A friend who offered to sell me a trailer for my PC several months ago has just changed his mind. Now that I am a month or two away from finishing my boat, I need a trailer--fast. I didn't budget for a new trailer and I can't find anything in the classifieds (lots of people will sell old boats with trailers, but nobody is selling a trailer alone). So...I am thinking about getting a $320 trailer from Harbor Freight. The catalog says it works for boats up to 14 feet and 600 pounds, which sounds like it will just work for the Pocket Cruiser. It has tiny wheels (8") but I assume I can replace those with something larger, if necessary.
Does anyone have experience with these trailers? I think at least one other PC builder is, or was, using this model. I'm not going long distance. For the time being, I just want to get to a nearby state park and the Chesapeake is less than 100 miles away.
Old boat is your best bet. most places will let you haul it to the dump. You will have a trailor with larger wheels and do a better job. the harbor freight trailor is a peace of crap and you still have to fix where you can get the boat on it. bye the old boat on a fit trailorl Some times free for the taking good luck Bud
A co-worker heard we were building a sailboat and and asked if we needed a trailer, they had out grown their "pop up camper" and we could have it for "Free". After a few hours with my sawsall we have a nice clean rust free frame with 13" wheels and a spare. Another friend, a welder has offered to stop by when we're ready with some scrap angle iron and "do it to it", we'll have to get the crank thing, lights and paint.
         Alan
I'm still hoping for a miracle and have a trailer drop in my lap, but I'm looking at the Harbor Freight trailer as a backup plan just in case. So I guess I am asking: If no other options emerge, would this trailer work for a PC, despite its less than robust construction? Bud, what kind of modifications are needed? I can build things out of wood, but I don't do welding.
I don't know the laws in other states, but in Pennsylvania, trailers need to be titled and I was warned by people who know not to accept/buy a used trailer that does not have a legal title. That limits my options.
Don't assume you can put on bigger tires. Check that out to be sure. The 8" tires are an accident waiting to happen with that much weight that high above the axel. There are things about marginal trailors that I don't think work well with boats. Air can be very fluidic at 55-75 mph. Will the light weight trailor deal with the effects of the direct wind as well as side gusts? One modificaton is also a concern. Can you attach bunk boards each side of the centerline to support the boats hull? Another modification might be adding a keel box. A keel box would run the center of the trailer and hold the keel of the boat. Keel box is an 8' - 12' "U" shaped box formed from 2/6 and lined with carpet.
I bought a boat and trailer for $200. I took both directly to the dump, cut the rope, and dove out from under the boat. I paid a local kid to sand the old paint to eliminate rust and then painted the trailer with Rustoleom paint that is suppose to encapsilate rust and make it stable. I then top coated it with cheap Krylon spray paint. It has been about 2 years and still looks nice and white. It had 8" tires and I was very worried that I wouldn't get to the dump without a problem with them and that was driving 30-40mph. It now has 12" tires and pulls very well at 75mph. My advice is keep trying on the used trailer front.
I believe that there have been a number of builders who have used the Harbor Freight trailer successfully - hopefully they will post. I'm not one of them though. After reading horror stories about used trailers I went out and bought new from a manufacturer who happened to be in the next village over.
I'll second the comments on the keel box. After getting some comments from others here I did something slightly different :-\
One comment was that much of the weight of your boat should sit on the keel, not on the bunks while trailering. This came after I discovered the boat shifting during some experimental trailering sessions. The other was that water could get trapped in the keel box and encourage rot.
So what I did was to bolt 2 2X4s covered with outdoor carpet to the frame to make a keel guide. I also picked up a second roller which I mounted on the aft end of the guide. The bunks were adjusted so that the hull just touches them.
When I retrieve the boat, I just point the keel in the guide and it rolls right up. I would worry about the pressure on the keel from the rollers, but I have a steel strip on the bottom of the keel.
Andrew,
Thanks for the photo and information about your modifications. That really helps.
I'm still mulling over the Harbor Freight option. I checked a couple of other forums (especially Duckworks and Jim Michalak's discussion area) and got the impression that these trailers are widely used. Most people seem pretty happy with them. But insight from someone who actually used the trailer on a Stevenson boat would be really helpful.
I am also learning that these trailers are not quite as cheap as they first appear. They cost $329. But I need to add shipping ($88) and the cost of the "enhanced physical inspection" required for all kit-built trailers titled in PA (another $100 to $150, apparently). Additional modifications could cost another $100. That's getting within shouting distance of a new, already assembled trailer.
I just find it irritating that I might spend one-third of the cost of my boat on something as boring as a trailer.
Harbor Freight trailer have a "heavy duty" upgrade, which is larger diameter tires and possibly slightly bigger springs. These trailers work okay for light boats, but a PC and a Weekender do push the envelop in this regard, especially without the "upgrade".
I'm not sure where you live, but every major metropolitan area has a used and remanufactured trailer supplier. Naturally, this is much more so near large bodies of water. These outfits buy used trailers then rebuild them. New bearings, wheels, lights, wires, hitches, etc. You'll pay about half of a new one, but the rebuilt one will have all new stuff where you need it.
I have have very good experiences with the HF trailers. I have had the folding model for years...with 8" tires. I have taken that trailer on several 5-6hr trips at 75mph. I think that as long as the road conditions are favorable and you have packed and greased the bearings properly, you will be fine. I was in need of a trailer quickly for my recently completed Ply-Flier. After many searches on Craig's List, etc, I decided to purchase the HF trailer. I live in Pa, and it was not a huge problem getting it properly documented and licensed. You simply have to follow the directions that they have for a "specialty construction" trailer. It will involve taking pictures of it, getting it weighed and inspected. In about 30 days they mail you your plates and a vin number. Not too difficult. By the way, the boat trailer will accept 12" tires if you feel that you need them. What ever tires you go with, make sure you get a spare! I never had a problem, but you never know. I also carry with me (on a long trip) a fresh set of bearings that are packed and put in a plastic bag. You will also need to purchase a trailer jack (about $20) and a winch (about $15). Let me know if you have any questions.....I have been quite pleased.
Chad
Chad, this is great information. Thanks! I'll look for your boat (and trailer) when I finally get on the water. Do yo think the boat trailer could handle a 550 lb boat?
Where are you sailing? I'm in eastern PA--about an hour NW of Philly.
Paul