Which Trailer?

[perko]

Looking at getting a new trailer for my UB520 long boat.
What are the better brands of trailers that are on the market in SE Qld?
Is multi roller the way to go for fiberglass?
What are the better types and brands for drive on, drive off?

[krazyfisher]

For a longboat go with a flat trailer and teflon skids on the cros members, side posts to guide on and a v block at the front..... worked very well on my longboat. easy drive on and off.

[Lucky_Phill]

Give Ivan a call at FMS trailers ( google it ).

He custom made mine and has a good and extensive knowledge of boat / trailer combos.

They are at Seventeen Mile Rocks.


LP.
l.
.
.

[Smithy]

This day and age you'd want to be going alloy, I beam or C channel or whatever for longevity. Just doing up my Dunbier as we speak. Cross members have finally corroded through on a '04 model. Ran into Johnny at Dolphin Marine while I was getting parts.

[perko]

Who builds in I beam or C Channel? They would seem a logical way to go to increase the lifespan of trailers.

[Smithy]

I think all the major players do. Fair few pros here have got Swiftcos at the moment. Dunno what the deal was they must have been getting them cheap but they are normal RHS ones coated in Tectyl/Denso Tape/sump oil. I'd guess all your FMS, Belcos, Rhules, Oceanics, Specials, etc., etc. would all do I beam or C channels in this day and age if they wanted to be competitive in the marketplace as they will all do custom stuff for big cat trailers, triaxles and the like.

To replace my current Dunbier, dual axle, mechanical brakes which is a skid type one with centre rollers I got a price at the last boat show of $6,000. The exact skid arrangement on their alloy main frame ones with a gal drawbar was $8,000. The Duralloy through the Melbourne dealer for mechanical brakes but which was an absolute overkill for my size boat but which looks the ducks nuts from America was $11,000 by comparison. Would love for someone who has flat packed a US alloy one to jump in here again with some links and prices. Also the price on a Riptide one or similar alloy one made locally.

[Noelm]

I have a mate that with an Engineering/Fabrication workshop and these days lots of his work is alloy boat trailers, I have seen a couple and his work is first class (he also built his own plate boat) and a few people that have his trailers have told me his price was quite a bit more than an off the shelf steel one, but the difference was not as much as they expected, plus they got a custom made product.

[Jarrah Jack]

This day and age you'd want to be going alloy, I beam or C channel or whatever for longevity. Just doing up my Dunbier as we speak. Cross members have finally corroded through on a '04 model. Ran into Johnny at Dolphin Marine while I was getting parts.

Makes you wonder what these guys are doing with the galvanising. I have a mid 80s coastal trailer under the HH and it is showing no signs of rust. My mates 10 year old Mackay is just as good. To get just 6 years out of a Dunbier is a disgrace.

I wonder how long it will be before we start seeing those American type Alloy trailers being made in China and sold over here.

[Smithy]

That's with 350 odd submersions under my ownership in 2.5years. Was 1/4 gone when I bought it. There is Mackay of similar vintage I often see beside me at the ramp and it doesn't look that much better and I was always under the impression that Mackays were the Rolls Royce of boat trailers. They don't build them like they used to it would seem as far as the galvanising process goes. Probably something to do with the EPA and greenies not letting them use all the good additives in the hot dip plus a lot of cost cutting to make something cheaper for the consumer. They probably get away with doing it on the cheap for 90% of the mum and dad boat trailers, it is just the 10% that use them a bit where they are found out. There is one exactly the same as mine under a Savage Lancer that uses the ramp at Mooloolaba and it makes mine look shiny and new and his has corrodded out mud gaurds (mine will go soon) and generally looks worse for a same era trailer.

[charleville]

Just doing up my Dunbier as we speak. Cross members have finally corroded through on a '04 model..


Gasp! Why did it not last longer than that?

Don't you hose the trailer off after use?
(Yes I know that you probably use your trailer every day, but it still seems a short life to me.)



OOPS! I HAVE JUST READ THE REPLY ABOVE AFTER POSTING THIS. THIS POST IS THEREFORE SUPERFLUOUS. :-[


.


.

[Smithy]

Yep hose it off everyday and for a while I was using Salt-X or Saltaway. Didn't do much and didn't slow the corrosion down. Bit of snake oil I reckon. They just don't build them like they used too. Looks like 3mmX50mmX50mm RHS. Going 4mm as couldn't get 6mm in gal from the place I went.

[Crunchy]

For a longboat go with a flat trailer and teflon skids on the cros members, side posts to guide on and a v block at the front..... worked very well on my longboat. easy drive on and off.

I have a UB, the previous owner took the skids off an replaced with rollers for easy launch / retrieval...personally I'm not sure which would be best but it sure is an easy drive on / drive off set up with the rollers too.

[TJ Bear]

Trailers are expensive, a very basic trailer for a 4.5m glass boat with mechanical brakes and LED lights is over 2k and the trailer I really like for the same boat is over 6k but that is dual axle, draw bar extension, mechanicle brakes, guide posts and gal and sprayed 2 pack white.

[wrxhoon]

Get yourself a USA built alloy trailer but make sure all the bolts, nuts and U bolts are S/S and they don't make contact with the alloy .
All USA built alloy trailers have gal drow bars bolted on the I beam alloy and all the crossmembers are RHS alloy bolted on the I beams.

I have one with a gvm of 2700 kg ( I beams are 140 mm and the crossmembers are 3" RHS and 1/4" thick and bent , she has rubber sus bent gal axles , the trailer only weighs 460 kg , she tows like a dream , the boat sits very low nad she is still like new.

I would never buy a gal trailer again..

[gofishin]

... I beams are 140 mm and the crossmembers are 3" RHS and 1/4" thick and bent , she has rubber sus bent gal axles , the trailer only weighs 460 kg , she tows like a dream , the boat sits very low nad she is still like new.

I would never buy a gal trailer again..Would this be a Rocket International, direct import, or distributed here under a few names? Sounds like mine;) . Skids or rollers?

[wrxhoon]

Would this be a Rocket International, direct import, or distributed here under a few names? Sounds like mine;) . Skids or rollers?


My trailer is made by marinemaster trailers in TN , I bought it when I was there because I found it to the one of the best for its capacity. I bought it witout brakes and I fitted Kodiak S/S everything, rotors, calipers, brakets and brake lines .
It wasn't the cheapest I could buy though, you can buy 6000lb Alloy trailers without brakes in USA from US$2700. For that price they will have 120mm I beams, springs and gal 13" rims , all the bolts and U bolts will not be S/S either.

My trailer has 4 bunks as well the cheapies only have 2.

['ave a go]

I've posted this pic before. US alloy trailer, Hydrastar brakes etc,etc. Portsea Marine in Vic imports them. About half the price of similar Aus manufactures.
http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp1/JohnCDouglas/Pic_1212_343.jpg
http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp1/JohnCDouglas/Pic_1212_344.jpg