Ideal Trailer

I prefer a shorter tongue, if you ramp launch the extra length can come in handy for getting boat to float without getting the tow vehicle wet. 5 feet from the bows seems particularly long just going off the image in my head

The longer the trailer (distance from hitch ball to axle in particular), the easier it is to back up. Short trailers can be very squirrely in reverse. Longer trailers also seem to be less prone to fish tailing on the highway. Unless the added length really bothers you or you have some type of storage issue, I would keep it long. Plus the added length will allow you to tow other, larger boats if needed. If you go too short, you also run the risk of the bow contacting the side of your tow vehicle in tight turns.

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I would expect if you have the balance of the trailer correct, and therefore the correct tongue weight, it should not make any difference what is being towed.

That distance is five feet on my trailer. I trailer long distances (>1000 miles round trip) and enjoy the stability of the longer wheelbase on the highway. I am unsure what would be better having a shorter wheelbase besides a minor difference in turning diameter.

Edited by klozhald on Apr 03, 2017 - 11:47 AM.

Dogboy has it right (as usual). We once had a wave lady in our club, and she had great difficulty backing it. Being the experienced manly type backer upper I was like, no problem, I'll do it....easy right? What a PIA! The tongue was indeed short, her truck was long (not a good combination), and with a tonneau (sp?) cover on the bed, I couldn't even see the damn boat! It jacked back and forth, and I was lucky that I didn't crunch a bow into her tailgate. A longer tongue would have definitely helped....and maybe a couple of those go-cart flag things on the sides of the trailer.

I will leave it long. My snowmobile trailer with a short tongue is horrendous to back up.