Q & A

I have a 2003 Magic Tilt galvanized trailer, It is used in saltwater 1-2 times a month at most. I ALWAYS flush brakes and spray down entire trailer with fresh water at the ramp when the boat is put back on and done for the day. The tandem axles have an extreme amount of exterior rust but its only on the axles as the pictures I've attached show. Why are the axles rusting so bad but the rest of the trailer appears new? Will these axles fail and need to be replaced soon? M. Stepp

MIKE: I am somewhat stumped on this one. After reviewing your photos there is quite a difference between the trailer frame and the axles. My thoughts are as follows: the axles do see more time in the saltwater than the frame and you most likely are not able to rinse them as well as the frame. Considering the condition that they are in I would keep a very close eye on them and consider replacing them in the very near future to avoid a catastrophic failure. Perhaps there was something that went astray in the galvanizing process; but I am not a metallurgist and cannot say for sure. When you do replace the axles you may want to consider coating them with an undercoat product or corrosion control spray to prevent this from occurring again.

GEORGE: That's a lousy galvanizing job. Go to a hardware store and buy Rustoleum Galvanizing paint. Scrape the old surface, apply the paint and be sure to do it every 2-3 months.

I want to put new bottom paint on my boat (18' bassboat) which, unfortunately is on the trailer outside. I've arranged to get some friends to come over and help but I'm not sure what will work to get it on blocks? I can rent jacks but how do I position them? Can I use 2X4's or should I use a thicker wood? Help!
T. Patterson, Leland, MI

GEORGE: Put a jack under the bow and raise the boat off the trailer. Paint as much as you can and let it dry. Then put two jacks on either side of the transom and raise the boat. Paint as much surface as possible and let it dry. A 2"X4" will work fine for this.

MIKE: First of all, why are you putting bottom paint on a bass boat? Choose your paint wisely. Choices are limited for boats that travel at higher speed, you don't want to go through all of that work and have the paint wash off after your first run to the fishing hole. So, if you must paint it, my recommendation would be to find a local boat yard that can lift your boat off the trailer and "professionally" block your boat. They will use a fork lift which will equally distribute the weight of the hull and thus avoiding damage. They will also have the proper equipment to and experience to block it properly. Usually you can make arrangements to have the boat on blocks for a day or two while you paint it. It will save you a whole lot of time and your friends will appreciate it.

Mike & George, Last summer we bought a new Boston Whaler, trailer and Mercury outboard. It's our first experience at trailering our boat. Everything has worked great with one exception: We bought two 40" white PVC lighted guide posts from West Marine which were installed on our trailer by the dealer. On our first journey from the dealer to our home both lights on top of the guide posts failed. Later the boat was brought back to the dealer and both 12v light bulbs (# 1157) were replaced. On our way home, once again, both lights failed, one after 40 miles, the other after 70 miles. The wiring had been checked and found to be perfect. The contacts are new and clean-never been used in salt water,etc. Do you have any thoughts about what is causing these bulb failures?? What remedy would you suggest? Surely we are not the first trailer owners to have experienced this difficulty. Any help will be most appreciated.
D. Morley, Lebanon, NH

GEORGE: This sounds like a ground problem. Does the PVC fit over galvanized posts? If that checks out, you may be facing a rewiring job.

MIKE: I would check your wiring again. Start from the vehicle connection and run your fingers along the wiring all the way back to the lights. Check for any areas where there may be rub through. If you have an ohm meter take your light bulbs out of the sockets. Touch one lead to the dc side and the other to the trailer. If you get a zero reading you have a short. If you find that you do not have any shorts in the wiring you may want to consider upgrading the lights to the newer LED style, which are reported to burn for thousands of hours and are not as fragile as the incandescent type.

Let me first say the best investment I ever made was joining your Trailering Club. We trailer our 24' Searay Sundancer just about every weekend from the beginning of May until early October including a trip to Hatteras, NC from Syracuse, NY and your roadside assistance has saved us many times even late at night in the rain.

My problem is two years ago I purchased a new Performance Saltwater trailer that was rated for a 26' boat heaver than mine. After 1 year I had to replace all four tires because they were all severely wearing on both the inside and outside edges on all four tires. Thinking it must have been the tires I purchased 4 new Goodyear ST bias ply tires and have the same result. I always make sure they are inflated to 45 PSI and when we set the trailer up we set it so the transom is exactly the same distance from the axles as on the original trailer that was made for the boat. The wheel bearings are fine. Everyone I talk to can understand wearing on either the inside or outside but not both on all four tires. Performance has gone out of business and I don't know where else to turn other than you. Please help I can't afford new tires every year.
M. DeSantis, Syracuse, NY

MIKE: There are a few things that I would look at: 1 - You mention that you set the boat on the trailer based on the comparison of your prior trailer. The set up might look the same but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are balanced the same. 2 - I would look at the tongue weight to make sure that the load is balanced properly. You want your tongue weight to be 7-8% of the total load weight. 3 - Regarding tire pressure, it sounds like you are ok at 45 psi IF your tires are properly rated for the load. Inspect your sidewalls for their rating, multiply x 4 and determine if you are meeting your overall load requirements 4 - Check to make sure that your axles are aligned properly. Measure from the back of the trailer frame on each side the center of the axle. You should get an identical reading on each side. If not you have some adjustments to make.

GEORGE: I differ with Mike on this one. I think the problem is the fact you're running 45 PSI in a tire. You don't have enough tire pressure. If you have a 15" tire, you'll need 60 PSI.

I am getting excessive wear on the rear tires of my tandem axle boat trailer. The axle position is adjustable. How do you determine the proper tongue weight and axle position for tandem axle? The tire wear problem started when I changed engines from a 115hp Yamaha 4 stroke to a 150hp 4stroke.
L. Fetter, Leesburg, FL

GEORGE: There's too much weight on the rear tires so move the boat forward about a foot on the trailer. This will mean moving the winch post forward but I'll bet that's what's going on. Once you do this, check the tongue weight.

MIKE: As you have indicated you have added weight to the transom of the boat. You are putting more of the load on the rear tires instead of balancing it along the total length of the trailer. Start with the tongue weight which is ideally 7-8% of the total load weight. Not sure of the total weight? Take the rig to the local landfill or truck stop for an accurate reading on their scales. You will be moving the boat forward if your bunks/roller and trailer tongue length allow it. If you cannot move the boat forward on the trailer you will have to move the axles back until you reach the optimal tongue weight.