help me find a trailer for a 12 ft jon boat

just looking for some to pull behind my truck.Boat only weighs about 125-150.Maybe 250 full loaded minus me.I was thinking a trailer from harbor freight but does anyone have something similar that they use?
trying to keep it down to around $400. I tried craigslist but have no idea what I need.

Re: help me find a trailer for a 12 ft jon boat

If you can find a cheap jetski trailer with dual bunks that will work, that's what I used for my 12 foot jon boat that I just sold.

Re: help me find a trailer for a 12 ft jon boat

Northern Tool sells inexpensive new trailers. They ship them in pieces and it only takes a couple hours to assemble them. Or, if you have a Tractor Supply store near you, they sell a similar product. In either case, you get all the paperwork with it as well.

I have used my jetski trailer to transport a cartopper a few blocks, but it is not suitable for normal hauling. Jetskis are about 10' long. Your 12 footer would stick out the back too far. Certainly could not use it with the motor attached.

Re: help me find a trailer for a 12 ft jon boat

if the boat is too long for the trailer, just put the motor in the boat. It won't hurt it if it hangs off a little bit for a short trip.

Check around any school sailing programs, too; the boats they use have lightweight trailers and you may find one for sale.

Re: help me find a trailer for a 12 ft jon boat

LOL @ me if you like, what I used for the last 10 yrs is a harbor freight folding trailer cost me $250 or so....and like $80 to permanent tag it. what i did was sheet it with 1/2 ply and screw two 2x4s down to the 1/2" ply with the boat on the trailer. The original lil tires did yeoman duty for 8 yrs....they failed last yr after 1 1/2 yrs of sitting flat in the arizona sun... neglect to say the least. I went to wal mart and put the largest 4 lug tires i could buy on it... had to reposition the fenders about 2" higher to clear the tires.
oh, on the back of trailer i put a 2x8 and screwed the plate flat to it.... when i find a spot i want to launch I can literally push it right through the rushes and let it hang off of drop offs to allow me to launch anywhere i want... it is light enough that i need not worry about it.
a side note though, the bearing caps that come with it will pop off on your way home from the lake... i havent been able to find bearing buddies that will fit it, but i figure 10yrs still isnt that bad for so lil outlay, and they are still going strong.

whats nice is if i need a trailer for my quad, or a dump run we just take the jon boat off and have a perfectly useful trailer.

Sean

Re: help me find a trailer for a 12 ft jon boat

I bought a 12' tracker Tadpole about 10 years ago and it came with a trailer the PO had made out of a pop up camper. The basically just gutted, threw some plywood down, put some carpet on it and registered it as homemade. I sold the boat about 5 years ago, but still have the trailer. I use it for dump runs, hauling stuff to camp, the 4-wheeler and so on.

I see junk pop ups on CL around here alot for $200 or less. You might even make a few bucks on the aluminum and get a dirt cheap trailer.

Re: help me find a trailer for a 12 ft jon boat

When I had a 12' jon boat, I transported it via a car-top carrier. No trailer needed.

Re: help me find a trailer for a 12 ft jon boat

My buddy bought one a couple of years ago from harbour freight and its holding up well. The only issue as mentioned above are the axle bearing caps, he hasen`t found a bearing buddy that fits just right. He has a pair on there now but they just won`t seat flush.