Thanks, Josh.

Insurance on my boat. Hmm... I think the chances of me damaging it or somebody elses boat substantially isn't very high. The premium plus deductible are probably more than what it's worth for me. Unlike a car, I doubt I could total the cat. Or mortally wound somebody with it. And I don't sail it around thousand of (other?)idiots hundreds of days a year. What are your policy parameters like?

Did some more checking on 8" vs bigger wheels. Really hard to find data on speed limits, etc for small tires. I passed a tow truck on the freeway today. He was going 60 carrying a mini van on a dolly with really small tires. Didn't see what company, but called a local towing company. Said they don't haul them very far.

U-Haul said not a bad idea getting bigger tires, but 8" would probably be okay. A regional tire company said pretty much the same thing. They mentioned, as you pointed out, that it's the bearings that are the problem. Bigger tires slows the rotation down. Going from 8 to 12 would slow it 50%. So I could go 120 instead of 60! It's a no brainer!

I think Walmart has a 12" wheel/tire combo for $40.

Cheers,
Danno