Question about boat trailers

[Nosealegsyet]

hi guys, my boat is a searay 230 sunsport, length just 7 metres, and I want to get a trailer for her, but I want to get secondhand, as I dont know how long I will keep her, can you tell me what size trailer etc I should look for please, thankyou Karen

 

[Homer J]

It’s not that simple. It depends on weight as well. You will almost certainly need a braked trailer. Then it depends how often you take the boat in and out. The best is a swinging arm trailer often called a roller coaster trailer. These cost a lot second hand and easy to buy rubbish.
you need to supply a bit more info.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

ok, the weight of the trailer is 1900 kgs, and the trailer will be used to tow it to Spain and back to the uk, twice a year.Not necessarily for launch and recover, as I would keep it in a marina,

 

[madabouttheboat]

ok, the weight of the trailer is 1900 kgs, and the trailer will be used to tow it to Spain and back to the uk, twice a year.Not necessarily for launch and recover, as I would keep it in a marina,

Do you mean “weight of the boat” ?

 

[madabouttheboat]

If so, I suggest a four wheel trailer with a minimum gross weight of 2500kg.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

doh! yes so sorry, thankyou, does it have to be a certain length?

 

[Bigplumbs]

If you are going that far buy new New trailers are generally not that much more than second hand. Look at extreme Trailers website in Southampton

 

[Homer J]

+1 for extreme trailers.

 

[DavidJ]

If towing down to Spain have a spare wheel and a spare tyre. We towed to Spain for many years but had several punctures which always ended destroying the tyre. Our tyre size was not readily available. We always had the boat (Sealine S230) craned in and out so only needed a bed type (bunk) trailer. Plan ahead for where you are going to dump the trailer, suggest finding a warehouse for security.

 

[dpb]

If you are going that far buy new New trailers are generally not that much more than second hand. Look at extreme Trailers website in Southampton

Extreme trailers are not welded like many of the better, in my opinion, brands. They are held together by U bolts.
Agree with advice re 4 wheel trailer gross weight 2500kg or more. For example the R4-2600 by SBS would be good.
Expect to pay 2000 to 2500 for decent second hand one.
Bunks ok and are cheaper though it is easier with roller trailer if launching often on a variety of slipways.
Factor in the cost of bearings and brakes as I have yet to buy a used trailer that did not need any of these!
Handy if you learn how to change bearings roadside also if going on long journeys!!!!

 

[ontheplane]

ok, the weight of the trailer is 1900 kgs, and the trailer will be used to tow it to Spain and back to the uk, twice a year.Not necessarily for launch and recover, as I would keep it in a marina,

1900KG is nothing like man enough I don't think!

Your boat (from Google) is about 2350kgs dry. Add in your kit etc and you're looking at say 2600kgs.

The trailer is say 300-400kgs - so you need a 3000kg trailer at least - 1900 is far far too lightweight.

You will need a 4 wheel for that kind of weight - and make sure the towcar is up to it - there are not many that will pull 3000kg+

I second the above - if buying used, budget for 4 x new wheel bearings and make sure the brakes are in perfect condition - 3000kgs takes an awful lot of stopping at 60mph......

I too might be tempted to go new for this - used trailers are still dear and often poor condition.

If you are having craned on and off, bunks give more support than rollers, but launching a 2600kg boat from bunks would be awful and I'd go rollers every time.

If you are going to launch the boat with the trailer, make sure you replace the bearings before every Spanish trip - saltwater in the bearings will mean they deteriorate very fast no matter how supposedly "sealed" they are!

The boat can stick out a small amount from the trailer at the rear - but actually I don't suggest you want it to too much - perhaps a foot or so - that's where all the weight is after all.

I don't know about the welded / bolted argument. Welded trailers are stiffer for sure - but I've had U-Bolted too and they were very good - the advantage with U-bolted, is if a part gets damaged it can be unbolted and replaced more easily.

But to repeat - a 1900kg trailer is way way too lightweight even for a short trip never mind something like that - if it was me, I'd be buying an 8m, 3500kg one, to build in a tiny bit of redundancy for capabilities, plus if you go a bit bigger in a few years you can keep the trailer as it will still do the job - which is far cheaper than selling and buying a new one.

 

[Bigplumbs]

From experience of this forum this thread will fast get out of hand and beyond dealing with. You would be best to phone one or two of the trailer manufacturers and discuss it with them.

What most people do agree on is that if you are intending to tow a reasonable weight all that way you need a good trailer and new isn't that much more expensive than second hand. Also join the AA. I have about 10 trailers and most are newish. This was one of my older ones that had had a new axel about 3 years prior and this still happened. You will be towing a much bigger boat than this.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Thats brilliant guys thanks for your input, and you are right about the weight of my boat, i was thinking about my caravan at the time which is 1900kg. I have the ideal truck to pull it, ive got a ford ranger wildtrak, and she is a beast. thankyou

 

[chamac]

+1 for SBS trailers. Great products and excellent to deal with.
I got one from them this year to tow a boat from France to Ireland.
Did the job with a 2.0 Ford Ranger Wildtrack, well up to the job.