Salt water and painted steel trailers

[ejnichol]

Seems like a losing proposition but I'll ask. Own a 1995 200 Bowrider SeaRay. It rides on a same vintage painted trailer assuming ordinary steel not galvanized but its what searay sold with boat.

Its never been in salt water that I can tell.

Thinking about taking boat to coast this summer. Is there anything you can do to rinse out salt water that probably would get inside frame during launch.

Only thing I thought would even help would be to repeatedly dunk in fresh water at home Lake launch site after return. An aluminum trailer sure seems nice in such a situation.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

[jzellers]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers.

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers.

I had a painted trailer for my Yamaha SUV and spent two weeks in Florida last spring. Even washing the trailer down everytime I pulled it, I still could tell that the corrosion just from that trip was noticable. I was able to get a hose into the frame rails and flush them which I'm sure helped a lot.

On the other hand, do the best you can to wash it afterwards and you should be ok. You're right, aluminum trailers are the better alternative. I had a custom aluminum trailer made for my SUV that I'm putting the finishing touches on now so I won't have that issue any more.

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers.

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers.

Ya, I am in the same situation with my little Whaler. We put it in salt water once a year and by the time I get it home (7 hour drive), even after a good fresh water rinse...I can see the rust coming up. I'm glad I boat 99% of my time in fresh water......less maintenance issues.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers.

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers.

You can spray white lithium grease(Walmart, Autozone) on hubs, wheels, lug bolts, springs, shackles, other areas with exposed metal and prone to corrosion. The grease sets up a good protective coating which doesn't wash off. I use this also on my tilt and trim motor, pump, rams, keeps them protected. Good stuff!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers.

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers.

Washing off salt water after it has dried does little good IMO.
If you are talking about 2 dunks-one in and one out--once a year, just rinse it well. If you are planning to do it frequently, consider upgrading to aluminum but you may as well wait until this one dies.
Or do what salt water boaters have done for years: don't dunk it. Stop before the water is at the axles. Roll off; power winch on. Not all trailers are built this way anymore, though.

 

[ejnichol]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers

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[ejnichol]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers

Thanks for the replies. Not much I can do then but rinse with a hose down there. I'll probably rent a slip rather than pulling in and out everday. Rinsing with a hose maybe best I can do.

Last year I took my Waverunner down on my old converted sail boat steel trailer and the salt water really goes to work fast but that trailer is 37 years old but has been in salt maybe 15 times not always rinsed. These SR is a porker by comparision and don't like thought of a rust through failure with it going down the hgwy at speed.

Not sure how I could launch it from bunks without getting axles in but its worth studying. If it were one of those old tilt type trailers it that would probably work better.

You would think there would be some type of chemical that you could spray on to neutralize or get he salt to come off but I've never heard of such.

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers

I have a painted steel c-channel trailer on my 15' boat that I launch in the Bay once or twice a month. Like someone said above, liberal lithium grease on the springs and shackles and hubs and such helps. No hose at the launch, so I have a couple 5 gallon water cooler jugs of water I bring with me to rinse with. Even so, every 3 years or so I have to strip to metal and repaint. I've done that twice now, and won't be doing it again, next rig will be aluminum or galvanized trailer.

 

[nlain]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers

I had a painted c channel trailer, it got dunked in salt water almost every weekend at home, had a hose and rinsed well everytime, square tongue rusted from the inside, broke one day when I was in the boat getting ready to launch, I launched boat, took trailer to work, welded in new tongue, then about 8 months later the axle broke due to rust, the channel frame that I could rinse real well was still good. I got an aluminum trailer.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers

If you dip a steel trailer in salt water...even just once...when it's really quiet at night you can almost hear it rust from then on. Aluminum (I had an old Gator galvanized trailer that worked too) is the only way to go....but....

If you don't want to buy a new trailer for that once or twice a season trip to salt water, find a place that will launch and retrieve your boat with a forklift (travelift, etc.). That's the only way to keep the rust fairy at bay. Steel trailers and salt water don't mix. Ever.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Salt water and painted steel trailers

I do this a lot.... Find a ramp a couple of miles up the freshwater river that runs to the ocean, use that ramp, also flushes your motor with fresh water going back to the ramp. Works great, if you can find a river handy!