Trailers for Sailboats

[bellefonte]

Is there a trick to finding a trailer for, say, a Pearson 22?

THe online resources for used trailers seems very scant.

[Maverick1958]

Finding a trailer for my Helsen 22 was well neigh impossible. After about 3 months of searching I decided to make one. I have $350.00 invested plus or minus in the trailer below. It is not as hard as you might think either.

[zz4gta]

You can also use a car trailer and build a removable cradle on top of that. This way, you can tow your boat and have a car trailer if you ever need one.

[tommays]

Powerboats are enough the same that most stock trailers can be adjusted to support the boat correctly (plenty still get it wrong and do hull dammage)

Sailboats are all so vastly different in things like were the places are on the hull that can take the stress of the support pads and they tend to need to be more boat specfic

Which is where companys like Triad come in along with a few others i dont know of right now

[MC1]

You could ask Viking Trailer for a quote; they'll do a professional job that will be safe and will pass state inspections, but it won't be for dirt cheap.

Viking Sailboat Trailers and Cradles

[Architeuthis]

Another option is an equipment trailer. Something like this:

Bobcat Trailer - Load Trail - Built for the Long Haul



Your boat might be able to fit on a 10,000lb trailer but it is better to go larger. If your tow vehicle is limited to 10,000lb or if like me you want to avoid the extra expense and hassle of a trailer registered for more than 10,000lbs you can get the trailer rated and registered for 10,000lbs.

I did this when I couldn't find a suitable boat trailer. It means you will need a cradle which varies in price from nothing (if you build trailers as in one example) to $1G at most. You can then strap or bolt the cradle to the deck.

It worked out very well for me as I shopped hard for the best price on the trailer and ended up selling it for what I paid for it, maybe more if you ignore the cost of taxes (as so many do) and consider it had a couple years of wear on it.

Sure was a nice tow, down right comfortable with the trailer not being overloaded, well built, and everything brand new.

I would do it again but my current boat would be over height on a flat deck, then again it is cheaper than a boat trailer and much easier to sell when the time comes. A boat trailer can take weeks to sell, a like new equipment trailer will sell same day posted.

If you consider buying used then now is the time, lots of equipment trailers out there but lots of trouble with them too.

Edit: On a second look that one is different than the one I had. I think the model I had was called a car hauler, same idea though.

[bellefonte]

good advise all. thanks again

[nissantwa]

One caveat. Inspect a trailer like you would a boat. Bearings can be a pain if they're ruined, the problem is getting them off a crusty saltwater trailer axel. You $500 trailer can end up needing $275 repair. Joint welds, bunk boards, electrical, all that stuff is visible but remove each wheel and inspect both inside and outside bearings and the hubs, not to mention the tires. If the seller objects to you jacking it up and removing wheels, pass.