Wednesday, May 31, 2023
  • Login
  • Register
Southern Boating
  • Boats
    • Center Consoles
    • Dual Consoles
    • Motoryachts
    • Power Cats
    • Sport Cruisers
    • Tenders & Ribs
  • Destinations
    • Bahamas
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • U.S. Atlantic
    • U.S. Gulf
  • Engines
    • Engine Buyers Guide
  • Maintenance
    • DIY
  • Electronics
  • Lifestyle
  • Gear
  • Shop
  • Web Reader
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • Boats
    • Center Consoles
    • Dual Consoles
    • Motoryachts
    • Power Cats
    • Sport Cruisers
    • Tenders & Ribs
  • Destinations
    • Bahamas
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • U.S. Atlantic
    • U.S. Gulf
  • Engines
    • Engine Buyers Guide
  • Maintenance
    • DIY
  • Electronics
  • Lifestyle
  • Gear
  • Shop
  • Web Reader
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Southern Boating
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured
Choosing the right boat trailer for you

June 26, 2019 Oakdale / CA / USA - Truck towing a boat on the freeway

Choosing the right boat trailer for you

March 7, 2022
in Featured, Gear
0
648
SHARES
3.6k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare via Email

Trailer Talk

Boat trailers are built to take abuse, not only from the boat and open road, but from constant submersion. While freshwater can be benign, saltwater is brutally corrosive—a small amount of residual saltwater can damage internal parts when the trailer sits idle during the off-season.

Boat trailers are not all created equal, so how do you know which is best for your use? Some manufacturers construct trailers out of aluminum I-beam, others out of tube or C Channel steel. To add further confusion, steel trailers can be painted or galvanized. So where do you start in determining the boat trailer that is right for you?

There are a few key factors to consider when deciding which style boat trailer best fits your boating lifestyle.

  1. Do you use the trailer in freshwater, saltwater, or both?
  2. What size is your boat, and how much does it weigh?
  3. What do you expect out of your trailer: strength, durability, longevity?

Galvanized

Galvanized boat trailers come in two forms: tube steel or C Channel steel. Most galvanized boat trailers are constructed out of pre-galvanized tube steel sections that are typically bolted together.

“The most structurally sound way to build a galvanized trailer is to weld the trailer out of C Channel steel, prep the frame, then have it dipped in a hot dip galvanizing tank,” explains Megan Meisler, co-owner of Loadmaster Trailer Company in Port Clinton, Ohio. Loadmaster offers custom galvanized trailers. “Building a trailer this way, like we do, makes sure the welds and all components are dipped. Galvanizing prevents the steels from saltwater corrosion.”

Aluminum

For people with smaller boats that submerge their trailers in saltwater, an aluminum bolt-together-style trailer is sufficient. The core product of these trailers is made of aluminum I-beam; however, the cross-members and axles are often made of a galvanized material. One thing to be aware of is that electrolysis can occur where these two unlike metals interact and cause corrosion. If you purchase an aluminum trailer, keep an eye on the intersection points where galvanized steel meets aluminum.

“An aluminum trailer will most likely serve a longer duty cycle as it isn’t prone to rusting,” says Jon Smiley, business development director for Bradenton, Florida-based MYCO Trailers. “An aluminum trailer is also lighter than a galvanized steel trailer, thus, reducing the load on your tow vehicle. However, MYCO traditionally recommends its galvanized steel trailers for commercial and industrial use.”

Properly Choose Trailer Size and Capacity

Confusion is possible as to the difference between the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of a trailer and the actual Net Payload (or Carrying Capacity). Every trailer has a GVWR. This is based on the capacity of the axles, tires, frame, and components. Often, people forget that the trailer has to carry its own physical weight.

In order to properly determine the actual total boat weight a trailer can support, you need to subtract the trailer’s weight from the GVWR. GVWR – (trailer’s physical weight) = Net Carry Capacity. The Net Carry Capacity is how much weight the trailer can support on top of it. For example, if the GVWR of a trailer is 12,000 pounds and the trailer physically weighs 2,000 pounds, the Net Carry Capacity of the trailer is 10,000 pounds.

“Hence, a trailer for a twenty-foot center console will have a GVWR far less than that of a larger thirty-foot boat,” says Meisler. “A boat’s loaded weight and length are taken into account in determining what model of a trailer is required to safely haul the boat.”

Using a 35-foot center console with two outboards, you would need to get the boat’s dry weight (hull only) and to that number add in the weight of the two outboards, fuel, water, holding weight, batteries, then a safe number for gear and electronics. So, a dry weight of 8,000 pounds plus 1,400 pounds for motors, another 1,800 pounds for 300 gallons of fuel, plus water, batteries, and gear could mean the boat’s loaded total weight is 13,000 pounds.

“It’s critical to ensure you figure out the actual weight the boat would be to ensure you do not overload the net carry capacity of the trailer,” says Meisler. “At first glance, you would think a fifteen thousand-pound GVWR trailer would be more than enough, but by the time you subtract the weight of the trailer, you would likely need to go heavier.”

In this situation, Meisler says she would quote a tri-axle trailer with three, 6,000-pound axles and 16-inch E radial tires and wheels to provide a GVWR over 18,000 pounds.

Previous Post

ULTRA-YACHT launches first Duffy electric boat with solar charging

Next Post

How to choose foul weather gear

Next Post
How to choose foul weather gear

How to choose foul weather gear

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Discover the New Maritimo M55

Discover the New Maritimo M55

March 1, 2022
3.3k
allure, sunglasses, Spy, best sunglasses, lens, UV, glasses, sunglasses

Allure Sunglasses from Spy

December 14, 2017
3.2k

Don't miss it

Day 5 – Anegada Island: Great Lobster, Spectacular Reefs, and more
Featured

Day 5 – Anegada Island: Great Lobster, Spectacular Reefs, and more

May 31, 2023
3.3k
Remembering The Past – Looking To The Future
Marketgauge

Remembering The Past – Looking To The Future

May 31, 2023
3.3k
Powerful Shift: Sterndrive to Outboard Conversions Surge!
Haul-Out Guide

Powerful Shift: Sterndrive to Outboard Conversions Surge!

May 31, 2023
3.6k
Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing: Screamin’ Reels Tournament Hooks Success!
Featured

Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing: Screamin’ Reels Tournament Hooks Success!

May 31, 2023
3.3k
Day 4 – Revitalized and Beautiful: Leverick Bay to Bitter End
Lifestyle

Day 4 – Revitalized and Beautiful: Leverick Bay to Bitter End

May 30, 2023
3.3k
Day 3 – Virgin Gorda’s Enchanting Secrets: Adventures With The Moorings
Lifestyle

Day 3 – Virgin Gorda’s Enchanting Secrets: Adventures With The Moorings

May 29, 2023
3.3k
Facebook Instagram TikTok Youtube LinkedIn

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
logo

1591 E. Atlantic Blvd, 2nd Floor
Pompano Beach, FL 33060
Office: +1 (954) 522-5515
Fax: +1 (954) 522-2260
Contact us: info@southernboating.com


Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receive the best in boating weekly direct to your inbox!

No Result
View All Result
  • Boats
    • Center Consoles
    • Dual Consoles
    • Motoryachts
    • Power Cats
    • Sport Cruisers
    • Tenders & Ribs
  • Destinations
    • Bahamas
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • U.S. Atlantic
    • U.S. Gulf
  • Engines
    • Engine Buyers Guide
  • Maintenance
    • DIY
  • Electronics
  • Lifestyle
  • Gear
  • Shop
  • Web Reader
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise

© 2023 Southern Boating Media

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy