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Let's see your trailer!


mattp

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Off and on now for a while I have been trying to source a trailer for the CS17 that my friend and I are building.  This has unexpectedly been one of the more difficult task of the project!

 

I started off thinking I would just find a used trailer on craigslist but that search hasn't come up with anything worth looking at.

 

Then I thought we could just pony up and buy a new trailer with details speced out for this very boat but that hasn't been easy either.

 

The closest thing I can find is from Road King Trailers from their jon boat and skiff trailers selection, specifically the RKT-14 or RKG-14 models. 

 

So, please, tell me what has worked for you.  What are some good quality but reasonably priced manufacturer's?  Any pictures of your trailer boat to share?

 

 

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I bought a second hand one. Most will need some adjustments as the trailer will probably be designed for a (much heavier than a CS17) power boat with a big outboard. The axle will be too far aft and the springs too rigid. I found one with a movable axle and put lighter springs on and it works quite well. The trailer is heavier than the boat however which makes it a little awkward to move around manually. Still it only cost me $400. Prices for a new one here in Australia were a lot more.

Cheers

Peter HK

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You're on the right track if you're looking at skiff trailers.  The one I got was for a 14 foot power skiff.  Like Peter I moved the axle forward (quite a bit) because the 14 ft skiff the trailer was built for had a its cg farther back than my 17ft sailing skiff.

If you call a trailer manufacturer and tell them you're looking for a trailer for a sail boat they'll assume you're talking about a keel boat and the price will quadruple.  What you want is a trailer for a 14 or 15ft skiff with a shallow v-bottom.  As long as you can move the axle and the post at the front that carries the winch, it'll be good.  You can tweak the bunks and add rollers, etc. as necessary.  It's all bolt-on stuff.

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Have you thought of making your own? If you can weld there is nothing too difficult about making your own. If you are able to build a boat, then the trailer should be a piece of cake to make. I have made 5 trailers in the past for various things, 3 of them for boats. I will make my trailer for my Coresound 17 the same way I made the one for my Spindrift 12, nice and light and simple. Have a go and don't be discouraged by what some people may say. I had no problems with compliance for registration in Australia, I don't know what is required in the US.

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Found this one for $100.00 added a new $120.00 axle with hubs added new tires and some misc parts from Harbor Freight like lights and tongue dolly wheel and a ship load of elbow grease. It has been 2 seasons and I am very happy.Posted Image

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Looking at the pictures I realize that I have added a few more keel rollers and a winch that are not shown here.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Jim

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Found this one for $100.00 added a new $120.00 axle with hubs added new tires and some misc parts from Harbor Freight like lights and tongue dolly wheel and a ship load of elbow grease. It has been 2 seasons and I am very happy.Posted Image

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Looking at the pictures I realize that I have added a few more keel rollers and a winch that are not shown here.

Hope that helps,

Jim

Hey, that looks great! I like how the tires are set wide so the boat sits low in between. This would not be the case with the jon boat trailers I have been looking at. I am trying to picture whether this would require more or less wheel submersion while launching. For two of the three boats I've owned, I've been able to avoid submerging the bearings at launch and I would prefer this boat to be the same.
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Try to get a galvanized trailer if you are near salt water. Add "bearing buddies" if it doesn't have them already. I like to buy bunk brackets that hold the bunks under the hull on edge. Cut 2"x 6" pressure treated boards to fit the curvature of your boat's bottom and carpet with indoor-outdoor carpet. A "box store" like Lowe's will cut you a 1 Ft. wide strip or two off a roll of carpet for this. Round off the edges of the boards where the carpet goes over them. Otherwise, the carpet will rub through on the corners. If you are using an air stapler to build your boat, just attach the carpet with this. Otherwise, galvanized roofing nails work great.They seem to last at least 2 or 3 years before rusting.

 

Spread the load between the boat's keel and the bunks. If the keel is strong, most of the weight should be on it. If the bunks span across 2 or 3 frames or transverse bulkheads, you can take most of the load on them. If you use rollers under the hull instead of the bunks, do not let them hit the hull in the middle of an unsupported panel---be sure they are directly under a bulkhead. And carry almost all of the weight on the keel rollers. The weight on the keel is almost always the way to go.

 

Buy a trailer that is for a shorter boat than yours. As others have said, a 14ft. trailer semi-v power boat trailer will work fine on a 16-17ft. sail boat. A trailer that is to fit a v-bottom aluminum jon boat is usually a great choice. Do get one that allows the boat to fit between the fenders. If you have a choice, get one with the plastic fenders that have a place to step to get into the boat easier. If you will be hauling it much, get 10" wheels instead of the 8" that some smaller trailers have. Be sure to get side guides --either bunks like on the top picture, or the pvc posts. I like to re-mount the lights to the top of the posts. You can mount the tag there, too. Be sure the posts are high enough that the boat doesn't hit the lights while loading. A spare tire and carrier is good insurance too. And a boat trailer jack that is shaped kinda like a cam and goes under the axle. Just set it in place and pull forward. Lifts the trailer like magic.

