GOT my trailer!

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NYCSAILOR
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GOT my trailer!

Post by NYCSAILOR »

I think the (2nd) happiest day in a boat owner's life is when he gets a trailer!!

"I'm Free" so here is the big question... it is a painted steel trailer w/ electric brakes and I will be doing launch/retrieval in salt water with it ( stepping the mast is a whole 'nother thing...)

SO.... what shoudl I do...sandblast the whole frame and repaint -- with what paint would be best ( as if I need another boat project!).. the manufacturer just laughed at my inquiry and said . no big deal, just hose it off with fresh water OR what teh manufacturer said he does with his OWN trailer , after he launched in salt water he will go to a nearby fresh water lake ramp and dunk it and done!
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CaptainScott
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Post by CaptainScott »

Congratulations!!!

Yes a trailer is very nice!
I'll not buy another small sloop without one!!!! You can save enough on moorage in about two years to BUY a trailer outright! Not to mention the convenience of working on your boat at home! :) !!

I always stop at a car wash and rinse mine after salt. I will blast mine and use a good rust preventative primer on it and paint it soon.

I also need new wheels and tires but I'll hold off on that since I got the tiller pilot!

Scott
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Post by EmergencyExit »

All right ! I know how good it felt when I picked up EE's trailer after looking for a couple years.
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J. Austin
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Post by J. Austin »

I'm not sure, but I son't think the DNR or governing body in your state woukld be fans of the "dunk" technique. Inter-species transport and all.
I think they still make a product that helps you rinse your brakes, but I'm not sure. You may be able to use bottom paint on the trailer or POR 15.
Just thoughts, great questions. I'm anxious to see what everyone says.
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Post by NYCSAILOR »

Ok,

After talking again to the manuf. ( they are really great and patient) and explaining about the dunk issues and teh environment and all... he laughed and mused about whether I must be from NY city...

I mentioned POR15 ( which I thogght I would sort of "force" into the interior space of the box beams and he wondered what all the fuss was about and that the trailer has already "drain holes" in the bottom of the box beams and just give it a (some kind of) fresh water rinse and be done w/it. I heard "Drain Holes" and had visions of the insode of the box beams filling with saltwater and the inside of my trailers beams becoming the "happiest place on earth" for rust... and suddenly the fresh water "dunk" started to make a whole lot of sense to me...

He said NOT to use Bearing Buddies or anything fancy like that which will actually provide opportunities for water to get into your bearings and really give you big problems.
Last edited by NYCSAILOR on Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Gus
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Post by Gus »

Can't you get it dunked and get it galvanized?
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Post by NYCSAILOR »

What is galvanized? is that an electroplating process sort of like powdercoating.... how would I protect the inside of the beams? also I would really have to strip the teh trailer down to bare metal to do something like that. so I think after all is said and done maybe just a good epoxy paint and then somehow shoot some POR15 inside teh beams somehow ... OR... really weld and seal up the beams somehow.. but I doubt I could totally prevent water from getting in there so then it would become trapped with no ventilation.... so maybe put even MORE drain holes...

Why am I now spending more time and effort on the trailer ( that I will use maybe 3 times a year) than the boat??? hmmm... classic case of putting the trailer before the boat!!
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Post by Banshi »

Hot dipped galvanized is the only way to go if you choose that route. Tube steel makes it tough though unless it is done before being built. I don't think a frame that has already begun to rust inside the tubing is going to be able to be protected inside the piping( no way to get it back to clean metal). I still think Por 15 on the outside would be just as effective as galvanizing and a lot cheaper. Drain holes will slow the degredation inside the tubing and you will just need to keep an eye on it over the years. At some point you will just have to replace it.

I don't think a fresh water dump is as a good as just washing it down with fresh water after you get or home or one of those self serve car washes.
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Post by Capt. Bondo »

It's Friday and I get goofy, so when I read "OR... really weld and seal up the beams somehow"... I get a vision of a floating trailer :lol:

You may want to talk to a Zebart dealer (car rust proofer) about coating the insides of the rails.
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Post by Gus »

Like Banshi said. A friend told me to get the trailer wet with a regular hose before dunking it in the salt water. That way the pores in the metal get saturated with fresh water, preventing rust.
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Post by Holiday »

A trailer would have to be galvanized before it is assembled and painted. Typically the whole frame is welded up and then sent to be hot dipped in zink. The painted trailer should last a long time if you just be really obsesive about rinsing after a salt water bath. I always go to the nearest car wash if there is not a hose at the ramp.

