Stuck in saltwater after trailer breakdown

Mikos

Cadet
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May 14, 2017
Messages
10
Hello,

I have been taking my 21ft Bayliner bowrider out on Puget Sound over the last few years for day trips taking it out and cleaning it up good after wards.
Last weekend when we hit the Marina for the first time this year the rear axle of my trailer broke and I could not get the boat out of the water.
So for the last week the boat has been sitting at the marina in Everett. Turns out the parts for the axle will take at least 7 weeks to show up, so the boat will have to stay in saltwater for another 2 months or so.

is there something I need to do to be extra cautious about?
The boat has the stock outdrive and propeller and new anodes on it (not sure if they are aluminum or mixed ones).

Any tips what to look out for are welcome

thanks
Mike
 

Old Ironmaker

Captain
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Dec 28, 2015
Messages
3,050
I know nothing about saltwater so can't help you there. I do know 7 weeks would seem like a lifetime but at least you can still use the boat, right? Look on the bright side. Is there a temporary fix that can be made? just to hold the boat not travel miles with it. I would also look to rent a trailer until mine was repaired. I am sure they aren't letting you keep the boat in their slip for free so it might offset the slip price. Best of luck, I feel your pain.
 

Mikos

Cadet
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May 14, 2017
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10
Thanks. Renting a trailer is more than the slip over here unfortunately, I checked. thanks for the wishes
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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something is not right for boat axle parts to take 7 weeks.

most trailer stores have complete axles in stock. google shows about a dozen trailer facilities near pugent sound, including 3 tractor supplies that I know have a rack of axles in house
 

oldjeep

Admiral
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May 17, 2010
Messages
6,455
7 weeks? What kind of magical parts are they? I'd suggest calling around to a few more sources for your able. Should be nothing particularly special about an axle for a bayliner trailer. Even the fancy custom trailers use off the shelf parts.
 

JoLin

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Aug 18, 2007
Messages
5,146
Broke a trailer axle and the springs on one side 3 years ago on my way from NY to Florida. Had to have the rig flat-bedded to a boat dealer that also performed trailer repairs (had Boat Tow US towing package with trailer coverage). They removed the axle, torched off the stubs and hubs and welded them to a new axle tube. Replaced the broken springs and remounted everything. 4 hours and I was back on the road. 7 weeks? Even if they're ordering a complete axle, hubs and springs from someplace, all that stuff is readily available. Somebody's screwing with you.

Okay, seven weeks in salt without bottom paint isn't ideal. The boat will require scrubbing and scraping when it comes out, but as long as your anodes are on and in good shape it won't cause any damage. It'll help a lot if you can bring it to shallow water every couple weeks and scrub as much as you can reach.

My .02
 
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Mikos

Cadet
Joined
May 14, 2017
Messages
10
Thanks everyone. This is exactly what I thought regarding the timing. I checked all places in reasonable distance and was not able to find the same powder coated axle to match the original one. When I purchased the boat it came with a powder coated trailer, I know it is not ideal for saltwater compared to galvanized steel but wanted to keep the trailer looking original rather than a mix of galvanized and powder coated so I had to order the axle from the trailer manufacturer and they are backed up 3 weeks+ according to them. The hub, brake disk and bearings are easy to come by here though. There is only one trailer shop close to Everett that was willing to fix it "quickly" but he quoted me 2000$ for the repair and that was just a rip off.
Thanks for all the input.
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
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Mar 25, 2004
Messages
27,036
Dump the powder coated axle and get a galvanized one. It will hold up much better in saltwater. That kind of axle should be available immediately.
 

Maclin

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May 27, 2007
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6,761
Seems to me that even a temporary axle fix now then maybe the "perfect final answer"axle fix once back home at some point is something to consider..
 

TyeeMan

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
849
Do a temporary fix now and purchase a replacement for your other axle right away. One broke, who's to say the other isn't far behind.
 

tpenfield

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Get the galvanized axle. After 7 weeks you will have to rename the boat "barnacle barge". . . .
 

Lou C

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Nov 10, 2002
Messages
11,802
Have to agree with the above, powder coating is not good for a trailer axle that goes in the salt. And a week in salt, if the water is not warm yet, won't result in much growth but 7 weeks, you will cry when you see what the bottom looks like. It will cost you more than the trailer axle, by far, to clean up that mess! Keep in mind that barnacles attach themselves to hulls and outdrives with a glue that rivals any super glue known to man. So scraping them off, for sure will damage the hull and to let that happen to a pristine non bottom painted boat, is a real shame. Get it out of there!

Find out who makes the trailer for Bayliner. Call them up with your dimensions (hub to hub and spring to spring, plus weight capacity) and get a new galvanized axle. Simple and DONE.
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
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Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Do a hack fix on the current trailer/axle to get the boat out of the water and then you can do the proper repair when you can get a new axle.
 

ondarvr

Supreme Mariner
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Apr 6, 2005
Messages
11,527
Get the galvanized axle and rattle can it to the correct color, this is a far better option.

​The front axle will fail soon too due to the saltwater, so both will be galvanized at that time.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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powder coated axles are nothing more than painted axles.

a raw steel axle and a can of rustoleum will last as long as factory powder

get a galvanized axle (or better yet two), get your trailer fixed.

FYI as others mentioned, your other axle will soon fail
 

Mikos

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May 14, 2017
Messages
10
Thanks everyone for the great tips and information. Love this community. I will take your thoughts into account, have setup a professional cleaning at the marina for once I take the boat back out and will give it bottom paint at that point.
Water is still pretty cold ~55F and I am taking the boat out for a ride at least once a week, will that help inhibit the Barnacle growth?

I have checked the other day with diving goggles and have not seen any growth yet after a week and a half just the brown ring from the marina water someone mentioned.

I talked to the manufacturer of the trailer and the galvanized axles are not available until June 15th and there are none in the right dimensions locally that are available faster, seems to be the start of boating season has depleted inventory. Karavan Trailers told me today that one of their distributors has a powder coated one that matches the trailer in stock as some one ordered it and never picked it up. So I might be getting the axle and the hub assembly end of next week.

Eventually I will replace the trailer with a galvanized one anyhow as the salt will eat on the rest of the trailer too :S.
I wash it diligently at the end of every trip and pressure wash the whole frame of the trailer and the wheels. I will pay even more attention to that going forward to reduce the potential damage.

Checked all the other axle ends last weekend and they have zero corrosion all nice and shiny :). I think the issue with the end that broke was that the axle was damaged prior to me purchasing the boat as it had a weld where non of the others had a weld, that may have contributed to the bearings/seals not being seated correctly and failing over time.

This is my first boat I own (as you might have guessed) so I am learning and learning fast. I got a good deal on it but I think I am finding out various reasons why that is the case too. It seems the previous owner had an accident with it and tore the ski tower off the hull. It got fixed professionally and it looks like new on the outside but when you crawl in and look under the gunwale you see a lot of additional resin and fiberglass that does not exist on the other side and all the cables and wires are spliced around the same location too. Dealer said "no accident" when I asked and told me a story about manufacturing processes but that is a theme for another thread I guess :)

thanks again and happy boating

Mike
 

Mikos

Cadet
Joined
May 14, 2017
Messages
10
Thanks ondarvr. I checked with them first as I bought breaks from them for the trailer a year ago. Nothing in stock :( But luckily the manufacturer was able to get an axle sooner than initially projected. So all should be well in the end.

thanks again to everyone for all the great insight
 
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