Fighting rust on boat trailer

[aqua rat]

G,day people i was thinking next time i put the boat in the water i would like to spray my trailer with some fishaline to slow the rust process is there anyone out there with a better or more affective way all product that i could use all any hints before i go ahead with it.
Cheers kev

[TheRealAndy]

use tectyl wax (supercheap) or simply just paint the trailer. If you use a nice thick coating of wax you can see where the coating has come off and you can re-apply.

If you were to take a look at the trailer my yacht sits on you wont find any rust. I was rusty when i got it, but i got the wire brush onto it and painted it. ITs now covered in paint and gets recovered frequently. Its a nice thick coat too. The whole trailer gets submerged (it has to cause the boat has a big keel under it) and its still going strong.

BTW, the trailer does not look very flash, but it does work :)

[DEANO68]

giday aquarat,
lanotec make lanolin products and there genral purpose lanolin you can get in 5lt or 20lt also in spray pack,you can spray it through a spray gun it goes in very thin so it gets in every noock & crany up the pressure it will go right up the channels till it runss out the other end.when it goes off leaves a good tacky coating that is very salt resistant, dust sticks to it a bit ,looks a bit grubby but who cares as long as the rust leaves it alone.prob re apply once a year..

[Breambuster33]

When i got my first boat trailer weas rusty as hell so i got to steel brush and pinted it a few coats now is rust free.

[billfisher]

Tectyl is hard to beat as other products like fish oil don't last very long and wash off. If haven't seen it at Supacheap for a while though. They have a new product called Ecolube which seems to work well.

[Roughasguts]

Your trailer might look pleasing and rust free from the out side.
And sure you can treat and repair the surface rust, but thats all it is.

Your trailer unfortunately will still rust on the inside of the steel tube thats where they rust out from.
And that ain't the surface type rust thats the deep stuff that eventually leaves big holes.

So apart from blanking the ends of the frame on your trailer when new, and filling with oil.
Or flushing the inside of your trailer frame out every time you dunk it theres no chance of keeping your trailer rust free "wish there was" unless it's made of plastic.

[Vindicator]

I agree with the others, Tectyl is the best stuff to use.

Cheers
Kezza

[PWCDad]

Just be careful using lanotec ....

In my humble opinion I have ruined two trailers by using lanotec on gal ... my 3rd trailer has not seen it and is perfect still.

All three trailers I still own and use regularly in saltwater.

I have an idea its the slovent in the lanotec reacting with gal ???

Can anyone shed any light on the subject ???

A pic .... this is at 3 months old the jockey had to be replaced as did the winch post. They are worse now they are older ...

It only seems to happen at the front ... the rear that gets dipped in the water at ramp or non-coated areas are fine. I wash trailers down after every trip via rain water tanks.

I even went looking for stray current coming from the wiring loom or through trailer coupling from vehicle to no avail ...

Trailers corroding are Oceanic ...my new trailer is a redco sportsman (boat) and I've left it non-coated in anything, just wash it, and it seems fine ... year old now.

PWCDad

[Roughasguts]

Looks like your jockey wheel has turned in to a sacraficial anode.
How I don't know but it could have something to do with the quality of steel or the Gal coat.

But that is nasty.

[PWCDad]

Thanks RAG ....It affects the first 1.5 metres of the trailers the rest is fine .... I thought the jockey was turning sacrificial (as well as you) so I isolated them with plastic sheet and plastic tube on the U bolts .... it seems to have halted somewhat .... but i stopped lanotec as well.

I'm leaning towards crappy gal job now ???

PWCDad

[DEANO68]

dont know whats up there pcw.
but on two gal trailers havent had any probs yet ?????

[Roughasguts]

PWCDad this is a way long shot but 1.5 metres down hell that don't even get wet.

But for that lengh the trailer would be effected by the exhaust from your tow vehicle.

Now is it the same tow vehicle for all the trailers ? does the vehicle run lean EG: make your eyes water when behind the vehicle when running ? Or are you using any fuel additives in the tow vehicle.
I know it's a way long shot but buggered if Ican think of any thing else.

Basically I'm thinking Acid rain or something that has that effect Eg your exhaust being acidic then water causing it to react badly.

