6'8" would touch.
To get the windshield to clear, I had to go with bunks, and a wider axle trailer. (EZ Loader #102) it allowed the hull to fit between the fenders, and give me 4"  lower. So no rollers.
The trailer will allow you to go lower, if you also use the last bolt hole on the bracket.
For length, go with a break a way on the tongue and leave the main motor lowered.
Basically I have the boat in the garage with a 1" clearance  :dance:
Jim

[takemorepills]

Hi Curleys,

Where you able to get a 17' SC backed straight in to a 19' 6" deep garage?

What OB does your SC have?

What trailer do you have?

In looking at boats, I can also tell I *may* be able to get a 17' in my garage, but some boats the OB sticks out more than others, and the trailer design and how the boat sits on the trailer can lead to lots of "wasted space" if the winch is way ahead of the bow.

[takemorepills]

Well, on the advice of fellow boaters, I ended up buying a 17' boat. And I re-measured my garage length, it is only 19' 4".
I changed the winch stand and added a Fulton Swing-Away kit to the tongue and I was able to fit my 17' boat in the garage with 3" to spare, and that is backed straight in. But, I had to order a special winch stand that is compact enough to fit under the bow.

[Zarn]

There is another thread on this subject here. My 1988, 17' SR on the original shorelander roller trailer will not fit under then garage door header which is just shy of 7'. Not sure what the depth of my garage is but that trailer fits w/ 8" to spare w/ the engine on full tilt. To get the boat on the roller trailer in the garage I have to take the tires off, put on 14" rims and lower the tongue to its "wheel" height then push it in. Labor of Love... Yes it adds about an hour overall to the ole in and out. I don't mind... 

Now I once borrowed a friends shorelander bunk trailer for a couple of days cuz I fried a spindle and replaced the entire axle on mine. My boat on that bunk trailer rolled under that header if I deflated the tires to approx. 10 lbs. But I had to angle it to close the door.

[takemorepills]

I'm lucky on mine, the boat is on a roller trailer, but my driveway angle is just right. The driveway slopes down to the garage before leveling out a few feet ahead of the garage door. This causes the hitch/coupler assembly to get real low at the exact same time as the windshield header goes under the 83" high garage door. It just barely clears by maybe 1/32". The hitch/coupler is so low at this point I can't get the tongue jack more than 45 deg from horizontal.

[Paxford]

Takemorepills,

My garage is the same dimensions except for garage height is 83 inches. I also have a slope up to the garage that slightly levels at the end before the door. You are just backing right in with your tow vehicle, right? I am willing to disconnect, drop the hitch and move it around with a floor jack to get it to clear that last few feet of backing it in. But if you have already taken such measures there may be no hope for a 17 sc in my future.

[Markshoreline]

What model of Arimas do you have there?  The bow sure has a nice rake!

[GregE]

Innovation.   
Widely used by the members here!!   :applause:

[takemorepills]

Takemorepills,

My garage is the same dimensions except for garage height is 83 inches. I also have a slope up to the garage that slightly levels at the end before the door. You are just backing right in with your tow vehicle, right? I am willing to disconnect, drop the hitch and move it around with a floor jack to get it to clear that last few feet of backing it in. But if you have already taken such measures there may be no hope for a 17 sc in my future.

Yes, now I can just back straight in, no need to finaggle with pushing the trailer around by hand or on a floor jack. Although, I had considered that as option #3!

The slope REALLY helps my cause, because with my tow vehicle (Nissan Titan 4x4 with a 6" drop hitch) the hitch drops down REALLY low just as the windshield frame clears under the garage door. It is so low, I can NOT deploy the tongue jack, the tongue jack would make the entire deal about 3-5" higher at the jacks lowest point.  Depending on your tow vehicle and where the slope is in relation to your door, you MAY get as lucky!

Also, prior to installing the swing tongue, I had the boat in at an angle and it fit with room to spare, but of course hogged up 2 spots in the garage.

When I was researching which Arima would fit, I found that most owners reported that the 15', 16' and 17' Arimas were at about 83" from the ground to the top of windshield frame and a BUNK trailer. Roller trailers added a few inches.

I would also guess that the outboard may affect how long the boat is. (not sure if your garage is deep enough....) And of course, you gotta figure if the trailer can be modified for a swing tongue, on my trailer I was able to use a different type of winch stand. I have seen some trailers that seem like they would not be possible to modify. I got lucky, my winch stand and swing tongue are even with the bow of my boat.

EDIT: maybe you could consider getting a extra-drop drop hitch and swap out to that as you are backing in to drop the trailer tongue as far as possible while getting the boat under the door? Of course, swap out to your normal hitch before hitting the road....

[Paxford]

Take,

Your winch post worked out perfectly by tucking under the bow. What trailer model and winch post is that?

Since your boat is a Livingston I am concerned the ground to top of windshield height may be much lower than an Arima 17 SC or SR. I too have seen reports of Arima's floor - windshield around the 83 inch range, but I have also spoken with Arima 17 owners and they are saying it's closer to 8 feet.

Also, I don't know if I can get a winch post to tuck under the bow of an Arima like you did on your Livingston. It's clear a 1511 Sea Chaser will fit, but whether a 17 Arima will fit is questionable.

[takemorepills]

Take,

Your winch post worked out perfectly by tucking under the bow. What trailer model and winch post is that?

My trailer is a single axle EZ-Loader and I bought this winch assembly: http://www.diematictool.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=90

Diematic also has an eBay store, I bought the winch assembly through eBay to simplify the online purchasing process.

Here's my post on this at THT: http://www.thehulltruth.com/trucks-trailers/788191-trailer-winch-stand-too-bulky-garage-want-change.html