It is easy to forget with a wooden boat that not all your time should be spent touching up boat dings and scratches. Trailers need TLC too. 😟
On our last trip out several weeks ago, Arwen's trailer lost a roller. I only noticed it when I went to retrieve the trailer from the top of the slipway to haul Arwen out of the water. One of the big blue and white wobble rollers had come off.
In forlorn hope, I sprinted won the slipway to see if it had washed down in the tide and collected somewhere at the bottom in the little pool area, but sadly not. I searched the slipway and the patches of seaweed on it. Nothing.
Now I had a problem. The wobble roller arm was uneven and the empty bit was sticking up. There would be no way I could get Arwen back onto the trailer without that arm doing serious damage to her hull. I solved the problem by lashing it down tight, but this of course, elevated the other side of the arm.
After hauling Arwen back onto the trailer, as I was flushing out the wheels, bearings and rollers with the slip way hose pipe, I took a closer look under her hull.
What a disaster. There was a deep scratch, no gouge, down her starboard side bottom plank. Clearly the roller had come off during the launch and the damage had been done. In my keenness to depart, I hadn't noticed! 😢
Back at home, I decided to try and put a spare roller back on. Stupid idea of course because the boat was still on the trailer but I'm slightly caught here because I'm worried if I launch Arwen again the wobble arm will do more damage!
Having jacked the trailer up and rested it in a stack of concrete blocks, I also took a look at the wheels. My worst suspicions were confirmed. Turn the wheel and it just rumbled. And, worse still, there was slight wobble play in the wheel on its hub and it wasn't anything to do with loose stud nuts. The wheel rims were showing signs of rust and flaky paint. Below, Arwen's hull had some dings caused by pressure points where wood had rested awkwardly on rollers; there were worn streaks where the grey base paint was showing through and in places the top coat was flaking off as well.
The rear keel roller wasn't turning properly. The forward keel roller had shifted its position somehow.
More concerning is when I reversed Arwen back up onto our sloping drive way, it took me 30 minutes to disengage the trailer hitch off the tow ball. It just wouldn't open and I had to reverse and move forward a few inches back and forth several times until it would disengage. First time this has happened! 😱
Trailer TLC - it is vital and this is a tough lesson to learn. The trailer is thirteen years old and I had it serviced two years ago.
Arwen's trailer was never designed for her. It was an off the shelf one and the best I could find and afford at that time when we had other pressing family financial commitments.
So, now it is decision time. Do I refurbish the trailer or invest in a new one?
Refurbishment:
- the galvanised trailer is pretty sound although where the hubs join is showing rust but I think it will clean up and is fairly secure
- new wheels rims and tyres
- new torsional suspension hubs, bearings and new rubber bungs
- two new keel rollers
- one new rear keel roller which better lines up and allows the bow to rise up onto the trailer
- convert it to bunks/skids - so two new skids
- will need to remove all the roller arms and wobble wheels
- will need to buy/borrow/hire an angle grinder because things have rusted on firmly!
- have limited space to do this - on a residential road which has a local small bus service
- will need to get Arwen off the trailer and secure somewhere for a day or two
- need to research how to change torsional stub hubs, how to renew trailer hub bearings and whether I can fit bearing buddies
- the one last issue is the rear keel roller is a bolted on one. The two roller support lugs are an integral part of the trailer frame, so I will need to angle grind these off
- disadvantages of the current trailer - I have to dip the wheel bearings every time to get Arwen on and off the trailer
- advantages of current trailer - its rollers and one shove and she is off; once the bow is on the rear keel roller correctly, she is easy to winch on single handed
- could get it customised to better fit Arwen's hull shape. (Her hull has slight rocker on it, what some would unkindly call a 'banana bottom'. Basically she has a flat middle to front section but the aft section rises slightly towards the transom as does the skeg).
- I'm not 100% sure but suspect, that bunks/skids would be better for this boat bottom than wobble rollers on arms. (It is a chine boat and so the rollers are difficult to get placed correctly).
- possible things to consider
- break back design
- 8" or 10" wheels (8" ones would make the boat lower when launching?)
- using support bunks
- several keel rollers to take the main weight of the boat
- lower winch post so that the bow sprit goes over the top
- a winch post with a groove in the rubber snubber so that the bobstay can be left on (is this possible?)*
- metal wheel arches*
- meeting European trailer requirements
- sealed bearings or suitability for bearing buddies (even better AL-KO bearings?)
- better attachment of hubs to trailer via bolt plates
- adjustable skeg and bow keel rollers
- better lead on keel roller arrangement
- walkway*
- spare wheel holder*
- whole trailer cannot exceed 6m due to driveway restrictions
- galvanised or...?
- stainless steel fixings, bolts, nuts etc?
- side guide poles*
- removable lighting board
- not a pressed steel hitch
- easy to launch and retrieve in a variety of tidal and wind conditions, in differing water depths and on differing gradient ramps
- easy to tow long distances
- doesn't damage the hull
- can carry outboard on transom bracket in its upright, vertical position safely
- better quality bearings
- last another 20 years with a better annual maintenance regime imposed by me!!
- refurbish existing trailer (cost around £400 if I do it myself; £700 if I get someone to do it for me) OR take the plunge and buy a new one better suited
- which are better for Arwen - bunks or rollers; 8" or 10" wheels; fixed or break back?
- material - galvanised, steel, aluminium?
- if bunks - what kind of bunk surface material is best?
