What $100 can do to your trailer....

[rgranger]

I spent a little under $100 on my trailer this weekend. Replaced and recovered the skids, put a little of Rustoleum's Galvanizing compound on a few rusty spots and added reflective tape to my goal posts. Looks almost new again.

All of the wood was tired but the keel boards were shot. They had been made out of exterior grade plywood and the ply had delaminated over time. I replaced the carpet with silver/gray instead of the original black because the gray was $0.12 less per square foot and I figure it went nice with the galvanized color of the trailer. The red/white reflectors on the goal posts go all the way around and are very bright. I went out last night and just with the light on my cell phone, they lit up.

Come-On-Spring!!!!!!!!!

 

[rgranger]

Oh yeah.... and $30 of that new $100 was a new wire kit for the trailer lights. I'll install that next weekend.

 

[shemandr]

Cool! It's going to cost me nearly $100 to register the two trailers I have. Every couple of years I need to register them or they will drop off the DMV computer. Then it's a big PITA to get them legal. Mostly they sit in my yard.

 

[Kermit]

Cool! It's going to cost me nearly $100 to register the two trailers I have. Every couple of years I need to register them or they will drop off the DMV computer. Then it's a big PITA to get them legal. Mostly they sit in my yard.

Move to South Carolina. We don't register our trailers.

 

[rgranger]

Cool! It's going to cost me nearly $100 to register the two trailers I have. Every couple of years I need to register them or they will drop off the DMV computer. Then it's a big PITA to get them legal. Mostly they sit in my yard.

In Virginia you can pay a little extra and get a permanent tag. It costs about three times the cost of the one-year tag but worth it. However, in VA you have to have breaks on duel axle trailers (I'm okay with that) and you have to have trailers with breaks inspected every year. They make sure the breaks and lights are working, the chains are still serviceable etc. and it only costs $16. Of course they will charge you $50 to replace a burnt out light..... but.... regardless, the inspection would be okay if the wait list wasn't 6 mo. long and if you didn't have to drive an hour to the closest trailer inspection place. They will get you one way or another.

I was told by one of my cop friends that when my trailer inspection sticker expires, I should remove it. He said most cops are not up on the latest trailer inspection laws and only know to write you up if they see the expired sticker.

 

[rgranger]

Move to South Carolina. We don't register our trailers.

Kermit..... I once purchased a Coronado 23 from a guy (Chad) in SC. He told me the same thing about SC trailers. But my DMV said that the SC law was changed in 1983 and that Chad would need to provide me with a title or I would not be able to register my trailer. I talked to Chad and he told me what you just said and there was no title. So I went to the local branch of my DMV and talked to a very nice lady who said... well if you came back in a few weeks.... and there were no decals on the trailer indicating it was from a dealer... we could register it as a home made trailer wink wink....

So I got some paint.... and came back in a few weeks.

 

[Kermit]

Nope. We don't register trailers. At least not trailers our size. I bought my H260 in NC. The trailer was registered with its own license plate. The chick on the phone at DNR sorta snickered when I asked if I had to do something special about my trailer since it was registered in NC. She said that's something they do in NC but not here.

 

[sesmith]

In NY, registration is just an opportunity to soak you for sales tax on the first registration (and every time that trailer, boat, or car is resold). It might be worse, in the long term, where you live in SC, with personal property tax...not sure.

Last year, I replaced my trailer's wiring and installed LED lights on it. No more fixing wiring and cleaning bulbs and contacts each time I want to use it (I hope). Those LED's sure are bright.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Rgranger;
You learned about the old trick of homebuilt trailers in VA. Been there and done that many times in Virginny as a boat dealer.

 

[rgranger]

Rgranger;
You learned about the old trick of homebuilt trailers in VA. Been there and done that many times in Virginny as a boat dealer.

There are a lot of "home built" trailers in VA

 

[jwilcoxon78]

Rranger I noticed that there's no roller on the front of the trailer that the front of the hull rests on. I assume this trailer is for your H26. Did you just remove it to work on? I've got an H260 and there's a roller there. It's really a pain b/c it gets in the way when loading the boat. Granted I could get the trailer deeper in the water but that would require extending the tongue.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

JW I kept telling hunter to take that darn thing off as it hampered launching and retrieving. The biggest thing is to keep the bow from hitting the forward cross brace on the trailer. Other remedies was to remove and put delrin on the leading edge about a foot wide or put a long roller on the front brace. I found it did not really help to support the bow anyway which also rubbed paint and epoxy barrier coating off as well.

 

[jwilcoxon78]

Thanks CD. I agree that it doesn't appear to really support any weight once the boat is on the trailer. I had my the lower part of my bow get gouged/scrapped one time will loading. It hit the gap between the roller and support post. Very annoying but got it fixed. With it removed, it seems that the boat would be able to be more "smoothly" retrieved. I've got rope tied along each side of my trailer to the guideposts. Acts a bit like guides themselves but really helps in a cross wind situation. You can get the boat about halfway in, shutdown and grab the upwind rope to pull yourself on up to the bow roller. Again though, that stupid roller on the bottom can hinder that once you get close.

I'm going to give some serious consideration in removing it before this season.

 

[rgranger]

@jwilcoxon78

Yes it is an H26 trailer.... Does this diagram help?

I can get some better photos if it will help in your redesign.

r

 

[rgranger]

One of the modifications I have on my 2-do list is to increase the length of the goal posts by about 2'. I was thinking also of using that schedule 80 black plastic pipe instead of the white pipe... and adding lights running lights and turn signal lights at the top of the goal post in addition to the ones that ride down low. I like your idea of tying rope going forward.

 

[jwilcoxon78]

I may take you up on that RE: photos. With respect to the rope, I just did one continuous length. May have some issue with it chaffing where I ran it below the bow roller but it's been 1 year and no real indication of it yet. Some tape might help there.

It is pretty effective though. Again, especially in those cross wind situations. Helps to have a hook ready though to reach down to grab the line. I've had my bow well outside the profile of my truck/trailer but, all you do is grab the upwind line and all's salvaged. One less thing to cuss when you're loading.

 

[rgranger]

I may take you up on that RE: photos. With respect to the rope, I just did one continuous length. May have some issue with it chaffing where I ran it below the bow roller but it's been 1 year and no real indication of it yet. Some tape might help there.

It is pretty effective though. Again, especially in those cross wind situations. Helps to have a hook ready though to reach down to grab the line. I've had my bow well outside the profile of my truck/trailer but, all you do is grab the upwind line and all's salvaged. One less thing to cuss when you're loading.

Okay

I'll try to get those pics tonight if I can get home before dark....

And regarding cussing..... I always day that docking is a spectator sport....

 

[Kermit]

I replaced that God-forsaken roller and boat-destroying stem with this. It works well but maybe I don't need it at all. Great tip on lines from the goal posts to the trailer.

 

[Daveinet]

Oh yeah.... and $30 of that new $100 was a new wire kit for the trailer lights. I'll install that next weekend.

Should have spent $9 more and bought an LED tail light kit from Harbor Freight. I've been using several of their kits for many years. They work great, and do not burn out under water.

 

[rgranger]

Hey @Kermit
I've had those on other trailers I have owned. Do they really work? All of my experience with trailer sailboats is that I back up far enough to float the boat off of the trailer... likewise when I dock, I am deep enough that the bow enters the stop and then I drive the boat out and it sets down on the roller..... in your case it is not sitting on the roller so.... does your boat ever actually touch the roller?

Just asking.... not trying to be critical.