Almost finished building my boat trailer

[Wild Dingo]

Great stuff Mike... did you work to a set plan? does a plan come with the boat plans or did you purchase some plans from somewhere or do you need to make it up as you go type of thing?

Oh and whats that white stuff in the pics?

[Mike Pennington]

Hey there Wild One,

I made it up as I went, can't you tell Actually, I've been looking at other folk's trailers for a year now. If I saw one that looked similar to what I wanted I would pull over and take a quick peek. The only thing I would change is I should have used C-channel steel like Frank suggested above. But what's done is done and this trailer will get a lot of use.

The trailer is a little higher than I planned, but I'm hoping that the extended length will compensate by getting the boat further out in the water at the boat launch.

If not I am going to cut the cross bars out about eight inches in the center and weld a trough for the keel down the center of the trailer.

For those who think the trailer is big :roll: Just fits my friends. And the tongue weight turned out perfect.

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQAIA!cXT7lxtnEP*hJS!vjMsWPvCLJcmpcWyGMEihWndrddCYs26AaIxz50hZoIFDyet75O1tQGQLHbanng6Nl3Np8FLxsQ!IhywZXoEvopwmP3p8gojdY8SSGZkDWe/P4230001.JPG?dc=4675519507960896082

Tommorrow, I will fabricate the bunks to level the boat out. I was able to find some inch and a half rectangular tubing that fits in two inch rec, should work well enough.

The ten foot wooden trough worked great for keeping the boat lined up while I cranked her on to the trailer. I used four inch by two inch wide square pipe clamps to secure it to the cross pieces.

The one think I will do after I get back from the Homer wooden boat festival is get a bigger winch, something with a little more leverage. The one I have works fine when the boats in water, but picking the boat off dry ground is a pain. ME ARMS ARE FALLING OFF :wink:

I am also going to weld up a dry dock platform to off load the boat in for easy loading back up. This metal fabricating is a blast, if I want it and I can figure out how to make it - I'm going to do it.

Getting close to being done with the trailer, bunks and trailer lights are all that is left to do. Maybe fenders if I have time.

I have a few things to do on the Vacationer yet too.

Thanks for all the interest and encouragement guys, your positive attitudes and suggestions have helped me out a lot.

Mike

[Dave R1]

Mike, your trailer looks really good. I like the idea that you left it wide up toward the front. You could weld a piece of expanded steel up there to give you a platform to stand on when launching or recovering the boat. You could put a walkway down just off center, too

As to the height, maybe you should look at torsion axles. That would allow you to lower the trailer without doing anything to the structure. Fenders would be a good idea to prevent the boat from getting hit with rocks while your driving.

Looks like you've lost a lot of snow in the last week. That's a good sign.

[Mike Pennington]

Yeah, I'm kicking myself. Torsion axles would be a lot lower. My son wants me to buid him a snow machine trailer, single axle. If I can pick up one more small trailer to build I'll trade out the axles.

Yes, I am going to put in platforms, no doubt about it. I am so tired of getting wet putting this monster on the trailer. Last year I got swimmer's itch twice messing around in shallow water. ( Swimmer's itch is a microscopic tropazote that digs in beneath the the flesh. The cure is a cortizone shot.)

After I launch the boat, and I see how far I have to drowned the trailer, I may even weld a metal tool box up forward too. I also still plan to weld up a frame for an engine stand for the new Honda outboard. Though that may still be a detachable support frame at the stern. I think I have a plan that will work real well. I'll see as I go.

The trailer bunks were a chore. Mr. Fabricator is ready to hang up his hat. However, I now have removable bunks. Very happy with the way they turned out.

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I still have nine days to work on the boat and trailer before we leave for Homer to join our friends at the Kachemak Bay Wooden Boat festival.

Tomorrow, I'm going to build a Super Rudder, the old one is five years old and has been repaired as many times it seems. Time for a new one.

If I didn't use it to climb up on the boat it would probably have lasted longer. :shock: Maybe I should pick up a boarding ladder, Huh?

I also bought a swagging tool, tomorrow I am going on a hunt for a beaded car seat cover. That or hit the bead stores. But the Wolf is getting beaded mast hoops this week one way or another.

[Mike Pennington]

I put the motor on today, I still haven't built the brace, maybe tomorrow.

I bought two fenders at $56 a piece, hopefully I'll get those welded on tomorrow as well.

Here is a picture of where I'm at so far.

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQAaAwEYW7yAEOb4CT!9jYxEaqU4cHVQfrD5rtDCILm*PlZ4rEpJpGndbt!gcqVyK7j6ndHBxF3abOz1VYu8vuhkExAsJ6BEUWH9HvN4LtaYKsE7DP5uAu0dvnkGMO8f/P4300006.JPG?dc=4675520489055026103

[JMetzner]

Awesome Mike, that looks fantastic!!!

--John M.

Fairbanks, AK.

