Building A Boat Trailer

I have a galvanised steel trailer for our boat which has seen better days. I dont have the thousand odd pounds to buy an new one so i need to carry out some repairs. Most of the rust seems to be superficial, rather than eating through the box beams.

Should i take off the excess rust with a wire brush and then paint it with hammerite, or is there a paint that is similar to the zinc allready coating the beams? Should i prime it first then (and if so, what with), or use rust eater or would i be better off and try and build myself a new trailer?

Does anyone have the plans for building boat trailers, or know how much it would cost to dip a whole trailer. The trailer is about 12 foot long and about 5 foot wide?

Thanks in advance...

First of all, for safety sake, you must ensure that the rust is only superficial, hit the structure with a hammer, this will show up any weaknesses. Any holes should be repaired by grinding the galvanised steel back to bright steel and welding mild steel plate over the holes. If the section is too bad you may have to cut and sleeve a section.

Wire brushes merely polishes the rust, use a angle grinder with a grinding disc on it to cut back the rust to bright metal.

Then apply Jenolite in accordance with the manufacturers instructions, prime and paint or just paint with Hammerite.

Hope that helps, email me if you need clarification

2007-01-02 06:30:38 by EvilSpike

HOW I CONVERTED A BOX TRAILER TO A BOAT ONE FOR THIS BOAT groups.msn.com

I am about to build a trailer for my 14' sailing dinghy, i have found plans available for $25, but wonder if there are any free plans out there?
I think you have answered the wrong question Ava (answer 3), i want boat building plans not racist abuse, by the way i'm not british!

I assume you're welding it?

I found this for a trailer:
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge /articles/content/mower-trailer-project. asp

I found this more general idea-page:
http://marina.fortunecity.com/breakwater /274/1998/0115/index.html

But Miller Electric has nice pics of one - no plans though. Sorry.

2009-03-11 17:18:59 by mankmunky

7/8" x 1-7/8" hitch ball, 2 Pcs 10" pneumatic tires for excellent maneuverability
Long handle makes it easier to pick up a loaded trailer
Leverage provided by the 41-1/2" long shaft and 10 -13/16" handle

I do not need anything fancy. I prefer a standard steel as I do not how to weld galvenized or aluminium. Thanks for you input, and have a great day!

From a junk (recycled metals) dealer. I suggest you shop around.

YOU have a great nautical day, captain.

2006-10-30 09:31:19 by Mr. Know it all

Im looking at building a boat trailer in PA and was curious at the process for registration if ther is any?

Yes you need to register it. If under 2000lbs capacity, it won't need inspection. But if you are doing homebuilt then you will need to take it to an inspection station one time for a check over. Save all receipts and list what parts you used so you can document that you built it. Go to a tag and title place, there is a form to fill out.

2007-12-30 11:40:12 by greenmoldy

why is it that people a opposed to building trailers out of wood treaded lumber wont rot and it sure is strong enough they have been making boats out of wood for years going against waves and such and yes it will sink a boat displaces water in a large area a trailer will not and with axles tires and such I am pretty sure it will stay down in the water

Huh! Sometimes I just answer these questions with opinions or facts from a lifetime of working around boats. But, This is plan a dumb idea........As you may know some boat trailers do in fact have wood parts now, but if your thinking that treated wood will not rot, that's wrong, it just last longer than not treated, then you have the strength issue. Why? would you assume wood is "strong enough, which it isn't. A 2x4 might have a tensile strength of 100 lbs on the y axis, but it could have as little as 400 lbs. not nearly enough. Even much larger timbers would have issues that you can't control, like warping, bending, even being way to heavy. Given all that, there's another issue......By law you must register your trailer, and even with the "home built" exemption, it still must meet federal highway safety standards, and I don't think any inspector would pass an all wood frame. And yes they will send a police officer out to inspect it before you get a tag. From an engineering stand point you still need a hitch on the front, and if that's bolted to the wood frame, that is a weak point. As is the axle attachment. And assuming the frame is 60 to 108 inches wide you would need a lot of design work to transition from the ball to the axle width. Can you build it........sure but Why? I'm all for Mother Earth News and Eco friendly projects, but I'd find somewhere else to spend my energy........AND I'm not opposed to your freedom to do this, I just don't want to be driving down the same road. Good Luck .....I think!

2010-02-12 08:57:36 by jmony allen