Should I buy a new trailer???

[Michael Gordon]

My partner and I had an accident with the trailer for our boat this spring. No one was hurt, the boat was just fine, but the trailer was totaled.Now we are faced with the question of whether or not we should lay out the cash for a new trailer, or store it in a yard.We are not sure how long we plan on being in this boat, so we don't know if we are going to break even on the trailer.Here are a few questions for all of you... Was a trailer a requirement for you when you bought your boat, How much more would you expect to pay for a boat with a fairly new trailer vs. one without a trailer. A new trailer will set us back $4000 - $5000.Very general questions with many possible answers, but any feedback would be appreciated.Micahel Gordonmichael@chocolatetruffles.com

 

[Dave]

Seems like a lot for a trailer

Michael,I assume you need a double-axle trailer for an O'Day 25. Even so, $4-$5k seems like a lot for a trailer even if it is new. You should certainly be able to find a used trailer and have it modified for your boat for quite a bit less than that, and I would suspect you could even find new trailers, customized for your boat, for less than $4k. A casual review of the market suggests to me that for boats in the 22-25 foot range, a trailer typically adds $1-$3k to the list price of the boat. That's a very unscientific observation, and the final sale price may not be that much higher.If it were me, I would search for a used trailer and get it modified rather than pay storage fees at a yard. In fact, I had the trailer for my O'Day 222 modified from rollers to bunks and it only cost a couple hundred bucks. I can point you to a fairly well-known used trailer shop in the Milwaukee area, which is pretty close to Waukegan, if you would be interested. Best of luck.Dave

 

[Brian]

Trailers

Having gone through the trailer issues before, I have found that you are right. A new trailer for an O'day 25 will run between 4K to 5K. The least expensive one I found was from Tropic Trailer Inc. in Fort Myers, FL. for around 3K. After a few emails to Ben Allen who built his own, I opted to alter an existing trailer. If you choose this route, make sure you buy one long enough with enough axle movement for and aft to adjust the tongue weight properly. Also avoid the galvanized trailers. When welding galvanized metal it puts off toxic fumes. My total cost for the trailer, steel, odds and end, etc. was about $1500. I did all the work myself, and owned the tools neccessary to do it.Since you think you may sell the boat in the future, just consider the cost of storing it vs. the increased value of having the trailer. In the market I have seen trailers only add 1K to 2K to the value upon resale. I think this is because most trailers for other makes are cheaper than the O'day trailers. The excuse I always get is because of the keel design, they are more difficult to make. For that reason most buyers paradigm is the trailer isn't worth more than a couple of grand. Good luck! Brian

 

[Dennis Varley]

NEW ???

When shopping for my O'Day 25 I quickly found out that trailerable boats, without trailers are where the bargains are at. I guess paying marina storage on a trailerable boat is very painful forthe owners.Although we all like the latest and greatest equipment, a $4,000 / $5,000 trailer is too much of an investment to hopefully recover at the time of sale. Most sailors have pictures of their beautiful boats. I don't know anyone who has a picture of their beautiful trailer.If you can buy aused trailer, great. A new trailer, no!!!

 

[R.J.]

Trailers

I tooo have been considering a new trailer for My Oday25 i found the range from 2800 to $ 3800 however I am concidering buying a 5000 lb flat bed trailer they heavy enough and very easy to block the boat and the bonus , you can pick up a new one for $1750, when not trailering the boat I can use it for other hauling..

 

[Brian]

Flat bed trailers

The use of a flatbed and a cradle has its merits, but keep in mind that because of the draft of the boat and height of the trailer, a crane will be needed to pull and load the boat. If you leave it in a slip during the season and store it on the trailer in a cradle during the offseason this is a very good option.