Seaward 25 OEM trailer

Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
Any Seaward owner with an original trailer? Although the 2000 boat I am buying seems in good shape, the trailer looks as if it will need work. It also looks very minimalist for launching and especially for retrieving. Anyone with an opinion on this? I don't know why the pictures have come out sideways.
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Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Any Seaward owner with an original trailer?........the trailer looks as if it will need work. It also looks very minimalist for launching and especially for retrieving. Anyone with an opinion on this?
Seaward 25 looks a really nice trailerable sailboat. Cannot tell from the photos (even after rotating them sideways) what work the trailer will need. Any work could be done by yourself and/or a trailer shop. Some items to look at:

Does the trailer have adequate hull supports like the ones in the photos in the link below from Triad Trailers, who manufacture Seaward 25 trailers? That would be the first thing I would look at.
Does the trailer frame have excessive corrosion that needs repair?
Do the surge or electric brakes work?
Do the fenders need body work?
Does the frame require regalvanizing?
Are there adequate hold down strap attachments?
Is the hitch functioning and are does it have safety chains?
Are the running lights working?

 
Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
Thanks for the detailed and useful reply. Also for the link, which looks very interesting, and appears to show a trailer that is remarkably similar to the OEM one.

I am hoping to get feedback from other Seaward owners (if such exist) about the longevity and practicality of the OEM trailers and whether they have made useful improvements. I am not that fond of bunks for recovery on a ramp and would hope to add or substitute rollers to make for a more controlled process than bunks seem to engender. Also a rather drier experience would be welcome.
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
From my experience trailering a sport nautique ski boat of similar weight to a seaward 25 with a trailer with long boards for launching and recovery was excellent. The boards were carpeted as the hull sat on it. Carpet wears and had to replace it once during ~25 years of ownership. Having said that I recommend contracting ghe trailer
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Sorry, somehow the above post was replied prior to finishing it ..............the trailer manufacturer or Triad Trailers for any advice.
 
Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
It is interesting how both the Triad and OEM trailers have the appearance of a low flatbed devoid of boards except for a central longitudinal one.

I'll try it before I tear it apart.......

Oh yes, and since my first acquaintance with it will be a 900 mile trip in a big U down Vancouver Island then up central BC, my first and early stop will be for new tires and bearing inspection. Anyone know of a good tire place near Nanaimo or north Vancouver? I should probably ask that in a new thread.
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
From your photos looks like you have wheel "buddy" bearings that make bearing lubrication fast and easy. They were good to have!!

Recommend topping off wheel bearing lubrication with waterproof grease before your long trip or removing / repacking wheel bearing if you are unsure about the grease and bearing condition before your big trip.
 
Jun 25, 2004
1,108
Corsair F24 Mk1 003 San Francisco Bay, CA
Thanks for the detailed and useful reply. Also for the link, which looks very interesting, and appears to show a trailer that is remarkably similar to the OEM one.

I am hoping to get feedback from other Seaward owners (if such exist) about the longevity and practicality of the OEM trailers and whether they have made useful improvements. I am not that fond of bunks for recovery on a ramp and would hope to add or substitute rollers to make for a more controlled process than bunks seem to engender. Also a rather drier experience would be welcome.
Long bunk board are great. They don’t make dents in the hull and don’t get stuck. They support the boat really well.

I’d recommend that you consider some extra side guides to center the boat as it goes onto the trailer. That will help center the keel as well. They’ll be useful in a cross breeze and/or when you don’t pull the dock lines at exactly the right angle.
https://www.etrailer.com/Boat-Trailer-Parts/CE-Smith/CE27600.html
 
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Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
More useful stuff, thanks to both. Bearing buddies are new to me: does that enable greasing inner as well as outer bearings? People seem often to be unaware of the inner bearings, so they are usually the ones to fail.

I like the side guides. They'll be on the shopping list. Thank you.

Maybe my opinion of bunks will improve. It has to really.... that's the only place there's room. We are not in the Sailboat Capital of Canada, here in central BC and Alberta. We are in the Lund and Johnboat area, with many lakes and rivers. With bunks you must go deeper or have a steeper ramp. The ramps we use may often not be worthy of the name, and certainly can be very shallow, narrow, and end abruptly: they are constructed, to use the term loosely, for smaller power boats. I want to have a setup that will work well on short, shallow, lousy ramps. Bunks don't in my limited experience. But I shall certainly try the trailer as it comes before damning it.
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
A bearing buddy pumps grease into the center of the hub all the way back to the grease seal so they enable greasing inner as well as outer bearings. I am glad to see you plan to replace your trailer tires and inspect the bearings. Very low cost expense for a new trailerable sailboat owner, especially before a long trip and to protect your investment.

