Inflatable boat trailer?

[ajrunke]

Re: Inflatable boat trailer?

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[CapeAnn]

Re: Inflatable boat trailer?

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[superbowl32]

Re: Inflatable boat trailer?

I am in the process of building a trailer for my Saturn 14' and am thinking about putting a 4x8 plywood on this trailer. Will I be able to back the trailer in the water without any problems like the wood floating too much?

 

[jspringator]

Re: Inflatable boat trailer?

I use a Northern Tool folding utility trailer for my 14' jon boat. No issues with the trailer floating, but I did add a longer trailer tongue. I was easy to remove. I went to a metal shop and got a square piece of steel that was longer than the original. I attached a Walmart hitch and drilled mounting holes to mount it to the trailer. I added a post and winch.

 

[jacoboregon]

Re: Inflatable boat trailer?

here is a modified utility trailer for my C3 with a wood keel. It has rollers and bunks. I use it in fresh and salt water for none the worse for wear so far. I got it used from a guy in the Portland, OR area, so doubt I'm the first to dunk it in salt water. It's about a 1996 trailer. It had a plywood bed when I got it and added the rollers and bunks when I took the water-logged plywood off.

 

[tbwaterdog]

Harbor Freight Trailer Wheel Lowering

Harbor Freight Trailer Wheel Lowering

I bought the 4X8 flatbed trailer from Harbor Freight and it works perfect for my 14' inflatable. And you can trailer with the motor on the boat because the transom is fully supported. The only mods I made to the trailer was I lowered the fenders so they are flush with the rest of the bed and I covered them with white "cutting board" material. (Get the trailer with 8" wheels, not 12" wheels, if you want to do this.) The bolts are countersunk and the tubes sit directly on them. I put two 2X4 rails lengthwise on the outer edges of the plywood deck that act to keep the boat straight when loading and it works perfectly. I added eye bolts to the tongue end of the bed to support a transom bracket. That's it. I also replaced the lights with waterproof ones, but I did that as I was putting it together. I'm actually taking my boat down for the season tomorrow and I can take pictures of the trailer if you think you're interested.

Drowned Rate - I like your trailer setup and would like to duplicate it. In order to lower the 8" wheels do you need to drill additional holes in the frame? Does this limit the amount of wheel travel in the springs? Any other issues in lowering the wheels? Thanks very much.

 

[Loop_Dad]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Wheel Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Wheel Lowering

Setting up inflatable is getting old very quick for me. I'm doing little things to make the setting up faster, but so far it still takes about 30 minutes. For fisherman, that 30 minutes in the morning feels forever! I'm thinking about trailer. This thread is very helpful.

Drowned Rate - I like your trailer setup and would like to duplicate it. In order to lower the 8" wheels do you need to drill additional holes in the frame? Does this limit the amount of wheel travel in the springs? Any other issues in lowering the wheels? Thanks very much.

tbwaterdog, Drowned Rat only said the he lowered the fenders not the wheels.

 

[Loop_Dad]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Wheel Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Wheel Lowering

Question to those who have 8" wheel trailer...Is it stable enough to go 65 mph on freeway? I have a dolly with 8" size wheels and kind of hard to imagine that wheel size can take freeway speed...

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Wheel Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Wheel Lowering

Hi guys, LD is correct, you only need to lower the fenders which only involves drilling two new holes in the fender brackets. Just drill the new holes before you install them for the first time. I was tempted to just leave the fenders off, but thought road debris might spin up and hit the boat. I have driven this trailer all over the place. From Phoenix to Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Lees Ferry, Lake Havasu. 80 mph and it tows perfectly, no drift or bounce at all. Tows straight and smooth. Only thing I've done to it in 5 years is replace the plywood deck with marine plywood and new tires. If you're thinking about doing this project, spring for the more expensive marine plywood right from the start. The original board I put on there was trashed after just one season.

 

[tbwaterdog]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Hi guys, LD is correct, you only need to lower the fenders which only involves drilling two new holes in the fender brackets. Just drill the new holes before you install them for the first time. I was tempted to just leave the fenders off, but thought road debris might spin up and hit the boat. I have driven this trailer all over the place. From Phoenix to Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Lees Ferry, Lake Havasu. 80 mph and it tows perfectly, no drift or bounce at all. Tows straight and smooth. Only thing I've done to it in 5 years is replace the plywood deck with marine plywood and new tires. If you're thinking about doing this project, spring for the more expensive marine plywood right from the start. The original board I put on there was trashed after just one season.

Thanks very much for the replies. Yes, fenders not wheel lowering. Also, mispelled Drowned Rat. Sorry. :facepalm:

I bought the HF trailer today and spent the afternoon bolting it together without the fenders. I see how they are bracketed onto the trailer and I just need to drill a couple of holes higher up. Glad to hear the trailer is holding up so well. I will be fishing both fresh and salt so I am going to really have to watch the corrosion. Luckily I'm only a couple of miles from put-ins to either type of fishing so I shouldn't be stressing the trailer too much. It's going to be garaged too so it generally will be high & dry.

Drowned Rat's setup just looked too good to pass up and it is at least 1/2 the price of some galvanized trailers that only offer minimal bunk support. As the trailer has no enclosed tubes it should be relatively easy to keep up with any rust that starts. We'll see...

Thanks again guys.