[Roughasguts]

Oh hang on PWC you got nickel plated U bolts and plates on your winch post and nickel plated plate, and bolts and your jockey wheel. (gold coloured)

I don't think thats the go they should be gal plated I bet the rest of your un affected trailer has the Gal bolts.

Replace those bolts you might be fine. Hmmmm but that doesnt explain the last trailers or does it were they nickel plated bolts.

[aqua rat]

All great advice guys so i did stay away from lanolin talked to this guy at a chemical and paints place and he sold me this stuff made by K,H its called anti rust protectant cavity wax 4 litres for $ 52 i will put it in a weed sprayer put the boat in the water and cover my trailer. Anyone out there has used this before all heard of it before i go and put it on ???

[SCOTTYGC]

i used the tectyl wax, painted the trailer with the boat off , even sprayed it up the tubing and any other hole i could find

the trailer was not rusty to start with just wanted to get in early

worked a treat, but the smell in the garage hung around for a while , but well worth it

you can get it BCF in a 4lt tin or in a sray can

[oldboot]

Galmet "Duragal" is a great paint.... it was designed for toucging up welds on gal steel.......I've used it for a varitety of stuff & I continue to be amazed by it.

for getting rust off.... the usuall scrape & scrub is a good start..... but a wave over with the oxy flame dries out stubborn rust which then either falls off or can be much more easily scrubbed off......it also dries out the metal so it takes a primer or whatever better.

For getting stuff up the rails of your trailer...... get a standard trigger pack sprayer & tap the screw on nossle piece to fit a threaded micro-irrigation joiner the attache a length of tube with a 360 sprinkler head on the end...... that will allow you to get whatever you like metrers up your tubes...... good for rustproffing the car too.

cheers

[MTAQ/BTAQ]

There is a guy at Brendale who makes plastic trailers for boats up to 6 metres - I was considering one for my next trailer - does anyone know anything about them?

Would appreciate any information

[TheRealAndy]

Galmet "Duragal" is a great paint.... it was designed for toucging up welds on gal steel.......I've used it for a varitety of stuff & I continue to be amazed by it.

for getting rust off.... the usuall scrape & scrub is a good start..... but a wave over with the oxy flame dries out stubborn rust which then either falls off or can be much more easily scrubbed off......it also dries out the metal so it takes a primer or whatever better.

For getting stuff up the rails of your trailer...... get a standard trigger pack sprayer & tap the screw on nossle piece to fit a threaded micro-irrigation joiner the attache a length of tube with a 360 sprinkler head on the end...... that will allow you to get whatever you like metrers up your tubes...... good for rustproffing the car too.

cheers

Tectly used to make a airgun device, kinda like a degreasing gun made the wax turn into a mist/fog. Dont know if they still do it, but they are great for getting inside of tubing.

My yacht trailer only has one piece of tube (the axle), the rest is all c channel, so its very easy to maintain.

[FrankFWM]

I have got a 30 year old Dual Axle Trailer... for my boat.

Was my grandfather's originaly.

Trailer has always been washed inside and out after every single use.

When I got it - about 10 - 11 years ago - I coated it in massojet 329 http://www.staunproducts.com/masso_329.php

I use their spray arm which mixes it with water as you apply it - then the water evaporates and leaves the film on the trailer...

I re-apply every 12 months.

I have recently replaced all the springs which were rusty... other than the springs which is expected, I have not had a problem with rust yet.... still looks like new...

[Eagle]

Those gold coloured bolts and U-bolts are NOT nickel plated. They are electroplated with zinc. I dont know why the colour is gold. I used to work with one of the largest spring manufactures in Qld. and none of our stock was ever nickel plated. Nickel is far too expensive to use for plating nuts and bolts. It also chips off.
I'd check out the exhaust from the car for acids if the front end of the trailer is corroding or something next to the trailer where it is parked.

Eagle

[FrankFWM]

Yeah but why is his Redco boat trailer fine which is towed by the same car for 1 year :?:

If it was exhaust gases causing issues - you would think his redco would be suffering - unless oceanic use inferior galvanising???

