[Greysword]

Ahoy, matey!  I need help understanding trailers & towing in the 6E rules, so I will ask this:

What trailer do I need to tow a Crisscraft Otter motorboat?  What vehicles can safely tow this trailer (without the handling penalty)?

Same question for the Waterking motorboat?

I have my thoughts, but I just wanted to present the question, so I get an unfiltered answer.

Thanks for your help!

[Banshee]

It takes a little bit of extrapolation, but if towing is based on size class. If you check the chassis table on page 150 of Double Clutch you find that the standard boat is size class 6 and both of those boats would probably fall in that range. The Waterking may be larger, purely based on its description it would be size class 10 but I think that is pushing it ... without a specific mod I would assume it to be no more than +1 size.
Trailer size itself doesn't matter as much per the rules, assume the trailer needs to equal the size class of the boat. To tow the trailer without penalty requires a vehicle that is one size class larger. So assuming we stick to size class 6 for either boat means you need a size 7 ot larger vehicle... which equals a Van/SUV or Truck

[Greysword]

Thanks for the reply, Banshee!  It's great to have THE dev for this section reply!

In Double Clutch, page 127 Trailers and Sidecars section, the last paragraph says

If you want to know if a vehicle can fit in a trailer or be towed, just compare the size class.  A trailer can contain a vehicle that is at least one size class lower than its own.

This leads me to believe a size 6 boat needs a size 7 trailer to tow it.  However, the trailer size goes from 6 to 8 (same book and page), with with Space column figures not allowing for an intermittent (size 7) option.  Logically, this means the boat needs the size 8 trailer instead of size 6, due to the required size reduction. 

Of course due to the rule you quoted (the trailer needs to be one size lower then the vehicle) and a full sized truck is size 8, we would need a tractor/trailer to tow a 16ft (5m) boat without penalty. 

I guess the solution might be to add the intermittent sizes (7, 9, etc) or change the rules to make no handling penalty for the same size (or lower), the handling penalty for a trailer that is one size larger, and the no towing for a trailer two (or more) sizes over the vehicle. 

Of course, a great way would be to simply add a column in the vehicle stats indicating what size trailer (load) each vehicle can tow.  For instance, the Eurocar Westwid probably can't tow anything while the GMC Grizzly could probably tow one size larger than it's size, both due to engine, transmission, weight, wheel base, and suspension.  This keeps a little bit of crunch while keeping the simulation to a minimum.

I love the Space and Size entries in this edition, BTW.  It helps understand what a vehicle can carry, should something "unusual" need to be hauled.

[Greysword]

Also if you are reading this, Banshee, thanks for clarifying the pickup trucks for 6E!  The extra info makes it clear that the Toyota Gopher is a half-ton truck, while the GMC Grizzly is a 3/4 - 1 ton truck.  This clarification is helpful in understanding which can do what.  In 5e, the GMC Armadillo sounded like a Heavy Duty/Super Duty pickup, based on the various bed options.  However, it wasn't stated.  Also, I pictured the Gopher as a mid-size pickup (like the Tacoma IRL), instead of a half-ton. 

There are a lot of great vehicles in Shadowrun, and I would LOVE to see an ebook with more of them, maybe in the form of a catalog highlighting the new year releases?

[Banshee]

First thanks for the compliments, it was most definitely a team effort so I can't take all of the credit. Reverend0, Greywolf, and SSDR all contributed heavily to the vehicle modifications and design parameters.

Anyhow, regarding trailers I wouldn't focus too much in the size restrictions. Especially since after reviewing it based on your questions I pushing for some errata (I didn't write trailers) but using the design rules trailers should count as being 2 size classes larger for determining towing capacity since they are specifically designed for that purpose and should have the Cargo Hauler design modification from pg 152. So a size 6 trailer which can be pulled by a size 7 truck with no penalties should be able to carry a size 7 boat.

[Greysword]

Awesome, thanks!  That matches real life, too.