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I've been dunking trailers in fresh water for years. I think the cold hub thing is correct, but if your hubs are real hot you are doing something wrong. I keep a handheld infrared thermometer and just point it at the hubs every stop. I even have my wife doing it when I'm pumping gas. No need to get your hands dirty, but touching the hubs works too! Plenty of good info. Dale, I never thought of the tabernacle mast adding to the length, but you are right. That might mean my plans to store it in my garage are out. Luckily I have another option (barn) that is just not quite as convenient. I'm leaning towards a narrower trailer and having the boat higher. With Rollers and a good winch (2 speed) I think I'll be good. I'm going to look at a couple of options this weekend.

Glad to see another Pouco Barta in the forum. I think it is an under appreciated boat. It is basically a stretched Curlew and that is a great paddling boat. If I ever got rid of my Curlew I would probably build me one.

A little more on the issue of submerging the hubs. As I said previously, I have taken to submerging the hubs to retrieve the boat to reduce stress on my Aluminum trailer. I opened them up recently and no problem at all - no water has entered. When I put the bearing buddies back in I smeared gasket silicon on the mating surfaces and also across the back of the inner bearing seals. I don't want to be taking them off too often in case it reduces their water tightness, but I do think that the answer is to ONLY submerge the hubs if they are dead cold, otherwise rapid, uneven shrinkage will allow water to get past the edges of the seals.

Gosh, Steve, I dunno. It's bad enough not being near "real" water (saltwater) here in Western N.C. No porpoises, sea turtles, old fishing communities, tides, sand beaches and sea shells, sea breeze, cool stuff washing up after a storm, etc., etc. But then Don reminds me: No sharks, sting rays, jelly fish, hurricanes' oysters, crow sized skeeters (Also known as the Eastern Carolina state bird).