Spindrift 12 Trailer

[cdunc]

I am looking into trailers for my S12.  I searched the forums and found mention of the harbor freight boat trailer.  I was hoping to get more feedback from anyone who has one.  I read the manual for it and it says it should not be pulled above 45mph, which seems to be deal breaker.  It has 8 inch wheels.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=5002

I also found a utility trailer at Tractor Supply that might be an option but it would require some mods to support a boat.  It has 12 inch wheels and should be capable of interstate travel.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/wcsstore/ConsumerDirectStorefrontAssetStore/images/products/600/1000215.jpg

Should an S12 rest mostly on the keel or would bunks be sufficient?

Other people have mentioned a used PWC trailer.  The pictures I have seen of those typically only have bunks instead of keel rollers.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Craig

[Steve Day]

I don't know about the other guys, but I have a personal watercraft trailer under my Fast Garvey 11 footer. It is simply bunks and I have no difficulty getting the boat on or off the trailer without getting the hubs in the water. The boat doesn't weigh much with a 15 horse Johnson on it and I can heave it off the trailer easily and winch it back on with the watercraft winch.

I bought the trailer at the local watercraft dealer used for $500. Not a great deal, but all I had to do was adjust the bunks a bit to fit the hull of the Garvey.

Steve

[Oyster]

The watercraft trailer for the small hulls are really nice. This boat is 12 foot long from stem to stern. They are highway use friendly with 12 inch tires unlike the harbor freight ones too or even the john boat ones that have the eight inch tires. While the john boat trailers have a longer neck for launching them, I use a dense purple heart walk board too on mine since there is a span without a support down the middle section over the axles. The trailers normally come with oil bearings and a nice winch stand since these trailers haul more weight than most small trailers too. The down side is that the springs are a bit heavier. So reduce the air pressure just a bit and the boat will not bounce as bad on off the road use. I like it too since with the shorter tongue it fits nicely in a poor mains garage too. I don't ding my shins either with the extra length of the neck. Steve is right, the extra cost between the two is a no brainer. I also purchased roller brackets that have an offset in them and used cypress with carpet for guides which also keeps it centered on the trailer while being towed too. They will bend nicely too if you need to adjust the side angles.

[Steve Day]

Mike,

I like that plank down the center. I might just do that on mine. It is a little of a pain to get the strap hooked without getting your feet wet as mine is set up now.

Steve