Junkyard Trailer

[C-Bill]

Part I

POSTMORTEM: I'm sure the majority of boat owners can relate to the evolution of boat trailers since the first Neanderthal invented the thing to haul a dinosaur carcass back to the cave. There have been very few improvements over the ages. True, we now have rubber tires on rims rather the wooden wheels and surge brakes instead of using a club to slow this thing on down hill passages.

By the year 1997, modern man had advanced technology to the point of landing a man on the moon . On a bright sunny day in this modern age, I looked at my boat trailer and said to myself, "Wouldn't it be great to have disc brakes on all four wheels and a means to activate them from the towing vehicle." I am so tired of towing my 22ft. C-Dory on a trailer utilizing drum brakes activated by a blind unit which responds to impulses. On a rough section of our Golden State Freeway, that unit is capable of applying trailer brakes a zillion times a minute and who can enjoy towing a boat down the road when you're getting whiplash from the trailer brakes .

Well, with all this determination flying around in my pea brain located near the tail, I read an article in Western Outdoors about a trailer manufacturer in Southern California who was building boat trailers capable of taking on the road to BAJA and surviving. WOW!!!!

I grabbed my coat, kissed the wife goodbye and jumped on a plane to Los Angeles. At my destination, I was looking at a virtual JUNK YARD! Well, Western Outdoors said all this good stuff about the builder, it must be true! Being the modern, gullible, rational, male that I am, I had but one quest! Here's my check for $5,000, I want the very best for my C-Dory and me. Build it with disc brakes and all the goodies because on todays California freeways you're never sure where you are!


TO BE CONTINUED - maybe!!

[C-Bill]

Part II

I guess by now, readers are trying to figure out what all this rambling is about. Well, to begin with, the trailer under your boat is nothing to take lightly as it represents a tremendous liability to the owner. I hope to enlighten boaters about some of the inherent problems of a trailer. I'm sure many of the readers here are more informed than I. For others, I hope to stir up some interest and possibly turn some heads to take a second look at that trailer.

My first employment after serving three years in the Army (1957 - 1960) was as a mechanic at a fairly large boat shop repairing outboard motors & outfitting new boats. While in high school I had some experience racing outboard powered boats. I'm far from being an expert in this field. I will not discuss any brand names or business names in a derogatory manner.

My dad was a machinist & mechanic. He preached about doing things right. And, as a young lad, I unknowingly absorbed and retained all his familiar phrases. He was sooo right!!

More Later,

Bill

[C-Bill]

Part III

HEADED HOME WITH MY NEW TRAILER

The trip from Carson City to LA isn't too bad until you reach the outskirts of that massive population. The thought crossed my mind that I needed to be on the road with my trailer before the commute starts! The next morning, I arrived at the "Junkyard" and my new trailer is not completely assembled, nor is several others which are in various stages of completion. Several of the assemblers were not familiar and the one that was, was grumbling about this and that (discontented employee). Air guns were spinning on those nuts while welders were working and so on. But, no one was working on my trailer I politely spoke to the owners as I didn't want to spend another night in a motel.

I decided to leave for a local fishing tackle shop for a while. Upon returning to check on my trailer, they had just returned from having the tires mounted. First red flag goes up!! The tires are not what I had requested, and worse yet they are passenger car tires. I asked the owner, "what prompted the change," and I'm told Goodyear Marathons are out of stock because of the demand for bass boats & trailers. A quick call to a Goodyear dealer (in Reno) confirms this and states that the tires being put on the trailer are of better quality. (I will address this in more detail later) The worst news for the day is that I need to find a motel for the night!!!

The next day, I'm losing confidence. Myself and another business man from Ventura are talking about how we would do things differently. By that afternoon, I'm losing patience, the trailer's over budget and late. Me, thinking about the commute on "405" isn't helping. About 5 pm, I've got the trailer hooked up, all electrical is checked, super high heat grease in the hubs & I'm on the road. Dead square into a heavy commute on "405." It's stop & go for miles and the disc brakes (on one axle of a tandem) are getting hot. After many miles, I'm looking for an area to pull out and lube the hubs where necessary and let the disc's cool down.

The night was long, but the trailer seemed to run well. On the plus side, the frame is welded and all connectors are stainless steel (more about stainless steel later). In the wee hours of the morning, it sure felt good to be home.

The next day, I took the boat to a nearby lake to switch trailers. I had to deliver the EZLOADER to the new owner and get my C-Dory to Kent, Washington for some work.

