Enclosed Boat Trailer

I want to purchase a small cargo trailer, for carrying camp gear, etc. You don't see them too often, but they're like a small "pod" shape, with a lid that locks. They're like the tiny enclosed cargo trailers that you sometimes see towed behind motorcycles, only they're a bit bigger for use with a car. Everything I find online is either for use with motorcycles so too small, or too huge such as horse trailer size, or for hauling ATV's & boats, or open utility trailers when I need an enclosed variety. If you could give a website or dealer name that would help alot. Thanks in advance.

Budget and Uhaul sells their old used ones.

2010-04-07 23:34:12 by chickeny_goodness

King's Sales and Service (434-760-6924) is proud to announce Virgina's best enclosed trailer value. We now have well optioned new Trail ...

Well, not buying.. rather I am trading my enclosed trailer for a 1979 Renken 19.5' open bow fish/ski boat. It has a Mercruiser 140 in. The boat is worn with some cracking/tearing in the upholstery. The guy is replacing the starter before the trade. And he says the lighting, horn, and fuel guage dont work. It all sounds like minor stuff that I could fix... mostly old wiring Im assuming. And the starter going out is common problem Im sure..

My question is this... is the boat a solid boat? I know the Mercruiser is a dependable motor, but I know nothing about it. I hear Renken boats are decent, but that they skipped some corners when building them.

What are some common problems I should look for?

I went to look at the boat, but only did a visual inspection. Since the guy hadn't gotten the starter motor, I couldn't start it. We are going back out in a week to test drive it, but I want to go prepared. I am some what of a mechanic.. mostly diesels and motorcycles, but have no experience with boat motors.. although I hear they are pretty easy to work with.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

Sam


Oh yeah.. what would you say the boat is worth? I will post a link to pictures in a few minutes
Heres the link:

http://bipolarkid.cactusflatsdesign.com/ 2008/09/16/trade-trailer-for-1979-renken -195boat/
Thanks for the posts so far.. I do have a compression guage... that is one thing I always check for? I any idea what the average compression is?

what I saw of the interior, looks like normal wear & tear for a boat of that vintage.

Accessory wiring is just basic 12V DC stuff, with fuses and switches -- an afternoon's work and few bucks for materials to redo it all. Even the starter motor is not a real big deal.

do *not* buy without compression testing the motor, if the lowest cylinder isn't within 5 percent of the highest, walk away.

when you get up to that age, you have to look at the individual boat more than the brand. soft floors/decks means a lot of cutting & sanding & fiberglass work, not rocket science, but real labor intensive. Soft spots in the transom is the real hassle -- unless you want a project boat, make sure the transom is solid.

you can evaluate this for yourself on your test run, but 140hp seems a little underpowered for a boat of that size.

it should be able to idle without dieing for a good long while -- it should run at WOT for a good long while, too. Don't baby it.

if it has a clear title, floats without leaking, and the engine starts, idles, accellerates and cruises (and has good compression), and the trailer is roadworthy, it ought to be worth a couple thousand. With everthing operational, and good upholstery, and if that trolling motor works, maybe a bit more.
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"I do have a compression guage... that is one thing I always check for? I any idea what the average compression is?"

Compression test is about as good a measure of overall engine condition as you can do without a borescope. The lake test really supercedes anything else I could think of.

Shifting should be quick and decisive -- it should go into gear with a satisfying "Clunk!" and no grinding.

Raw compression readings can vary from engine to engine and gauge to gauge and person to person (different techniques), but the difference between cylinders is more important than actual numbers anyway. Five to 7 percent difference between lowest & highest cylinder I think most would find acceptable. Without any guidance from an expert on that particular engine, general rule I'd expect to see compression upwards of 110 psi on a motor of that vintage, but 100 would be ok -- 90 would probably be ok if *all* the cylinders are equal and it runs good.

I like to warm the engine up to operating temp first, remove all spark plugs (to ensure good strong cranking RPM), and disable spark by pulling the emergency lanyard. Some say the throttles should be fully open, but that shouldn't make a difference with a two-stroke.

You wouldn't junk a motor with bad compression without determining the cause, but don't buy a motor with bad compression without subtracting the cost of a rebuild from the price.

Up to maybe 12 or 15 percent could just be sticking rings due to carbon build-up, which could possibly be freed up by a de-carb (read about it here: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php? t=158076 works for inboards too).

Any more than that (or if the decarb didn't restore lost compression) you'd pull the cylinder head for visual inspection, might just need a head gasket, or might need a complete rebuild.

2008-09-15 19:26:13 by thehuskybear

Price: $518.00 $326.71

Pulls boats up to 7,500 pounds; vertical lift capacity of 2,400 pounds (single line)
Wireless remote trailer winch for loading your boat into a trailer
Corrosion-resistant, zinc-plated frame and aircraft-quality cable

I use my 2 wheel drive for 90% of the time driving on the road. But , I it to pull a 1200 lbs boat and a enclose trailer with two snosnowmobileshe truck has a 4 speed auto trans. It keeps down shifting the other 10% is pulling this stuff 300 plus miles. I Think the engine puts out 260. What can be done for better towing or torque? and what would you recommend?

The 4.2L V6 is overmatched by the weight of the 04-08 F-150. Because it's so underpowered, it's going to shift alot when towing. You can go to shorter rear end gear, like a 4.10. But other than that there's not alot you can do to improve the towing performance. Bolt-ons like a CAI or exhaust won't help much. I would say sell it and get one with the 5.4L (even with the 4.6L, performance in the 04-08 F-150 isn't exactly brisk). But if you're only towing 10% of the time, if would be hard to justify that.

2010-07-14 18:48:14 by fish

Price: $229.07 $123.86

Maintenance free ? designed to eliminate the need for lubrication or maintenance
Center drive enclosed ratchet system with a user-friendly pull-turn knob to engage ratchet plunger pin
Corrosion-resistant one-piece aluminum frame and one-piece aluminum handle resists damage from moisture and salt.