trailer mods!

[HIGH and DRY]

hi people,

i have done a search, but could not come across any info as specific as i was after. i have had my boat/trailer nearly 1 1/2 years now and even after religous maintainance, the trailer is suffering from a bit of 'white rust'. I had my mate over the other day who is a brilliant welder and all round clued up sort of bloke, and he got me thinking:o ... all the brackets that hold the rollers up and aligned, are only bracketed so they can use the trailer for other models of boats, and can be massed produced cheaply. He suggested that we do away with all the brackets and bolts, and simply weld the uprights exactly where they are onto the frame of the trailer. because we would have to grind the gal back to weld it, i am keen on the idea of painting the trailer, and giving it a new lease on life.

has any body done either of the above??? weld or paint? i would be keen to hear how it went, or listen to any suggestions/comments.

we are also painting the boat soon, so i might start another thread on that and put a few pics up!!

cheers

pete

[tin can marlin]

I would contact duniber they seem to be the most clued up on trailers ask for david top bloke and reel helpful. Regards mark

[joeT]

My motto is if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[trev1]

you could weld the uprights direct BUT nothing going in and out of salt water regularly lasts ( for the price ) like hot dip galvanising and I doubt you will find a paint that will withstand ( over time ) that will last like galvanising. I have made a few boat trailers in my time and the welded areas are always the first to go. Dont forget also if you weld on the outside of the box steel, you are burning off the galvanising on the inside , leaving it open for rust.
If its a white powder on the trailer you are worried about, thats just the zinc oxidizing and doing its job of protecting the underlying steel.
What I would do , leave the trailer set up properly for your boat, pressure clean it , and give it a liberal application of a product called " Tectyl 506 " or if you cant get hold of tectyl, fish oil ( fisholene ) and give it a coat every year or so.

[tin can marlin]

The other point is it worth fixing it maybe sell id second hand get good money for it then buy a new one. Regards mark

[Roughasguts]

My motto is if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Yup I live by that one too.

Ain't no point fixing something that ain't stuffed.

May as well fix something that is stuffed ! or do some preventative maintenance instead.

Anyway grinding the gal back then welding ain't a great idea.
Unless you get the repair re-galvanised cause she will rust nicely even if you use a gal stick to run over the weld straight after. Gal stick is great but moisture can still get under it if not done properly.

[tin can marlin]

Yeha i think roughasguts is correct what ever you do don't grind the gal back.

[HIGH and DRY]

my mate offered to make me a stainless trailer, but was very quick to point out that it will work harden and most likely crack. he seemed to think that the oxidising was caused by disimmilar metals, as in the stainless shackes over the frame ( which is where it is concentrated).

what is galvanising worth?? i must also fess up that i like to tinker with things and make them look good, so this is also part of the reason. i spent $35 000 on a corolla, so that might put it into perspective!;D

pete

[joeT]

My motto is if it ain't broke don't fix it.

To further elaborate, if you keep up a good maintenance routine like you currently do, the trailer will last you years and years. The oxidation on the surface of the trailer is normal and thats what a used galvanised trailer looks like. A trailer is never going to look pretty no matter what you do to it, and unless there is somethings wrong with the uprights at the moment, if they are holding together well than its also doing its job.

A painted trailer is not as effective for rust prevention than a gal trailer. That is why most boat sit on gal trailers. The reason being that the sacrificial properties of galvanising are still effective even if there is a scratch in the gal. If paint is scratched the exposed surface will rust.

Since you're painting the boat, I would direct efforts to that project rather than the trailer.

[Roughasguts]

Galvanising is pretty cheap only a few dollars for the material.
They weigh your completely stripped trailer after they dip it in acid to clean it.
Then weigh it again after the hot gal dip and hell it's probably less than a hundred bucks for the gal.

Now all you have to do is find a place that will do it for a few dollars and you have to transport your stripped trailer to the out let that can do it.

It's going to be a fair bit of work, and you have to ask your self is it worth it your gal trailer will still shortly look like crap again.


Buuut any one tried powder coating there gal trailer ?

I got some steel done a few years ago and that was only a buck a metre over gal.

[HIGH and DRY]

thank you for all the replies! i think in my quest for fashion, i have over looked function:-[ if it is normal for this to happen, i will continue with my current cleaning efforts and keep up maintainance as required. my efforts may be better concentrated on the boat. just wish there was a way to spruce up the trailer without affecting the integrity of the trailer!

[Roughasguts]

Find some cold gal in the very shiny silver colour.
That will do the trick and help the trailer last longer.
But all I can ever find is the ugly grey cold gal in the spray cans.

[coelacanth]

You will be hard pressed to find a galvaniser that will re gal or dip a used trailer these days .OH&S is the issue as they have had things go bang in the pots acc to a local trailer mafg. The most important thing you should do is wash/spray you trailer before you head off fishing, I use a garden sprayer H2O will do or you can put an additive in if you like .Think about it ,if you fish for say 6-8 hrs leaving the trailer to fester in the salt that it got from launching then you dilligently wash it when you get home or at the ramp if water on tap then the damage is already done. It will take you only a few minutes to quickly wash the trailer down b4 fishing, I concentrate on the hubs /brakes and the back end and since doing this the trailer has not looked back.Did think about setting up a little business doing it at the local ramps but would only get cranky not being able to fish and probably get treated like the clowns at the traffic lights washing your windscreen(loosers). Anyway ,new to the site so this is my 2bobs worth.IAN

[Stuart]

I have done this before, forget getting it gal diped. If you want some thing that will last forever get it sand blasted and then hot metal sprayed. Dont even wast your money on painting it in cold gal as this stuff lasts about 5 minutes in salt water. Ho tmetal spraying will last for ever and a day.

Stu

[Martijnf]

my mate offered to make me a stainless trailer, but was very quick to point out that it will work harden and most likely crack

I used to work with a bunch of guys who fished off of the local beaches here in Holland in similar sized boats and one of them (our mechanic) built a bunch of stainless steel trailers for them over the years to replace their galvanized ones so apart from the cost I don't see that it would have to be a problem. Worked like a charm for them anyway.

Obviously being beach-based the trailers were well and truly dunked in seawater a couple of times a week.

[coelacanth]

If I remember rightly the staino will harden over time and the welds will crack, Aluminium is another option. stainop ok for a boat that is not trailered distances .IAN

[kitch76]

Powder coat is no good either as it is porous and will eventually let go. Why no clean the gal back and spray with a 2pac paint

[Oh Gee]

One other problem with a stainless steel trailer is someone would steal it just for the scrap price.