Outfitting a larger trailer for a Yamaha - anyone done it?

[captainhook]

Lots of Salt Away!!! Rinse out the inside of frame, underside, backside and everywhere I can. It’s a lot of work but worth it.

Are you rinsing it after launching? I’ve read some people bring a sprayer and rinse it down after launching. I’ll probably do that after I figure out what to do for a trailer.

 

[captainhook]

Welp, the used trailer I was looking at sold so I guess that made my mind up. I probably would've bit at $3600 if it lasted another day or two. Oh well, back to the plan of putting the boat on the other trailer to see how it goes. I lined the two trailers up in the yard and while the frame is much larger, it doesn't seem significantly larger once you take into account it doesn't have a swing away tongue like the old one. It's just hard to tell because once you put a boat on a trailer it looks a lot smaller.

 

[Babin Farms]

Are you rinsing it after launching? I’ve read some people bring a sprayer and rinse it down after launching. I’ll probably do that after I figure out what to do for a trailer.

I do not. Back in 2021 it sat for a week after launching in salt water without a rinse twice. Once when we went to Destin and again when we went to Bimini. Didn’t notice much of anything after that and for the past 1.5yrs of launching in salt water it’s just starting to show a little rust on the leaf springs and under the diamond tread on the fenders. Other than that it’s still in good shape. I know that the inside of the frame is rusting even though I rinse it as well as I can and know that eventually it’ll have to be replaced. That’s why I kept a casual eye on Marketplace for a used aluminum trailer. Now that I’ve got one I am slowly replacing everything and in no hurry because the steel trailer is still working just fine.

 

[captainhook]

My wife asked me the other day if I would be mad I was losing the trailer over a $400 difference, I responded that I was not sure. Yet another lesson that I should listen to my wife's simpler way of deciding to spend money or time, I've spent much of the day being a little irritated with myself that I did not buy it. The more I look into this other trailer the more I think it is much too big to fit. Examining my old trailer more closely after thinking hey I can just put some tires on it and see how it goes, I've determined that I should not be towing this thing anywhere as it seems to have gotten worse over the winter. From what I can see it needs bunks (already have those though), tires, axles, suspension, brakes, possibly a coupler, fenders, all associated hardware, and probably lights. The frame of the trailer itself which is galvanized is actually in good shape and no signs of rust at all, it's all the other stuff mentioned that needs replacing. Roughly adding this up it is somewhere around $2500+. In good shape I'm not sure this trailer is worth $2500 complete, so this seems like throwing good money away.

 

[Babin Farms]

Why do you think the other trailer is too big? Too long?
Im going to measure everything on the MFI and try to make the aluminum identical to it as far as as boat and axle placement.

 

[captainhook]

It’s about 2’ longer than my existing trailer and lining them up in the yard almost exactly, it looks like my boat is going to be 2+ feet too short to hit the bow roller. Unfortunately the bow roller cannot move any further back with the way this is designed. I could potentially get another cross member and mount it to that but I’m still using a trailer that’s too long for this boat.

 

[BlkGS]

My wife asked me the other day if I would be mad I was losing the trailer over a $400 difference, I responded that I was not sure. Yet another lesson that I should listen to my wife's simpler way of deciding to spend money or time, I've spent much of the day being a little irritated with myself that I did not buy it. The more I look into this other trailer the more I think it is much too big to fit. Examining my old trailer more closely after thinking hey I can just put some tires on it and see how it goes, I've determined that I should not be towing this thing anywhere as it seems to have gotten worse over the winter. From what I can see it needs bunks (already have those though), tires, axles, suspension, brakes, possibly a coupler, fenders, all associated hardware, and probably lights. The frame of the trailer itself which is galvanized is actually in good shape and no signs of rust at all, it's all the other stuff mentioned that needs replacing. Roughly adding this up it is somewhere around $2500+. In good shape I'm not sure this trailer is worth $2500 complete, so this seems like throwing good money away.


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Hi, I'm Mike, and I'm an over analyze. "Hi Mike" I wanted to invite you to our next meeting, we are still trying to determine when it will be based off everyone's schedules, commute times, weather forecast, and other major events. We are also still nailing down where it will be based on everyone's locations, what venues are available, room colors, if they have coupons, and if we should even meet in person. But once we figure out all that, you're invited.

Jokes aside, you're overthinking it. You need a "new" trailer to do much of anything at this point. You already know what price point a used.one is (~4k) and that's going to likely have its own issues you won't know about. You know a brand new trailer is gonna be 5k plus. You know that new tires, axles, springs, may as well do coupler and brake lines at that point isthe cheapest option. It's a question of no ey vs time working.

I redid my trailer with stuff from trailer. Knowing that everything is new and done right is worth the time IMO vs buying someone else's problem trailer.