Here it is:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boating/Boating-Trailer-Accessories/Tire-Carriers-Trailer-Jacks%7C/pc/104794380/c/104781780/sc/104629680/Quick-Change-Trailer-Jack/727292.uts?destination=%2Fcategory%2FTire-Carriers-Trailer-Jacks%2F104629680.uts&WTz_l=DirectLoad%3Bcat104629680

 

 

A good trailer will add tremendously to the pleasure of your boating over the years. A bad one can cause much misery! Ask me how I know.  Sorry about the "preachifying", but I've learned the hard way.

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Trailers are more about setup, then anything else and I've found most don't set them up well. On light weight boats, you need matching spring rates, which is probably the biggest issue I see. If the springs are way too stiff, then the boat is just riding on concrete blocks, going done the road. The next biggest issue I see, is balance and tongue weight. Most sailboats need the axle just aft of midship and most trailers will permit the axle perch to move (bolts or "U" bolts). Regardless of what you've heard, on a light weight boat, you want as much tongue weight as you can get, while still keeping it "reasonable" to lift off the ball. If you don't have a trailer jack, this means about 75 pounds on the hitch, which is light, but manageable. If you have a trailer jack, then go for 100+ pounds on the ball. The increased tongue weight will keep the hitch from rattling and bouncing around as you hit bumps, accelerate/decelerate, etc. You can wear out a hitch pretty quickly if this is permitted. I've seen boats following the tow vehicle in the other lane, as a result of a broken hitch and snapped chains. As you might imagine, they don't stop well in this configuration.

 

Next is fitting the boat to the trailer. If you live in a shallow area, you'll want the boat to load onto the trailer in the bow down position. 3 or 4 degrees of bow down is best and this arrangement will let you launch in shallower water, without having to back your tow vehicle 100 feet into the bay. This setup also lets you recover the boat much easier too. Bunks work and are simple, but stands and keel rollers are better. The stands (miniature bunks) are usually placed under the aft quarters and sufficient keel rollers used, to support the boat's weight. The stands just keep the boat from flopping over when you make turns on the road. They just have to lightly touch the hull, no more. The weight is borne by the rollers. Lastly, use enough rollers to hold up the boat. I like the straight rollers, instead of the V rollers. Straight rollers hit only the boat's centerline (assumes a V bottom), which is what you want. More often than not, V rollers have just a very small contact patch between the edge of the roller and the hull, which can cause point loading (not good in the long term). Straight rollers don't hold as much weight as V'd so use enough to hold up the boat's weight, plus 50%.

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(MattP said) "Hey, that looks great! I like how the tires are set wide so the boat sits low in between. This would not be the case with the jon boat trailers I have been looking at. I am trying to picture whether this would require more or less wheel submersion while launching. For two of the three boats I've owned, I've been able to avoid submerging the bearings at launch and I would prefer this boat to be the same."

 

I never once submerged the bearings on my trailer.  I just backed the trailer up until the tires were touching the edge of the water and pushed the boat off or winched it on from there.  The slope of the ramp (every ramp I ever used) allowed the back roller to be fairly close to the water.  No problem with such a light boat.  I set the bunks up so the weight of the boat was entirely supported on the keel and the bunks just kept the boat from rocking side-to-side.  If I remember correctly that's what Graham recommends and it worked well for me.  The bearing buddies that Chick suggested are a very good thing, as are a spare tire and a jack on the tongue of the trailer.  I had the trailer balanced well enough that the jack wasn't really necessary, but it was a nice convenience.

The trailer for my current boat is also balanced so I can lift the tongue without the jack (barely) but this boat/trailer combination is just under a tonne (That's 2200 lbs for you Amerkins :) )

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Thanks for all of the helpful replies. I spent most of the day today driving to fetch my new to me trailer. It's pretty much what I have been looking for all along, I just had to broaden my craigslist horizons a little.

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  • 6 months later...

So we somewhat impulsively bought this trailer.  200$  It is a "Calkins" with adjustable axle position, bunk roller positions and it is pretty heavy duty I think.  Probably heavier than it needs to be.  My question is, is there an optimum position for the axle relative to the boat position on the trailer?  And will these roller rigs work well or should I alter them somehow?    Plus the tongue is quite long and could be cut shorter to make the package more maneuverable.  Good idea?  
Now all we need to do is build the boat!! More on that later.  

