If you’re new to trailer sailing, you might be unsure about your trailer’s brake system (or lack thereof). If you own an older trailer, the system could be badly corroded from many wet launches and need repair or replacement. If your trailer doesn’t have a brake system, you might be wondering why and if you should have one. This post gives you the facts you need to trailer safely and legally.
Continue reading “Do it Yourself Trailer Surge Brakes”
How strong is a zip-tie? Could one hold the end of a bunk board carrying a 2,200# sailboat for 250 miles at highway speeds, including over a mountain pass? Would you do it with your boat? How about two, one on each end with a rusted bolt in the middle of the bunk?
Pretty strong as it turns out. The picture below shows the aft end of the starboard bunk just as the previous owner had tied it before I purchased the boat and towed it home. The other end was like it. They held the whole way. Notice that there is no bolt holding the bunk to the bracket. Don’t try this at home, kids. Continue reading “How to Replace Trailer Bunk Boards”
This project isn’t on the boat at all but it can make getting the boat on and off the water faster and easier for the trailer sailor. I’ve used trailers for most of my adult life, so I’m pretty good at backing them up. But getting the hitch ball right under a coupler on the first try is next to impossible without some kind of aid, either human or otherwise. I’ve tried the antenna ball gizmos but they’re not accurate enough if you have a really heavy trailer that you can’t muscle into place. And bless her heart, the first mate tries to line me up right but it doesn’t work out most of the time, which means one or both of us can easily get frustrated. Not a good way to start or end a great cruise.
Continue reading “Speed Up Trailer Hookups with a Backup Camera”
The one thing that my new Calkins trailer lacked compared to the old Trail Rite is an extendable tongue, a necessity at some of our local ramps. The only information on the Internet that I could find about adding a tongue extension was a universal aftermarket extension. But the cost was more than I paid for the entire trailer and I still needed to install a brake system. This looked like another $tingy Sailor project!
When we purchased Summer Dance, the trailer was my biggest concern. It was the original 1981 Trail Rite; well-designed, simple and strong, but it had extensive rust damage from salt water launches. I planned to replace the worst of it but part way through the project, I discovered hidden damage that tipped the scale against keeping it. You can read about the unfinished project in a separate post.
Continue reading “Sometimes It’s Better to Replace Your Trailer Than Repair It”
When we bought Summer Dance, easily the most dangerous damage to the overall package was the trailer spring hangers. The trailer was a 1981 Trail Rite that had been used to put the boat in the salt water of Puget Sound for 30 years of its life. However, in spite of a paint job that the previous owner had brushed on to sell the boat, the frame hadn’t receive proper maintenance. Consequently, the passenger side spring hangers were about 50% corroded away, 100% in small spots. The driver side hangers weren’t quite as bad.
Continue reading “Trailer Undercarriage Repair Made Easy”
The $tingy Sailor 