My trip to Washington should be a walk in the park with this new high tech trailer. It doesn't have surge brakes, instead there is an electric/hydraulic unit which activates the disc brakes. COOL? (the bad news is all this stuff is first generation )

THIS WILL GET BETTER!!

PS - My Dad always said, "If you want it done right, do it yourself." And fortunately, he taught me enough to do it!

Bill

[Wheeler Dealer]

I'm sensing the birth of a new company; Bill's Boat Trailers Inc.

[Sea Wolf]

Bill- Sounds like some of the thngs I've done when I've tried to "Out-Clever Myself", or more appropriately, "Wylie Coyote Meets Murphy's Law". Joe

[C-Bill]

Wheeler Dealer...

Thanks, but no thanks! My experience with this trailer has been extensive & expensive. I hope to assist anyone headed this direction to not have to go through what I did and additionally, make boating safer for the C-Dory clan. I think I can make life a little better for them. Sometimes, boat trailers are not as they appear!!!

When I picked up my boat in late 1990 I had the time to speak with the elder Mr. Toland, a very nice man. He gave me some insight as to the design of the 22 ft Cruiser, which was very interesting. I alleged that the boat design from a side profile was very similar to the old Monterey fishing boat. All I got from him was a big grin.

Bill

[Wheeler Dealer]

I'm sure it was simular to the grin I get everytime I look at our CD .

Thanks for sharing your trailer experience .

Jon

[C-Bill]

Part IV

CUSTOM TRAILER by XXXXXX Engineering ????

Lets start with those tires, which were previously mentioned. This "Custom" trailer of mine was built to comply with a specific load rating which is posted on the trailer somewhere. Mine is posted near the tongue and states, "Gross Vehicle Weight Rating - 6,000#" and further states, "Gross Axle Weight Rating All Axles - 6,000#."

The weight of the trailer empty is approx. 1,300#, therefore, the load I place on the trailer cannot exceed 4,700# as the combined weight of the trailer and load equals 6,000#. Well, so far so good.

Now, when it comes to talking turkey with tire salesmen, Mr. Liability steps up to listen and Mr. Salesman gets very confusing. That's okay because I have two trailer books that deal with this subject (I actually bought the books after investing in my custom baja trailer).

One book say's a passenger car max. load rating should be reduced by a factor of .11 (the book mistakenly shows 1.1). The other book say's ". . . passenger tires used in trailer applications must have their load capacities downgraded (multiply the passenger tire load capacity by .91 to determine the capacity for trailer application)." The problem requiring this down grade is mostly in the sidewall construction of the tire.

Lets now reconsider the Goodyear Conquest tires put on the trailer by this builder of BAJA trailers. The max load stated on that tire is 1,532 lbs at an air pressure of 44 psi. Using the .91 factor, each tire's max load is then reduced to 1,394 lbs. and that reduces ea. axle to 2,788 lbs or 5,576 lbs for all axles (2). That is short of the trailers GVWR by 424 lbs. Hmmm!!!!

Hypothetically, You are pulling this trailer (and own it) down the freeway when you blow a trailer tire and a family's wage earner is killed in the other involved car. His insurance company hires me to investigate. ARE YOU IN TROUBLE?? The answer is YES!!!

Ref. "How to Build Boat Trailers" by Glen L. Witt
"Boat Trailers and Tow Vehicles a User's Guide" by Steve Henkel

Happy Boating!

Bill

[My IRA]

Bill,

Great post! Your concerns for safety and liability should also be shared by all who haul 9' 6" campers on less than one-ton trucks. They are exceeding the vehicle weight limits and are liable.

Former camper owner.

[Wheeler Dealer]

C-Bill,

Very good reporting Bill .

I'm sooooo glad I have a 16' CD. Haul it where I want, dee-dee-dee. No trailer brakes to worry about, dee-dee-dee. Put it the water, not to much stress on my frame mounted hitch dee-dee-dee. Go Fishing .

Jon

[C-Bill]

For those of you interested in boat trailers or those who have taken the time to read about this infamous trailer and live in the vicinity of C-Dory in Kent, WA, it is presently on their premises. It is probably the only boat & trailer there with Nevada registration.

To see this recently updated trailer.

The frame, fenders, springs and rims are the only original parts. Working on this trailer in my spare time over the last two years has been very difficult to say the least. The reward came last Monday & Tuesday with a flawless 750 mile trip to C-Dory for some minor boat repairs. The Nevada sun has taken its toll on my boat.

This summer I expect to make friends with this old boat all over again!