hi there Rod,

I towed my 4.2m Tinny to Steep a few years ago, and vowed I''d never do it again.   Don't let that put you off though because it gives you so many options when you're there.  The track was so dry and rough, and in hind site we took far too much gear. (Mostly fuel as we didn't use anywhere near as much as fuel for the gererator)  So I was dragging this heavily loaded boat over corrugations and up sand dunes.

I took its toll on the trailer and broke a few welds on the boat its self, around the top of the transom where the motor bolts on.  We nearly lost a guard, had to wire it back on, one of the nylon guides that supports the underside of the boat fell off, and luckily we noticed early as it probably would've busted through the hull with the banging.  Some of the hills you needed to hit with speed to get up, and as a result the trailer just bounced like mad.  I think we left at 9 from the Beach and got to Overlander at around 5 in the afternoon, not a fun trip.  When we got back to Perth, I saw more damage and had to replace the springs as well

 I would take plenty of spares, springs, bushes, axle.  A decent cordless drill, spare fixings of various sizes.  I would love to hear what other peoples experience has been going to Steep, you seem to see plenty of broken trailer bits along the track.   

With all that in mind, I got a taste of Ningaloo station a month as so ago, and am planning on leaving the big boat behind and dragging the tinny up there.  That track is pretty rugged too.  Here are some pics

Once you have done new springs axles and wheel bearings make sure you check them after th
E first couple of hundred ks as they will settle in and come loose.
I have not done the steep point track but I do gnaraloo track every year so same ideas.
Double nut with nylocs your ubolts this will stop them coming loose take a spare hub complete with wheel bearings this makes it a lot easier to change in the dirt.
Get a bag that will cover the bottom half of your motor stops all the dust getting in if your trailer has brakes flick the leaver over so they don't work this will stop caliper pins from shearing of .
Drop tyre pressures strap down boat front and rear hope this helps.

Remember.....your trailer is made to carry your boat. Not freezers , fridges, fuel, water and all your camping gear.

In my experiences going to Steep Point most of the damage I have witnessed to trailers and boats was caused by overloading, speeding and high tyre pressures .

Both car and trailer tyres need to be deflated to around 15psi.

This will soften the ride and enable you to get up thoses sand hills without travelling like Mark Webber....lol. And the track doesnt get fucked up too.

On my last trip out I was overtaken by some guys in a dualcab Hylux with a tinny of a bout 4m in tow and this guy just left us in a cloud of dust.

When we reached the overlander I gave him his lights and one mudguard !!!! He had been there 30mins before us. So he gained half an hour but cost him more in damage.

Some good points from Johnno67 in his post too.

My boat was a 4m ali job with a 30hp o/b.

4 trips to steepers without damage must say something....Luck ? I think not.

So roddo.......take it easy and you will be ok.

Have fun.

Terry

Awesome thanks guys we always take it easy getting there that's why we do it in 2 days so there's no need to rush.

If anyone is up there from the 30th July to 10th august make sure you come for a beer its just me and the misses going up as friends have pulled out.

Cheers for all the advise.

Roddo

good advice from all,

I think the root of our problem was too much weight.  We had 6 blokes in 2 cars and most of the gear went in the boat.  Unfortunatly that is a receipe for disaster.  We took way too much fuel and water.  We did air down, both car and boat started at around 18 psi, then we dropped it furthur.  A very tidy turbo diesel Landcruiser with plenty of power and all the fruit couldn't pull a dead weight up some of those hill, so hence the need for speed.

I know some folk that go to Ningaloo station with a caravan every year that take up tp 4-5 hours to travel the 60km to their campsite, so slowly does it is the key.

Good luck on the trip, be sure to post a report

Do you have the option of putting the boat in at denham and another 4wd / trailer go into steep point by road?  I went in may.  We had three boats in convoy, launch at denham and go across the sound.  one of those was an ally centre console, andwhilst it was a bit wet across the sound, the passage was prettty kind to them.  they had  4wd dual cab ute and once they launched the boat, the ute took off with their gear and met them at the point.

Nah that's not an option unfortunatly as its just me and the misses and she wouldn't drive it alone and I wouldn't be to keen on doing the boat trip solo as never done it before.

We will just take it nice and easy the boat will only have a freezer in it all the fuel water and other stuff will be in the car or on the roof to eliminate the extra weight.

A few things to consider (based on me breaking a trailer numerous times on the Ningaloo track...)

Make sure there is no movement at all between the boat and trailer

Put on the largest diameter (width isnt as important) tyres in light truck construction as possible

If possible, use double eye springs and shock absorbers instead of slipper springs

Ensure all spring hangers are braced (welded) to ensure they dont break off

Have a spare on a hub mounted on the draw bar - with it able to swing down if possible.  That way if you get stuck you can drag it through as a 3-wheeler.  It also makes launching and retreval a lot easier without the car getting wet

Dont break your roofrack with too much weight up there

Tie the outboard down tight so it cant move at all - remember the higher up the leg is - the more leverage on the transom (but the lower it is - the more chance of it hitting something) You decide where the best compromise is...

Hope this helps a bit...