 

[captainhook]

Okay you've talked me into buying new--or I think I talked myself into it already yesterday. I found some justification though! 1) I can now take this boat to Ocean City in July which I've wanted to do for years but haven't been confident in my trailer. I've been taking my WaveRunner and it's been a blast, but the other four people in my family can't come. 2) I will buy a trailer that can accommodate the next boat I might buy and then swap the trailers over if it comes to that. If I needed this five grand in retirement, I made more mistakes than this anyways, right?

 

[BlkGS]

Okay you've talked me into buying new--or I think I talked myself into it already yesterday. I found some justification though! 1) I can now take this boat to Ocean City in July which I've wanted to do for years but haven't been confident in my trailer. I've been taking my WaveRunner and it's been a blast, but the other four people in my family can't come. 2) I will buy a trailer that can accommodate the next boat I might buy and then swap the trailers over if it comes to that. If I needed this five grand in retirement, I made more mistakes than this anyways, right?

You're making the right choice for sure.

 

[captainhook]

I bought the trailer this morning after going back and forth on it last night having found a bunch of bad reviews on TheHullTruth from Loadrite trailers made in the past few years. I called 5 or 6 places this morning and I still kept coming back to the Loadrite 5Starr. The Regal dealer (also a Yamaha dealer) and a Parker dealer both told me they use Loadrite for those boats and didn’t see issues with them. I gathered as much insight as I could from the guys I talked to today and none of them had anything bad to say about these trailers.

Ultimately I wound up with a 6000lb load capacity Loadrite 5Starr, specifically the 5S-AC25T6000102LTB1. I went there to buy the 5200lbs capacity trailer that was about 2’ shorter and $400 less, but somehow they sold all three they had in the 90 minutes it took me to get there. I had my eye on the 6000lb one too, just didn’t want to end up in “the same boat” as I am with the Float On. It turns out this one is about the same length as the Float on but far more adjustable and better fit for my boat. The issues I read about on THT were poor parts used during covid, and a proprietary caliper mount on the axle that only fit calipers that didn’t come in stainless and really seemed to suck. Fortunately they are not using those axles now and mine has a traditional four bolt mount that should be pretty universal from what I’ve read. The calipers do seem coated but the guy at the trailer store said they’ll last five years if you wash and treat them but two years if you don’t.

This was quite a bit more than I wanted to spend, the trailer was $5099 (this was a $3600 trailer in 2020) and then tax (6%) and tags ($260), processing and freight ($35 and $25) I was out the door for about $5700. $5099 was the best price I could find anywhere around and seems to be a Florida price, but hopefully it lasts a good long time. I’m planning to try to fit the boat on it tomorrow.

Quick pic (no I didn’t tow with the jack down ).

 

[captainhook]

The boat fit on the trailer with relatively minimal adjustment. I’m glad I didn’t pay the trailer shop $250 for fitment to do what took me less than 10 minutes.

I did notice that all of the bolts, including u bolts are not stainless. Not surprised at this price point but I was hoping it was since it’s aluminum and everybody around here boats in brackish or saltwater and maybe they ordered it that way but no such luck. Debating changing it all now or just waiting until this stuff rusts. I plan to bring a sprayer and wash the salt off after each launch to prolong the inevitable. So far so good with the trailer and it tows nicely.

 

[BlkGS]

Very nice.

Is the hardware at least yellow zinc? I want to say that stainless and aluminum don't play well together, and crate galvanic corrosion. Not 100% on that, I'm not a metals guy.

 

[captainhook]

The hardware isn’t yellow zinc, it looks like clear zinc to me. There seem to be varying levels of that-on my old trailer I installed CE Smith guides which came with clear zinc hardware and it doesn’t have a speck of rust on the u bolts but the nuts are rusted. Perhaps the coating came off when I was installing them.

Some of the brake line fittings do appear to be yellow zinc though.

 

[BlkGS]

The hardware isn’t yellow zinc, it looks like clear zinc to me. There seem to be varying levels of that-on my old trailer I installed CE Smith guides which came with clear zinc hardware and it doesn’t have a speck of rust on the u bolts but the nuts are rusted. Perhaps the coating came off when I was installing them.

Some of the brake line fittings do appear to be yellow zinc though.

Clear zinc is great up until you touch it with other metal and it gets removed or damaged. Yellow zinc seems to hold up a lot better. When you do replace it all, tractor supply sells yellow zinc grade 8 stuff by the pound. Literally they weigh it. Its so much cheaper than going to home Depot or Lowe's it's not even funny.

Can't say I've seen yellow zinc on brake fittings. Usually it's brass.

 

[captainhook]

Thanks for the heads up, wouldn't have expected TSC to be the go to place for that. The brake fittings are magnetic so they are not brass.