Brakes and Props

colbysmith

colbysmith

Active member
I've been making some changes on my 22' Cruiser, and just thought I'd post here to share and see if there are any comments. First, I recently switched out my stainless steel prop to aluminum. Just the standard Mercury Black Max 14x13 3 bladed prop. It worked well with my 115 EFI 4-stroke. However, I wanted to try a 4 blade, so went with a Solas Rubex 4 Blade Aluminum 13.25 X 13, and it too works well. Think I'll leave the 4-blade on and keep the aluminum 3 blade as a spare. If anyone is interested in buying my 13 3/4 x 13 3 bladed stainless steel, let me know.

Second, I finally got around to converting my surge hydraulic brakes to electric. I have the EZ-loader bunk trailer, tandem axle. Decided to just leave brakes on the back axle. Purchased a set of Dexter 10" electric brakes (backing plate and brake assembly), and they fit fine with the EZ-loader oil bath hubs/drums. I'm towing with a 2010 Toyota Highlander, so look forward to having the electric brakes on the trailer... no more jerking from the surge unit when starting/stoping. And a lot better trailer brake control. I did have to install a wiring harness for the elctric brakes in the Highlander, but there was some excellent videos on the internet for doing this. Also ran wiring for back up lights and battery lead.

Next project will be adding two more bunk boards to the trailer, as it only has two now. But waiting for a local shop to order the parts...

I did have some earlier problems with the boats charging system. Apparently the fusable link in the outboard was fried. I suspect when the previous owner had Sears install some new batteries, they crossed their leads just long enuf to fry it. But everything is running well now.

Hope to see some of you other midwestners in Dubuque next month....looking forward to checking out some other boats for some more improvement ideas. Colby
 
Did you go for electric /over hydraulic or just electric brakes for rv's?(disc or drum)?If you did the latter then let us know how it works in salt water? If you just went rv style you will be disappointed in your selection (corrosion ) pictures help Good Luck Jim
 
Did not go electric over hydraulic. Fairly pricey and have not found anyone with any experience. I have ran electric on all my trailers, boat, utility and RV. While I just installed the electric brakes on my EZ-loader trailer, I have used them extensively in the past on a pontoon trailer and on both a shorelander and a prestige trailer for a Searay 268 Sundancer. I can't speak of salt water, as I only trailer in fresh water. But in over several thousand miles of trailering and many dunkings, I have never had problems with electric brakes. In the end, unless you have stainless steel material, if you are running drum brakes it doesn't matter rather they are surge hydrualic or electric, the major components are mostly the same. The only difference being in the electromagnet that operates the brakes on the trailer, and that is a sealed unit. If you are concerned about the electric connections, you dunk your trailer lights all the time, right? Anyway, as I've said, I've had very good experience in the past running electric brakes on my boat trailers, at least in the fresh water environment. I would have to imagine that they are no different than standard hydraulic brakes in salt water. Unfortunately I don't believe there are any electric disc brakes at this time, and I'm not aware of any stainless steel...but they might exist. Colby
 
We just put on dmaxx disc brakes on my trl they were twice as heavy as
e tie down pos I hope I get 5 yrs or so out of them in fl salt water :wink:
 
I wish they made electric disc brakes. Now that would be top of the line! ;-) I thought about going the way of electric over hydraulic, just to keep the hydraulics on the trailer. But haven't found anyone with any experience with that system. Also, the surge unit on the trailer was kind of bulky and changing that out with a regular coupler gave up about 25 lbs on the tongue; along with raising the tongue 3 or 4 inches, which helps with the low trailer hitch on the Highlander.
 
Hello All,

I am reluctant to reply on this subject (Electric Brakes) because I get flamed
about how they have been used on travel trailers and they just won't be
reliable on boat trailers (especially in salt water ) I realize where people
are coming from and their reasoning behind it.
My 2007 EZ Loader came with electric brakes. As a mechanical engineer for
34 years I was very skeptical and very carefully researched them before I
ordered them. When I spoke to the folks at EZ Loader they stated that if I
flushed them out regularly I shouldn't have any corrosion issues. I installed
the flush kit to both axles and I have not observed any corrosion,
electrical or functional issues and I'm on my 5th year with no problems so
far. Hydraulic over Electric are an elegant solution although they tend to be
rather pricey, but as with any hydraulic brakes they have to be flushed out
regularly because Brake Fluid is hydroscopic (absorbs moisture) If you
want proof, just pull a wheel cylinder or caliper apart after 2 years of
regular immersion into either salt or fresh water and you will see rust
and corrosion inside. That's why you should flush out the brake fluid
every 2 years to be on the safe side.
I had surge brakes on my SeaRay for 26 years and even though I flushed
the brake fluid out regularly I still had wheel cylinders go south from
corrosion. I realize that nothing is bullet-proof but my electric brakes
so far (5 years) have shown no signs of failure. Another plus is that if
one goes south it is relatively easy to replace the whole backing plate
brake actuator assembly. (I have 2 spare assemblies just in case)

Hope this helps!

Mike
 
Hi Mike,
THanks for your comments. I probably jumped on Jim just a little bit in my reply to him, for what I think is the same reason you mentioned. Occassionally I will read in various magazines (that should know better) about how electric brakes don't work in the marine application. But like you I've had very good experience...albeit I only launch in fresh water. But seems to me that one is not going to experience any more corrosion with electric brakes than they do hydraulic brakes in Salt water, assuming we are comparing the same metal drum brakes. For those that are not familiar with electric brakes, the operating mechanism uses a electromagnet instead of a hydrualic piston. And that electromagnet is sealed. Yeah, you have wiring connections, but no different than those with tail lights. You get the same rust in the drum, but where the magnet rides, usually keeps the rust at bay. Just as where the brake shoes ride. Having electric brakes gives one a lot more control of the trailer, particularly if trailering through some slick conditions during the winter months, or even in the rainy season. And you can adjust the braking strength from within the tow vehicles cab. Colby
 
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