Trailer for H23

[Greg Hartgraves]

I would like to get a trailer for a H23. What features should be included in a newly fabricated trailer? The use will be in salt and fresh water. The boat has been and will continue to be moored in fresh water on Lake Washington (Seattle area). Transportation will include 100-200 mile trips.GregS/V Paradise

 

[mg]

trailer features

several considerations.1 galvanized is prefered but if lots of saltwater maybe aluminium. 2 with a disp of 2400 lbs or so the trailer should reasonabley hold another another 40-50 % to cover the weight of gear and two guys on board to raise the mast. DO NOT SCRIMP ON THIS NUMBER i would even go higher in that .the heavier the trailer the less the boat has to stiffen it. that is the boat should (in my opinion) SIT on the trailer not be a structual component of it. the boat should not be the structural equivelent of the top section of an I beam.3 you will need brakes . get galvanized right off the bat.i'm not fond of surge brakes but i dont know any one who uses electric. though i dont see why it wouldn't work . maybe someone else knows? 4 get the tounge extension you will need it.5 at this point the trailer and boat and gear will weigh about 4000 lbs, so make sure the tires will carry that much and another 40% .DON'T BALK HERE EITHER . the tires will get hot when loaded and heat degrades the integrety of the tire.you dont want to get stuck driving 50mph because any faster heats up the tires too much. by the way you can offset the cost by compairing single vs doubel axles( as far as load capacity is concerned) . that is next.6 ive had both . single means less in maintainence and fewer bearings to replace. double is safer more work and more costly but tires may be cheaper as you divide the load by 4 not 2. also go ahead and buy a spare HUB KIT that is already assembled as well as extra bearing kits . (ever try to pound a race out on the side of a highway) (oh you will have it towed...ever wait 5 hours for a guy trying to find the right parts while your vacation time just ticks away)7 get the flush kit if you think you won't repack the bearings after a dunk in salt water. 8 a two speed winch is great. 9 well it was fun to spend your money and yes you just got a top of the line trailer. you get what you pay for . but all kidding aside didn't you buy the best carseat for your kids? and shouldn't you but the best for the next best thing. also the hassles of an under built trailer will forever haunt you. believe me the first time it lets you down you will never trust it again. the extra money is peace of mind in the long run, and you will find that you will go farther and to more exotic locations . its hard to put a price on that!!! also i can't stress enough proper maintainence. i pack bearings at least 2x a year and replace them each fall. if i dunk in salt they are repacked every time and the hubs thouroughly rinsed and lubed with wd40 or other similar product.same goes for ALL fasteners as well as greasing all bolt treads and coupling gear. 10 a final thought if you will be doing the bottom while on the trailer , make sure you can jack the bunks up and down . if you want to get real fancy have them build an extra bunk that can be placed on each side so that the primary's can be lowered for painting. i personally like the kind with a bolt which moves the bunk up and down like a jack stand . good luck. mg

 

[Todd Mitchell]

Electric brakes

I own a 23.5 and trailered it once with a Ford F-150 for a couple hundred miles. It went well but if I had any smaller of a vehicle I would have wanted electric brakes.My buddy had electric brakes when he trailered his Venture 21 with a little SUV and they were wonderful. He could just reach down and hit the button under his dash to stop any fishtailing if it developed. Fishtailing is the biggest ogre hiding in our trailer rigs. If it develops into a divergent oscillation, you'll wind up rolling over in the ditch, unless you are lucky and the hitch tears off your vehicle (unlikely). A friend of mine hauling a long trailer home with a light pickup got into a fishtail that ran away from him a few years back. He's lucky he was not killed. As it was the whole rig rolled a few times in the ditch right off the interstate, with his family in the pickup with him.So first and foremost, make sure you have a towing vehicle that is up to the task for those long tows. Then consider electric brakes to give you positive control over that trailer.

 

[Larry P.]

Electric Brakes????

Electric brakes + saltwater = TROUBLEIf your using the trailer in salt water go with hydraulic brakes.