 

[saabsaviorlee]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Hey guys bumping this back alive. I too am getting sick of the inflation/deflation process each time at the water's edge. From my research I see that the harbor freight utility trailer is the jumping off point for custom use inflatable trailers. My questions are

1. Advantages of flat plywood deck vs bunk and rollers
2. 8" vs 12" wheels and other variables between the two trailers.

According to HF the 12" trailer has a higher weight rating and better reviews, but what does that translate to me? Ill be towing a 12.5' SIB with a 20hp or 9.8hp if I can ever figure out my motor issues. Any pitfalls or warnings I should be aware of like "if I had known _____ when I was buying/building an inflatable trailer..." Thanks in advance fellas!! also the 2 trailers I'm considering are below. Only a 10$ difference between them at the moment if anyone else is in the market.

8" 950 Lb. Capacity Foldable 4 Ft. x 8 Ft. Utility Trailer with 8" Wheels and Tires
12" Utility Trailer 4'x8' - Heavy Duty Folding Utility Trailer

 

[tbwaterdog]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Hey guys bumping this back alive. My questions are

1. Advantages of flat plywood deck vs bunk and rollers
2. 8" vs 12" wheels and other variables between the two trailers.

I've only had my trailer on the road three times so far, but it seems stable and capable. My inflatable is a 10' 2" Zodiac Typhoon. It fits nicely on the 8' trailer with the rear tubes protruding just a bit beyond the end. I don't trailer the boat with my Tomhatsu 9.8hp as I think it would stress the transom and also cause trailer balancing problems. I built a little rack on the trailer tongue to hold my trolling motor battery and that gets some good weight up front which helps balance things out nicely. It doesn't take much time to mount the outboard before launching, although it does mean luggin around 83 plus pounds first thing in the morning (stretch first?).

To your questions:
1. I like having a deck rather than bunks. I think it supports the inflatable better by spreading the weight over a greater area. I also can easily step up onto the bed and push / pull the boat. I covered my trailer deck with indoor / outdoor carpet from Lowes (about $18 bucks plus hardware) and it looks good and allows the boat to slide easily.
2. The smaller wheels allow the fenders to be lowered a couple of inches to align them closer to the deck of the trailer. I think if you get the bigger wheels you won't be able to do that and the inflatable will sit more on top of the fenders. Not sure if that is a problem or not - just something to consider. Again, not much road time on my trailer, but Drowned Rat has stated the trailer is rock solid and speeds are not a problem with the 8" tires.

Good luck with your project.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Hi guys,

Waterdog is correct about the 12" tire issue. A 12.5' SIB is too wide for the trailer with the 12" tires because you can't lower the fenders enough for the tubes to sit on top. The 8" tire model is the only option.

I trailer my boat, 14' model Saturn, with my 18hp outboard attached and it does great. To overcome the problem of tongue weight, I spin my boat around backwards and load it on the trailer stern first. That way the tongue weight is perfect with the motor attached and the transom is sitting solidly on the deck of the trailer.

I've had this set up for 5 years and no problems. As stated above, it tows great and I've taken it very long distances. Tip, take care of your bearings. This trailer isn't designed to go in the water so you have to stay on top of the grease in the bearings. Bearing buddies are a good upgrade on this trailer. Oh, and use marine grade plywood and treated lumber on your trailer or you'll be changing it out every year.

Good luck, let us know if you have any other questions.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Seems like you could just put a boat like that in the back of a pickup. What are you towing with?

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Inflatable boat trailer?

Here is my trailer, canoe configuration , but you can see the fenders are even with the trailer deck. I also put 2X4 runners along the edges of the deck to further protect the tubes from anything sharp along the rails of the trailer. You will need to put some chafing material on top of the fenders because they also have sharp edges on the metal. I used cutting board material. You can also see the "Stud" I put in the end of the trailer to hold the transom bracket for the motor.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Seems like you could just put a boat like that in the back of a pickup. What are you towing with?

Don't know about the other guys, but my boat fully outfitted weighs about 800 pounds.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Don't know about the other guys, but my boat fully outfitted weighs about 800 pounds.

Sounds like about the same weight as my snowmobile - and that goes in the truck bed

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Re: Harbor Freight Trailer Fender Lowering

Sounds like about the same weight as my snowmobile - and that goes in the truck bed

Well, ok good point. But when it comes to launching the boat into the water and more importantly getting it back in the truck, sorry but I don't see it happening without a trailer Not without a lot of extra work anyway.

 

[shutterfrog]

Re: Inflatable boat trailer?

Hi Drowned Rat,

I have a Sea Eagle 12.6SR and your HF foldable trailer setup looks great, making me to want to make one of my own. The SE 12.6 is my first SIB and I've never had a boat trailer before so I have a few questions hoping that you (or anyone else having the same trailer) can answer before I go out purchase the same HF trailer.

1) Is the installation of bearing buddies the only thing needed to keep the water out of this trailer's bearings and to maintain them (other than adding the grease to it)?

2) After lowering the fender to be even with the deck, has your wheels/suspension ever bottom out and the tires hitting the inside of the fenders?

3) When trailering, the SIB will be the only thing on the trailer and it's approximately 145 lbs. I plan on putting on the electric motor once I'm at the launch so it will not be on the transom while trailering. Will this be too light and causing excessive bouncing and tracking problems while at freeway speed of around 70-75 mph?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Peter_C]

Re: Inflatable boat trailer?

I own a HF folding trailer, and there is no way I can think of to completely seal up the bearings. They have HUGE bearing issues with them mostly due to the size of the tires and the quality of the bearings. 70-75 mph is illegal here in California as anything over 55 can get you a ticket while towing, and you are required to stay in the two right hand lanes. The maximum speed I would recommend with an HF trailer is 60 mph, and that is only after changing the grease to an expensive synthetic. They are known to blow bearings up just read some of the forums regarding the HF trailers. It really has to do with the small size of the tires, and the speed the bearings are spinning at.

Do you plan on launching in salt water? What is your tow vehicle?