Modified power boat trailer
I have a 26ft O'day with the shallow draft. I bought a used galvanized tandum axel power boat trailer ($3,000) and removed the rollers. I then moved the axels forward to put the weight of the boat(centered)over the wheels. I added a couple of cross members and then instaled a wooden 4x6 down the center for the keil to set on and to spread the weight the length of the trailer and the added cross menbers. I then bought 6 screw jack pads like the ones you see in boat yards to support boats being worked on. The screw jacks set in about a 1-1/2 inch pipe so that they are height adjustable. The pipe I put into a 4" square vertical tube that rests on the outside rails of the trailer and are bolted to the cross members brackets. The top of the 4" tubes are angle braced with flat bar fore and aft, and also towards the center of the trailer to keep them from spreading outward. These are attached with "U" bolts that go around the frame of the trailer and are adjustable so that the upright tubs and adjustable pads can be tilted inward to fit the curve of the hull. A lot of the parts were salvaged off of the original power boat rollers. The weight of the boat sets on the 4x6 and the support pads keep the boat vertical.It sounds like a lot of work, but it only took a couple of days and it is hard to find a sailboat trailer. If you do this, wire the screw jacks so that they don't work loose going down the road. The only proplem that I have found is that the boat sets a little higher then a regular sailboat trailer where the weight is supported by the hull rather then the keil. I use this mostly for winter storage and don't have to travel far. I have the boat hoisted off rather then a ramp launch. Hope this helps. Any questions? Contact, Herb <wave@rockisland.com>
