For obvious reasons when you are trailering your boat you must ensure that boat is secured to the trailer. In addition you must ensure that the mast is secured to the boat & trailer so that in a sudden stop situation the mast doesn’t become a javelin. … More Safe Trailering – securing boat & mast to trailer for a pocket cruiser road trip
Walking around the trailer I couldn’t see a thing. I ran my hands around the tires and on one things didn’t feel right … a bulge. The section of tire that seemed ‘off’ was resting on the pavement so I couldn’t see much. I moved the truck forward about a foot. Looking at the tire I could clearly see that the tread was failing and cords were showing. Back to the shop I went for a tire change! … More Trailer tire lifespan is short
The tires on a boat trailer are not the same as those on your car or truck. Trailer tires are designed and manufactured differently and treating them like automotive tires will cause you problems. … More Safer trailering – tires
Trailers are very different ‘beasts’ than their tow vehicles. Their moving parts – axle, wheels, hubs, lighting get abused through through the multiple dunkings in water … the worse offender being saltwater … and neglect. As a result it is up to you as a trailer owner to keep a close eye on your boat’s ‘road wheels’. In this post I’ll be covering trailer hubs. … More Safer trailering – hubs
I updated the site to have a more detailed introduction page (aka, the ‘Welcome’ page). I have also added a some BLOG posts that detail work done on SWEET PEA’s trailer: Trailer Renovation – Rust to Shine: details making the trailer look ‘shiny and new’. Trailer axle replacement – replacing the very rust damaged axle. Broken trailer … More More site updates
During the last launch of the 2009 sailing season the tongue broke 85% free from the main frame. The pictures below show that only rust was holding the assembly together. I had thought I inspected the frame completely … guess not. I was VERY lucky that the frame didn’t fail when driving. I feel that Neptune was … More Broken trailer tongue!
In March I began the project of replacing the axle and hubs. These were VERY rusted, with the remains of the drum brakes hanging from the hubs. After posting some trailer questions on the Montgomery Sailboat Owners Group (MSOG) listserve, I was contacted by a Canadian M17 owner who had a good condition Trailrite trailer axle (Update: … More Trailer axle replacement
When purchasing SWEET PEA I was very aware that her trailer, built by Trailrite (update: Trailrite is no longer in business as of 2015), was needing renovation. All parts were heavily rusted. I did check to confirm that the frame was still sound. I sling-launched SWEET PEA at Des Moines Marina (Des Moines, WA) a few days after her purchase (NOTE: this … More Trailer Renovation – Rust to Shine
M17 #375 - SWEET PEA 