New boat getting ready to hit the water..

[nerys]

Thanks to Denise I now know I have a Luger Tradewinds from 1978

Its finally all legal now (registered tagged) I got a motor (thanks denise) a wicked nice Optima Bluetop (thanks Craigslist and $60 !!!)

I got a bilge pump (got most of the water out of it today)

I still need to replace 2 tires on the trailer (ran out of time) and got sticker shock when I went to get the bits to reinforce the super structure. HOLY GRAP 8" galvanised bolts are fraking $3 a pop !!! I was not paying $100 for 24 bolts. Just no way.

Found 25 on ebay for $30 gonna order those.

Got the junk out of the boat. Thankfully the pop top and rear hatch cover were inside! There is a tiny bit more interior than I thought I got a small tablet inside. Cool :-)

Got the lugs loose on one wheel (no snapped studs yeah !) the other side will be harder they are slightly smaller for some reason and RIGHT BETWEEN my wrench sizes (smaller than 21 larger than 19mm grrrr)

They stole all my tools from my car when they ransacked it but left me one set of wrenches. Vermin Grrr

so got to get another wrench set so I can tackle that other wheel.

I was kind of hoping to "tip" the boat again since when it happened last it lifted those wheels off the ground.

Yeah right. I could not even BUDGE that front end clearly it was 100% the water that allowed the boat to tip at all. It dawned on me this was obvious with hindsight. if the trailer was that tail heavy it would have been impossible to tow at highway speeds. It was ROCK SOLID stable on the highway so its plenty nose heavy.

spray bombed it to kill the hoard of mosquito's inside (that was dumb letting the water in their) thankfully there is no interior to ruin :-) hehe

duct taping the fenders up really well. then will use that to mold a set of fiberglass fenders. I figure I can make them for about $12-$15 a pop instead of shelling out $55-$60 a pop for them plus shipping!!! (is there a cheaper way to buy fenders? I would pay upwards of $25 a pop but no more at that point I will just make my own)

Took some measurements. I can lower the front 11 inches and the rear 10 inches and retain 1" clearance between the trailer frame and the keel. I also plan to build a "V channel" in the middle that I will attach after launching the boat. this way it will "self center" when I extract it.

I am going to double up the super structure beams and have them "over lap and sandwich" the cross beams of the trailer. This will make it much much stronger and safer.

I will make these 11 and 10 inches TOO SHORT and bolt it all together.

this way when I launch the boat I can pop off the bunks. sawzall the old beams to the height of the new beam additions and slap the bunks in place again. Bam 11 inches lower :-)

I will install the V channel at the same time since the boat is slightly off center on the trailer now.

More to come!! will get some pics up for you guys too. I am excited to be so close to launch it!

[FSMike]

nerys -
The trailer lug nuts may be SAE rather than metric.
Fenders are soft and pliable for a reason. Fiberglass fenders will crack, break, scar your hull, and generally just not work
I would consider hauling and launching the boat a couple of times before making any permanent mods to the trailer.

[nerys]

well I kind of need to do something with the fenders. They are rotted away to almost nothing. One is completely severed into two parts now :-) I am concerned over being hassled by police with their condition even though the tow distance is very small. maybe 10 miles.

the lugs were odd because one side is a different size than the other side. Just annoying that I was missing that one wrench :-)

I could do them in kevlar (nice and flexible) but now they WOULD cost more than just buying them :-) hehehe

Hmmm I could make some quick and dirty fenders from coruplast with rigidity reinforcements at key points. Could probably do both fender under $20 with that (coruplast is corrugated plastic so would remain nice and flexible)

heck maybe I will just get some cheap trunk lids from the Pick and Pull and beat my own metal fender replacements. Done right I might be able to get matching trunk lids with good paints on them and they will even look pretty when done :-)

[FSMike]

Communication gap.
I thought you were talking about boat fenders, not trailer fenders.
Sorry.

[nerys]

Boats have fenders? mine doesn't at least not what I conventionally think of as "fenders"

Here let me find the picture.

The other one is completely in 2 pieces. They are symmetrical so I can make 2 the same.

ahh I see what you mean by fenders now That rubber/plastic trim that runs around the whole boat.

[carl762]

Those are some nasty looking fenders, which would make me suspect the whole trailer. Inspect it well.

Parked my trailer last week after launch. It needs some anti-sway action welded on before I'm comfortable with it trailing my boat anywhere soon. I need to cover it, definitely.

[nerys]

The trailer is in shockingly good condition. The whole central unit (you can see it in the picture) is nice perfect clean galvanised metal NO rust at all.

Surface rust on the outrigger portion but its surface only. I am going to soda blast the whole thing and rustoleum paint it to prevent further rust. Oil spray any inside channels to inhibit rust.

I do not trust the wooden super structure even though it has proven itself insanely strong. I am rebuilding that portion of it to be much much stronger and "integrated" into the frame of the trailer itself better to distribute loads better. (I tend to over build things better safe than sorry)

Even the bearings are great. The trailer basically SAT for 15-20 years and was never moved but since it was unladen no flats formed in the bearings. I plan to repack them once or twice a year anyway. Trailer bearing failure sucks and I will avoid that.

Because the fenders are FLAT my guess it a small amount of water was able to "pool" on top of them and that is what rusted them away. Or they are just cheap sheet metal. I will take more pictures tomorrow. I will go buy 8 of the expensive bolts so I can at least add my enhancements to the trailer and move it.

More pics and maybe some video tommorrow. will bring a halogen lamp with me so I can get some interior shots.

[David3]

Nuts, bolts and fasteners.

I've had pretty good luck with these guys.



McMaster-Carr



.

[wegman]

Repacking the trailer bearings is an excellent idea. I had a bearing go bad on an old trailer 30 years ago, and it scored the axle. I had to replace the axle. Luckily the trailer manufacturer was not far away.

Good luck with your renovations.

[bljones]

Go to your local discount store and buy a cookie sheet. bend it over the hole, rivet it, done. Get the trailer home and then make a really purty pair of fenders from diamond plate