The brakes will be the first thing to go. Better that they are electric. They are cheap and simple to replace.
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Post by NYCSAILOR »

Great advice everyone...

Seems like best practice is keep a look out for rust, keep it painted, and rinse well after salt water with fresh water..

Now I have another problem;

How do Iset-up the trailer the very first time, to fit my boat.

The trailer has 6 upright adjustable screw pads;

It was set-up for a Catalina 25 I think. The manuf. says it should be damn near close as is for a Chrysler 26.

So.... the boat yard says .. no problem, when you are ready to haul out, they will haul me out with the travel lift and set 'er down on the trailer and make all the adjustments while she is hangin' in the straps ( sunds good, but damn near expensive to me .. lots of labor and "hangn' in the lift time...

can this kinda be done at retreival with the boat and trailer in the water...
my only concern is if I need to cut down the upright stands a little bit, that will not be fun to do at the ramp...

I thought about measuring everything carefully, but the compund curves and all seem lilke it would be hard and harder still to get right..

Any other ideas....
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Post by J. Austin »

I'm sure it can be done manually. The guys can give you tips, I'm sure. It will involve a couple sets of hands, some large jacks, lots of cribbing, and maybe even borrowing some boat stands. Now what I would be concerned about us that you spend the dough and they get it all "set" and over the next season as you take it in and out a few times, you find that you've made a great deal of little adjustments and you feel like you wasted your money. I will say thait s gonna be close because it did have a catalina 25 on it.

Along the same topic... My trailer is a telescoping tongue type. When I got her home I notice the base of the winch pedestal was "u" bolted over the tongue causing it to never telescope. I moved the pedestal frorward a couple of inches. This meant I had to move the boat also. Thankfully the tongue weight was light anyway so...The point of the story is that I got it all set-up in my yard, by myself, and she sits perfect.

The only other thing I would add is to make sure that the trailer is as level (both ways) as it can be. Bring really long levels and make sure.
Wether they do it or you, it will make the project easier.

Man that was long-winded, sorry.
Last edited by J. Austin on Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Gus »

I would use the lift to do it right at the first go, you know what I mean?
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Post by lecker68 »

NYC I would use the lift the first time because until you get the boat on the trailer and on level ground you cannot tell where she is going to sit and if you have a boat rocking left and right the weight of a 26 you could have much bigger boat problems and setting tounge weight also.
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Post by Holiday »

I have adjusted trailers at the ramp a few times. It is not that difficult but you will need to make sure the trailer can go far enough in to get under the keel. Be prepared to get wet for a couple of hours. I would do it on a day when you can have a long time to work on it. My 26 needed a 10 ft tongue extension to get in deep enough water. A steep ramp might need less a shallow ramp more. Just depends. Take along some tools a big pipe wrench or a piece of pipe to fit the pad adjusment screws is very handy when there is a lot of weight on them.

Be carefull when you pull it out if it is too far back on the trailer it can tip backward.
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Post by clair hofmann »

Concrats on the trailer. Nothing like being independant to take your boat where you want. Is there much rust on the trailer now or is it realatively claen? One alterative you might consider is bed liner. My son coated a trailer of his about four years ago and it is holding up well.
To do that it you should take off any loose paint and rust with a 60 grit soft disc on a grinder.then treat with por 15 or Extend. NAPA sells a brush on version of Extend that goes further and is less expensive 765 1761.
then get the bedliner, look online, its available in different colors.
You might want to install flush ports up near the front on both sides of the frame. There are several ways you can do it but bottom line is you wanbt to get female hose couplings on the frame. Then just bring it home hook up the hose and letit run awhile.
I just got two packs of DOT reflective tape from Harbor Freight. 2x12" 10packs $6.50.
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Post by tgentry »

Minor adjustments with the boat on the trailer might be possible, but I go the lift route for the first time. Unless you can determine that the Catalina 25 setup will require only minor adjustment.
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