 
Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
Very interesting links, thanks. Looks as if the trailer is coming up in my estimation!
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
I would recommend Reese bearing protectors over bearing buddies. They have a weep hole so you cant overfill them and blow out your rear seals. They're a few thousanths larger than the Bearing Buddies which makes installation a bit harder but they are also less likely to fall out on the highway

Be sure to have an extra bearing protector, big hammer, and the proper lugnut wrench for the trailer.

Does this trailer have a tongue extension and a spare tire?

Overall it looks like it's in good shape
 
Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
OK, I shall look into the Reese product, thanks. Also for the tips.

Yes, it has both. I just got an updated picture, just 3 hours old.



Screenshot_20200430-212142.jpg
 
Jul 1, 2010
962
Catalina 350 Lake Huron
It looks they changed manufacturers of the trailer since my Performance trailer was used on our 1996 Seaward 25 was made. The only thing I don't see on yours is the side bunks for the keel that are on ours. Their purpose was to help center the keel on the single bunk it rests on and keep it from sliding sideways on it. In reality, they could be a pain when retrieving the boat as it is possible to float the boat over them and have it come down on top of them when you pull it out, if not careful. I'll attach a pic of our Performance trailer below. You can see them if you in this pic.

The wood pieces on the front of your trailer are likely something added by a previous owner, maybe to transport a dinghy or kayak?

On our trailer, I added Surfix bunk slides. They made launching and retrieval much easier. Make sure you add a heavy ratchet strap over the back of the boat and onto the trailer before towing it. It is also a good idea to do the same thing on the bow. You can run it through the chocks.

Also recommend before towing a boat unknown to you that either you, or someone you hire, checks and repacks the wheel bearings, checks the brakes, and checks the torque on the wheel lugs first. Plan on replacing the bearing buddies when you do this, as they don't always stay on when reinstalled. I bought a power boat quite a few years ago, and on the 15 mile trip home the trailer lost a wheel, which took out a car coming in the opposite direction on a state highway. I never made the mistake of trusting a prior owner again. I always check them myself first.

Enjoy your Seaward. They're nice boats.

IMG_20160423_170728961_HDR.jpg
 
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Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
Thanks sesmith, very useful pointers, and interesting picture for comparison. Keel guides often seem to cause problems. Most seem useless given the angle of the average boat ramp, and are likely to be more of a nuisance than a help.

Wide straps I have, bunk slides are on the shopping list. I shall probably get a set of these.

20200514_204522.jpg


They are very heavy duty and made a world of difference to recovering our O'Day. They are on their smallest setting on the O'Day, so should be fine for the Seaward. Properly adjusted, the boat keel has nowhere to go but right down the midline. Notice what we poor Canadians have to pay in shipping!

Just a few more days until I pick her up, 1400 miles away from me. Bearings and brakes are high on the list, ditto tire condition. The seller says they are good, but they are very likely past their best-by date, so a new set will be almost certainly my first stop before driving the 900 miles to Stuart Lake.
 
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Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
To update this: the trailer turned out much better than expected. It is a MagicTilt, about which brand I know nothing but the name. Seems simple but robust. The bearings had evidently been greased regularly, and took little new grease. The tires are 5 years old, but the moist, temperate climate in northern Vancouver Island must be ideal for tires, since they look new, with no crazing.

Port Alice, Vancouver Island
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Boat and trailer towed well, and although fitted with spring bars, showed no signs of behaving badly on my 1000 mile tow to Fort St. James, BC, so I left the bars in my pickup bed.

20200520_141448_resized.jpg


We launched the Seaward off a fairly shallow and quite narrow ramp, and next time I will use the tongue extender, since before she would float, my pickup exhaust was bubbling away cheerfully, 6" underwater. I also plan on fitting a better set of guide bar/rollers and a slick pad on the keel bunk. Otherwise I think the trailer will do fine.
 
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