[cormorant]

This might sound stupid but when checking for earth leakage did you do it when connected to the tow vehicle. I have seen a similar corrosion on a trailer that was using the trailer as a negative ground for trailer lights - number plate light. Was also sus as with the ally self centering rollers and a Quinny with no battery isolator and the way they earth their hulls. The tow vehicle plug in that case also wasnt wired perfectly to the loom as there was live acc current when ignition was off.

A short tow might not do it but if hitched up and towed for long distances

Last guess is - do you chain the trailer to anything or use a 20 litre metal drum as a support so the boat drains if left outdoors?

last last guess
Don't happen to charge the battery in boat do you? Check for stray current while doing that if you do. Particularly if you use a charher with a metal chassis that is earthed

[PADDLES]

roughy is bang on the money, unless you buy a trailer made from pfc or ub it'll rust from the inside and you're 100% reliant on a good gal job. that being said i've stretched the life of a trailer by using thinned down blackjack body deadener tar before but it still rusted internally.

pwcdad, for a galvanic reaction to occur you need an electrolyte, ie. it needs to be in water. electroplating isn't anywhere near as protective as hot dipping so i'm thinking that's where the problem lies. it still doesn't explain the drawbar of the trailer though, if it happened once then you'd be thinking crap gal job, but twice??? do you wash the entire trailer when you get home? i'm clutching at straws here but sometimes i don't wash the drawbar and hitch because i'm too busy washing the rest of it.

[Mindi]

Not saying it is better than Tectyl as I havent used Tectyl...but Fisholene is better than Lanotec. I agree the above post suspecting Lanotec has some reaction with zinc galv..? mine also went strange. I sprayed a small Dunbier twice with fisholene when new in 1993 and several times since and it is still going strong after 15 yrs dunking in saltwater with little or no visible rust. Fisholene everywhere , two coats, when new, is the go for me....always hose out inside the frame members where you can...I got fisholene inside them with a garden spray as I remember but wouldnt have been perfect.

[Imfiik]

I don't trust galv as a protection for trailers. I have filled all of my rails with oil and on the outside I have used a product called penetrol. It actually soaks into the surface of the metal and is designed in a way that paint sticks to it like s@## to a blanket. I gave the trailer two coats of penetrol . Added the advised amount of penetrol to the first coat of fisholene enamel and finished with a straight coat of fisholene enamel. I have had no rust in two and a half years.

[FNQCairns]

Lot's of trailer accessories are only passivated or nickel coated these days - rubbish fittings.

if I had to guess ignoring the cheap jockey wheel coating I can see evidence of corrosion because of gravity on the draw bar, what I mean is along the lower line there is gathering of corrosion, tells a story.

Incomplete wash down, salt air, steping over the drawbar at the ramp with wet feet etc.

The salt dried insitu is activated every night and day with humidity and quietly goes about making a mess of the gal, it's in no hurry:(

anyway that's my guess, a good paint job works better than gal IMO.

cheers fnq

[Dignity]

Lots of good advice here and a lot of work ahead to solve the problem.

Lanolin based sprays and greases are great for new raw steel, the jury (in my mind at least) is still out on coated metals.

Tectyl (check it is not for use with aluminium)is probably still the best, block all holes and exits and fill the chanels, you will probably use most of the tin, let is sit a while then let it drain out of the lowest point and repeat until all channels filled. Then with what is left do the outside in situ before puttting the boat in the water, hose off all the salt water and on return from your fishing touch up the areas you couldn't get to. I know one bloke who then takes his for a ride on a dirt track so that dust coats the sticky surface but I have doubts about doing this.

[kind_cir]

I don't trust galv as a protection for trailers. I have filled all of my rails with oil and on the outside I have used a product called penetrol. It actually soaks into the surface of the metal and is designed in a way that paint sticks to it like s@## to a blanket. I gave the trailer two coats of penetrol . Added the advised amount of penetrol to the first coat of fisholene enamel and finished with a straight coat of fisholene enamel. I have had no rust in two and a half years.
PENETROL, now that's magic shit you won't find better IMO. Had surface rust all over my bare steel boat trailer so I give it a coat of Penetrol {did not even scrape sand or clean off the rust} I then give it a coat of paint and presto! no rust in 12 months. I use the thing every 2 weeks, I'm impressed.