How low can i go on a FERRY ?!!

[sackmcgannay]

Hi folks!...
not been on here for a while but been restoring the whole underside of my 68 bay ....amazingly only a section of the front cab needed welding. All the
outriggers etc where absloutely mint!..and now with new paint will be good for a long time yet..will post up a pic of what i've been up to later.

its nearly done and booked a ferry to france this september - suddenly realised we might have clearance problems getting on and off the ferry?
got a 4" narrowed slamwerks beam on the front its adjustable but has anyone had any experience with this?

not been on a ferry for years but seem to remember some of the ramps onto the ferry are quite steep!..

ifg anyones got experience with this and can suggest any little tricks - planks of wood ?!

thanks

 

[Trikky2]

How low can i go on a FERRY ?!!

Depends on how big a run-up and how much noise you want to make :lol:

 

[Graham L]

Most of the guys with slammed buses have been to Ninove, EBI & Spa without issue, either on Eurostar on the Dover Dunkerque crossing, if its really low the technique is to approach at an angle so you can get one wheel onto the ramp first and then turn the rest of the bus onto it as this gives you a bit more clearance.

Most people manage fine with planks etc,

 

[weeboll]

i removed my anti roll bar getting onto a ferry to go to le mans in my first van, there was a vertical steel plate about 2" high which i hit at about 15mph going up the ramps and snapped the bar (quite impressive given its strength I thought). fortunatly the bus was low enough not to really need it anyway and i had always thought it odd that it bent downward rather than upward like all my other vans have but then again maybe it was to protect the beam!

 

[coopster]

im just back from chimay couple of weeks back , went hull to zeebrugge on the way out and amsterdam to newcastle on the way back
Im running the red9 wishbone beam on about a 6inch drop with slam tyres and it was a fooking nightmare even trying to do the one wheel at a time move ,so much so I am consdering raising my bus or just doing the eurotunnel from now on.
The dudes on the ferry are no help at all and I had to go and speak to drivers behind me to tell them I would be crawling on and off
Not an enjoyable experience by any means
on a plus point Chimay was ace , deffo back next year


coop

 

[sackmcgannay]

has anyone doe portsmouth - st. marlo ....... or santander - portsmouth

thinking its probably best to get there early and like you say warn people behind you that you might take some time.....
trying to get an idea of how low you are - any chance you can measure from bottom of front bumper to floor for me so i cvan compare?

getting more and more worried - what if we cant get on the boat - might look cool slammed but there'd be no holiday and i'll be in trouble :|

 

[coopster]

im offshore at the moment but follow this link
https://www.facebook.com/westkoastcoop/photos#!/photo.php?fbid=10151046831356280&set=t.684227492&type=3&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

this was me in antwerp after a pothole/trench knocked out one th u/j's in my steering rack

hope this helps

 

[coopster]

don't know if you'll be able to see that pic unless you friend me , send me your email addy and Ill send you a pic

[email protected]

coop

 

[Geeze]

Ferries can be fine but it can catch you out depending what deck / design of ferry / etc you get. Have had trouble with a very low beetle before (got stuck, in the end even the captain came down to see what the troubles with unloading was ). So would go for eurostar as unless you're stupidly low you know you won't have a problem 8)

 

[sackmcgannay]

i've already booked the ferry from portsmouth...having a narrowed slamwerks beam set up at the moment by carl at wolfsburg wizards..have you got any idea what deck is the best for clearance?
maybe i should contact the ferry company but i cant see them being much help to be honest..

 

[KateLovesPurple]

I went through Portsmouth some years ago in my low and heavily laden fastback and I had to do the very slow diagonal approach thing. Still managed to scrape the exhaust. As for the other drivers? I'd say bollocks to them. If you were in a really low Ferrari or something, would they complain then? I doubt it. As for the ferry crew, they will pressure you to go as quickly as you you can, not much help really. Don't worry about it.

 

[clyde]

Having worked on Ferrys from Dover and Portsmouth i wouldnt worry to much.
From Dover for example we did 8 trips a day, loading overloaded Polish wrecks, Hyper Cars and lowered Vws without much problem.
Take the side winder approach and take it steady. If your directed to upper or lower decks ask to stay on the main loading deck. The officer in charge will most likely agree to this as they are against the clock at both ends so dont really want any loading problems.
Never seen anyone using wood :lol:
The ramp height/angle can depend on the tide, but most ramps now lower onto pontoons to make this easier for Freight (look how low the ground clearance is on some of those trucks. They run lower profile tyres so they can have a taller trailer :shock: )