[Craig]

Looking good there Mike. I am interested in your motor strut design. How about some close ups when it's done please?

[Mike Pennington]

Craig,

Here is one pic. I'll go out and take a couple more and post them. With the motor down it rest on the frame. Lift the motor and loosen the half inch bolts and the frame slides up and out.

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQAdA*wX8rqabZX4PFLoq7hDbGjqaDdTWAYDZPMuR99RoKnjlAgqWpmCstJpqtMxPKO1pzXFOxUyt6dcqog3WqoswcWSckj6Zi0jbAJymRw3s5YspFh89lzkVY4gdvpv/P5020001.JPG?dc=4675520771679749651

[Mike Pennington]

Here are a couple more, I lifted the motor so you could see the square a-frame I welded up. I plan to attach some one inch foam pipe insulation on the top bar for padding.

The second pic is how I attached the frame to the trailer. I welded a 1/2 inch nut to each two inch rectangular steel sleeves I welded to the trailer. The support frame is 1-1/2inch rec, fits with a little slack all around so it is easy to take in and out. When the 1/2inch 1-1/4inch bolt is tightened down it doesn't go anywhere.

The upcoming 1168 mile round trip trailer sail to Kachemak Bay in Homer this coming weekend will be the true test though.

If your boat over hangs your trailer a bit, you could weld the sleeves under the back bar of the trailer and weld some legs at ninety degrees off the out board support frame to make up the distance.

I love this welder Lincoln T-135, even with my little experience I can fabricate what I need.

Hmm, I just remembered your mount is stationary. What you can do is make the bottom half of the perpendicular frame out 2inch and the upper half out of 1-1/2 inch. That way you could slide it up and down. Then weld some short pieces of 1-1/2 in the bottom of the 2inch part of the lower frame to slide in to the sleeves attached to the frame.

If my explanation doesn't make since, e-mail me a pic of where the motor sits in perspective of the trailer and I will mail you a rough drawing.

jmpenn -at- gci.net ( at +@)

Mike

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQAhA*0XOruabZX4PFLoqxrqs!h4xyptML*MfGZw!phzKZ9L0NUzXfsOvCHOl6va6O7RLGMXReBKPpaGWMiBJyEMUyKEJLDlntJmBoYjqTET8jTz1C3!E3!rFKSlzHSo/P5020002.JPG?dc=4675520772729646453

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[Craig]

Hi MIke. I see what you have done. I don't overhang the trailer frame that much. I was thinking more about the struts that hold up the motor foot, like on bass boats. I see now that you are bracing the mount. That would be much easier to do on my boat. I will take a look tonight and see how that would work. You sure get a lot done for a sick guy Mike...

[Mike Pennington]

Litlle bits at a time. Believe me I take lots of breaks. :wink:

[Craig]

Mine looks like the best I can do is a 45 degree strut from the frame to the bottom of the mounting plate. With a 1.5" transom on that side that may work. I got my Kranze iron and top mast ring back today. The workman ship is a bit off but the power coating looks nice and the price was very right. If everythng works to my satisfaction I'll redo them in SS later.

Got back from JAX this afternoon from Saralee's check-up. All the blood stuff was well within the normal parameters so the digestion is OK. Still trying to get the last of the incision to close. She is left with a tube like hole about 3/16 x 3'4" long that is very slow to close. It is really beginning to bug her. Glad you are doing well MIke. Don't overdue it...

[Mike Pennington]

Ouch! I hate it when we don't heal right. Mrs. Saralee is a lucky lady to have you, and you her. 8)

I'm going to try and build one of those top mast rings this summer, though I wish I had done it before I cut my new mast. I'm afraid I made a few mistakes, again. But I got the mast stepped today and the rigging on. I have never been happy with the hinge set up either, but I'll manage another season. :wink: I was in a hurry to get ready for this weekends sail.

I am cutting my old mast down for my new boom in the morning, the old one is very warped.

The gaff has been chewing up the mast when raised, so I tried to smooth some edges. May put some kind of padding around the jaws, but I haven't found any leather. I may wrap the mast with something temporary until I get it figured out.

I'm leaving thursday morning, I have a doctor's appointment friday in Anchorage. I've decided I need a second opinion, the doctors in Fairbanks aren't the best and I'm having a hard time trusting them. They have not done anything so far that has solved my problem. It has been maybe it is this or that and lets try this to see if it works.

Then I'm off for Homer for a three day sail. Maybe I'll get hired down there, that would be nice.

Mike

[Craig]

Hope your checkup goes well Mike. If you look at my gaff jaws you will see the really high tect method I used to keep them from eating the mast. They are leathered with the tops of Jim Stall's wife's last pair of junp boots! They were just big enough to fit and sewed together with black lace cord. Leather is a bit pricey in Fla it seems, so you try to use what you have. Some one mentioned using a copper sheet to cover the mast at the wear point. Can't remember just who now.