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jddevel

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OK all. So following thread I`ve now bought myself a Grand Cherokee capable of pulling legally 3500KG plus yesterday did a deal on a Sealine S24 all I need now is the advice on the type of trailer. There seems a number of options with different descriptions. So the uninitiated whats the best for slip launching using the above combination?
Thanks in anticipation
 
Some say that you need a trailer with rollers for this size of boat, but I was OK with the old carpet covered traditional type. I had a Disco so was able to get the trailer well into the water, and the boat floated off. The main problem for me was corrosion of the brakes, and rapid bearing wear. They didn't take kindly to a cold dunking following a 70 mph jaunt down a motorway. The amount of maintenance on the trailer should not be ignored.
 
Boat trailer

rafiki_ said:
Some say that you need a trailer with rollers for this size of boat, but I was OK with the old carpet covered traditional type. I had a Disco so was able to get the trailer well into the water, and the boat floated off. The main problem for me was corrosion of the brakes, and rapid bearing wear. They didn't take kindly to a cold dunking following a 70 mph jaunt down a motorway. The amount of maintenance on the trailer should not be ignored.
Click to expand...

Thanks Rafiki. Helpfull sound advice. Having watched a number of launches and retrievals on YouTube which I must say even I, I believe, would not be so foolish as some appear to be but then I have been around boats for a number of years-but still learning-and realise always plan for the unexpected.
 
I used a US built trailer that came with my personally imported boat, although it towed beautifully, if was not strictly UK road legal ( a little too wide and had hydraulic brakes).
Three features that it had, I liked and would look for if I bought a new trailer would be;-

1) Spring pressurised greasers on the hubs....this prevents / reduces water ingress.
2) Fresh water flushing connections to the breaks......Just snap onto a garden hose.
3) Large diameter, heavy duty wheels and tyres that roll easily and ride bumps well......similar to small truck tyres.
4) Vertical guides to centre the boat onto the trailer and stop it drifting sideways.

Although I happily towed long distances on the road with a 4x4, whenever possible I paid a few pounds for the yard tractor to run it down / up the slipway to launch recover.

Good luck and have fun with your new toy, mikej
 
Bunks need the boat to float on and off so depending on how you plan to use the trailer it may not be way to go. US trailers (traditionally with bunks a dimensioned for larger vessels) are plenty available since they were used for transporation from over there. Still not by defauilt road legal - and often too expensive to alter.

Once you establish that the weights & driving license match, at set of additions to the trailer may come in very handy.

  • An electric winch with wireless remote will make things so much easier as you'll be free to move around while launching or recovering.
  • Plenty of rollers to distribute load will make moving the boat on/off easier.
  • Walking boards on the trailer will allow you to help the boat alle the way without having to step on the (always slippery) slips.
  • If you need to push the trailer far out, brakes and bearings will suffer. To minimize problems a fresh water rinse kit and bearing buddies (spring laden grease reservior on hubs) can help.
  • For safety remember to always tie the boat down to the trailer and put on a safety chain to assit the winch (or fit a strap and take the load off of the winch). In the event of an accident the boat must stay on the trailer.

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Edit: It is crucial that the boat and trailer are adjusted correctly to interact. Low point of gravity, load distribution and tongue weight means all to roadholding.
 
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I bought a similar sized boat and I made a mistake with the Brand New (French) trailer I bought as the boat weighed more than the Boatyard said and the New Trailer they sold me was too small.
And the winch was not up to it as when I was winching the boat up the trailer on a slipway, rather than pulling the boat up, the winch distorted and bent the bracket.
My last boat, also 24ft, was on a really good Indespention Super Roller Coaster. And the Two Speed Winch was ideal and would pull the boat (on the trailer) up the slipway to the back of the car.
But brakes on todays Boat Trailers are not fit for the purpose. The Brakes on Boat Trailers made in the 1960's were better made than today as the linings were rivited onto the shoes.
My Indespention Brakes failed just after I bought the Trailer (second hand with the boat) I should have taken the hubs of and had a look where I would have found that on two wheels the Bonded (glue) had dissolved and the linings had become detached from the shoes and were loose within the Brake Drum. That would not have happened if the brake linings had been Rivited as well as glued (Belt & Braces)
 
Markets vary, but in general the tendency is that manufacturers team up and share production facilities and/or subcontractors. This way they have an interest in securing that an entry level trailer will not provide the same value as a mid or high level product.

You are aiming for a large trailer with high capacity and they aren't cheap by any means. A thorough survey should show differences in detail and obvious properties like frame dimension, reinforcements and layout will stand out.
Availability to parts and service should be considered too.

Axles, hubs, brakes and bearings are manufactured by few, used by many.
 
There are some really good tips and advice on here, a couple of tips I have picked up.

Try to keep vehicle on the dry, grippy bit of the slipway, ideally at the top on the flat. This way the vehicle does not have to haul its own weight up hill as well as that of you rig. Plus it has better traction. (one of my fav slip watching moments was listening to the bubbling from the exhaust from a brand new RR Vouge at Hamble Point a few years ago where the chap reversed it so far down the slip water was up the rear doors, I thought he was going to drive to Warsash!)

To do this I have used a nice long fat rope -works well

a winch and strap from the trailer up to the vehicle - works very well if you have some willing friends on the winch and / or if the tow vehicle has not got the grunt required

Long scaffold pole with tow hitch on each end, this gives a nice sold connection between vehicle and trailer and when not in use clamps to tailor frame. But can ground out or get bent as the vehicle goes over top of slip onto flat ground when trailer is still down slip.
 
I have had a few different big boat trailers, as long as you stick with one of the trusted makes (SBS, Indespension, Bramber, DeGraff etc) you will be fine. There are also a few smaller local trailer builders that make excellent products but I would get a recommendation before buying one.

My current one is the SBS 3500R that you are looking at with this on it.

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Trailer a few 1000 miles a year, normal maintenance and no issues. Drive on and off for launch and retrieval. Good trailer, would buy another.
 
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