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post-4394-0-44791700-1409776199_thumb.jpg

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I don't think I have ever mentioned this on this forum.  A long time ago I had an O'Day Daysailor (my first sailboat).  It came with a magic-tilt trailer.  I loved both boat and trailer.  So naturally, when I finished my CS 17 'Lively' I purchased a tilting trailer.  I have never been sorry.  It allows me to launch the boat from ramps or beach.  I have never gotten the hubs wet and therefore have never had an problems with bearings. It is hot dipped galvanized.

 

Sorry, I do not have any photos of the trailer or of it in action.

 

dale

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If you are using keel rollers to launch and retrieve your boat as opposed to floating your boat onto bunks the aft roller takes much more abuse than any of the other rollers. Depending on the weight of your boat it might be worth investing in a higher quality aft roller. Stoltz makes a better quality roller than others I have seen.

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Question to all-I'm in the same situation of getting ready to buy Petunia's trailer. Are most owners using 12'"wheels on their CS 17 trailers? TIA

When I was searching for a trailer, I wanted to make sure I had larger wheels => greater circumference => lower rpm => longer bearing life and less heat.

That said, I have pulled 8" wheeled trailers all over the east coast with no issue...even one of the cheap Harbour Freight trailers.

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MattP,

 Thanks for the feedback. 

"larger wheels => greater circumference => lower rpm => longer bearing life and less heat."

Those are the major factors I have been trying to work with.

I'll be pounding the pavement in a few weeks to see what the local inventories have available.

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I to am looking for a replacement trailer. I bought a used CS20 and the trailer that came with it is way overkill for the boat. A badly set up trailer is no fun.

 

Axle position with respect to the boat is critical to tongue weight. My trailer with boat on it had more than 500 lbs of tongue weight. I have since slide the boat back 2-1/2 feet which has helped tremendously. I also took the spare tire off the tongue. I "spoke" Graham on this and he was good with the aft end hanging off the bunks by as much as 3 feet. His recommendation was to focus on matching the weight rating of the trailer with the boat. He said that a trailer that is over rated for more then the boat is very hard on the boat. You want a soft ride.

 

Some trailers you can move the axel position, some you can't; mine is welded. I suspect starting with the axel about 2/3rds of the way back from the bow would be a good starting point. You should have at least 100-200 lbs tongue weight. Most trailers are set up for a motor boat and they assume there will be a huge outboard on the back of the boat, consequently they set the axels far back to compensate for the weight of the motor. You might need to get a shorter trailer to get the axel position right depending on your boat.

 

8 versus 12-inch wheels. Well personally I think the 12-inch wheel thing is over rated. I had both. I had one trailer for over 15 years with 8 inch tires and put on many, many miles including many highway miles on it with absolutely no bearing or tire issues.  When I replaced that trailer, the dealer talked me into 12-inch wheels and I wish he didn't. First thing I noticed was how much further I had to back into the water to launch the boat. Think about it, you have to get four inches deeper to launch. If you are on a shallow ramp, that could be a long way.

 

All your weight should be on the keel, set the bucks out to hold the boat upright with very little weight on them. The bucks need to be positioned under the tanks such that there structural support.

 

My thoughts, take them for what there worth.

 

Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

 

David Hughes

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The wheel diameter thing is important, but not for the reasons most think. Larger wheels tow better, but bearing life isn't really affected by smaller diameters, mostly because the hubs are all the same. Basically, the trailers we use for these boats will have 1" or 1.25" bearings. 8" and 12" tires use 1" bearings and they're rated for way over what these little boats will impose on them. Keep them clean and greased and they'll easily outlive you.

 

Smaller wheels have the advantage of getting the bottom wet faster, though the way the boat is set on the trailer can help a lot. Larger wheels back up a lot better than smaller wheels, but there's a very limited amount of time in reverse, so not as big a concern as say on an 18 wheeler.

 

Lastly always use trailer, not passenger car tires. They're built differently and can take more weight. The side walls don't flex as much and it'll tow better with trailer tires as a result.

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Glad I could help. I just reread Par's Feb 2014 comment on this topic and it is inline with mine. His first comment is matching the springs to the weight of the boat. His post is worth a reread if you get a chance.

 

He also suggest the axle location just aft of midship. So on a 17 foot boat that puts your axle somewhere between 9 (per Par) and 11 feet (per me) from the bow. I think it would be ideal to be able to fine tune the axle location within those parameters. Remember that not only can you move the axle, but you can also move the bow stanchion where the winch is mounted which would also change the position of the axle with regard to the boat.

 

Ideally, I would want a trailer to fully fit the boat, bow chock to end of trailer being 17 feet in your case. This helps protect the boat from life's little mishaps in the parking lot and driveways versus having its ass end fully exposed. But sometimes with life we have to make compromises and will have to hang our arses out a couple of feet.

 

Best of luck and again keep us informed.

 

By the way, I think it is great that you are doing this with your son. I have found memories of working with my Dad as a kid that I will always cherish. I also learned a lot.

 

Dave

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