Moving my boat and trailer around my backyard has been a dreaded chore and, at times, an injury-causing one. My Welsford Pathfinder with motor, sails, anchor, and other gear, weighs about 485 lbs, and add to that about 700 lbs for its aluminum trailer. My yard is no putting green with its clumpy grass, random divots, and hidden debris which all impede progress. It’s really a two-person job, but I am usually alone in getting the boat across the lawn to the driveway. As I move through my late 50s, the task grows more challenging.For many years, I relied on a cheap 12-volt winch, combined with a two-wheeled trailer dolly. This worked okay but it was a hassle to haul out the winch, the deep-cycle battery, and the dolly before dragging out the cable, adding some chain or rope, and finding an attachment point. When the winch failed this past year, I was ready for an upgrade.

Photographs by the author

Flat and even ground is ideal when using the Tow Tuff but there can be few yards that meet those criteria. The author's Tow Tuff handled the bumps and lumps of the lawn, as well as a 3-degree ramp up and over a 6″-high deck. Thus, he was able to move his Welsford Pathfinder singlehanded and with energy to spare.

Read this article now for Free!

Ready for a second free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.

— OR —

Subscribe now for $29.99 a year and have immediate access to all of our content, including hundreds of small-boat profiles, gear reviews and techniques, adventure stories, and more! You can also browse our entire archive of back issues starting from September 2014, as well as post unlimited classified ads. This is an extraordinary value!

Subscribe Now or SIGN IN