dunk your trailer axles...or not?

C

CaptMac

New member
Maybe its just a cost of boating, but I have just had to replace the
trailer brakes on another boat trailer I have due to dunking them into the salt water.

The people I bought the trailer from said the brakes, which were not
stainless steel, were only good for about three years, which is about
how I've had the trailer. I have the trailer bunk boards.

According to the trailer folks, rinsing the brakes doesn't really help them
a lot, because between the time you launch and retrieve the boat, the
trailer ususally has been sitting in the hot sun all day, baking the salt into
the components. Plus, the brakes further heat up and harden the salt residue during the home trip.

For those of us with bunk board trailers who don't want to continue
dunking the axles into salt water, I understand there is either a spray-on
silicon lubricate or some plastic glides which are screwed onto the boards. Both supposedly allow the boat to slide down the bunks when launching without full immersion of the axles.

I can see that there would be more work involved in winching the boat
further up the trailer at retrieval, but I might be willing to spring for
one of the new, remote-contolled electric winches if it would save on buying trailer brakes every few years.

Does anyone not dunk their trailer axles? If so, do you have any experience with the spray lubricate or the plastic glides? If anyone uses them, how well do the electric trailer winches work? Thanks in advance!
 
Capt Mac,
I look at the wet brakes issue as just another operational cost that I would rather pay for than reduce the friction between my bunks and the boat. I don't like the idea of the boat sliding around up there when I don't want it to!
Best regards,
 
I use the silicon spray with great results, though it took some getting used to. It has to be sprayed on when the bunks are clean and dry, then the spray has to dry before you pull the boat onto the bunks.

That takes planning: We launched my little boat one morning, my husband rinsed the bunks and let them dry in the sun. Then he silicon-sprayed them thoroughly and headed south to pick me up farther down the (Pacific) coast. The bunks were dry when I loaded the boat six hours later.

The bunks were so slick that the boat practicaly climbed into the trunk of the tow vehicle! When I next launched it, it slid back off the trailer as soon as I loosened the bow strap. Like magic!

Just make sure the water is deep enough to float the boat; it can just as easily come off ON the ramp as IN the water!

The one application of spray has lasted 20 launch-and-loads in salt water. I have only a manual winch on the trailer, but now I can pull the boat up without struggling. The brakes get rinsed every time the boat is loaded up after a run.
 
Like my neighbor usatin, I've used a Marykate silicon spray product called "Liquid Rollers" (West Marine) and found that it works very well, albeit sometimes too well. On the other hand, religiously washing the brakes off after every trip has worked well with the trailers we've owned in the past. We used to clean and repack the bearings every other year and though there was always some rust buildup, it was never anything serious. The disc brakes on our new trailer seem to be far less vulnerable - at least so far.

Fortunately, there is a free water washdown area at my favorite launch ramp so it usually gets rinsed off rather quickly.

To be honest, I've stopped using Liquid Rollers with the relatively flat bottomed C-Dory. Launching at most So Cal ramps means power off (and on) if you're single handing the job and I need a little stiction on the bunkers to hold the boat while I disconnect the winch and return to the helm on launch, and to reconnect during recovery. Liquid Rollers also exacerbate the sideways stern slip-sliding phenomena while turning corners.
 
I got an email question: Why worry about the boat sliding around on the trailer on the road if its tied down at bow and stern? Very good question and made me realize that my greater concern is what happens at the ramp. Here's my response:

You are absolutely right - when traveling, the boat should be secured to the trailer at the stern as well as the bow. If done properly, there should be no problem even with slicks. I have two areas of concern:

1. The Murphy factor, where the tie down strap at the stern comes loose or breaks while on the road -- the friction of carpeted bunks gives you more of a margin for that kind of unexpected problem. Not a likely scenario, but possible.

2. More significantly, at the ramp. I keep my boat on its trailer at the marina, so every time I go out I launch and retrieve. When I get ready to put the trailer in the water, I take off all the attachments of course and ease the trailer/boat into the water. On more than one occasion, I've had a kid or a dog appear suddenly in my rear view mirror at the busy park/ramp where our marina is, and I've had to step hard on the brakes. Even though I'm moving slowly, it still causes a lurch, and I fear that that could be enough to slide the boat off if the bunks were really slippery (or if they were rollers instead of bunks). I've never seen it, but I have heard stories of boats sliding of and crashing onto the concrete on the ramp, and I think if that ever happened to me I would probably cry like a baby and embarrass myself in front of all my marina friends! So for me, having to spend a few hundred bucks on the brakes ever three years because of their repeated immersions is worth it to avoid even the possibility of that scenario!

Caveat: all this free advice is coming from someone who has never had or used slicks or rollers, so I may be completely off in my estimate of just how slick they really are!
 
Do you have disc breaks or drums? My understanding is the disc breaks are easier to clean. I have the bunk trailer with disc breaks and whether it helps or not I still drive by the car wash and use the power sprayer on the trailer.
 
Otter-BelleHavenMarina":3kga2k4t said:
2. More significantly, at the ramp. I keep my boat on its trailer at the marina, so every time I go out I launch and retrieve. When I get ready to put the trailer in the water, I take off all the attachments of course and ease the trailer/boat into the water.
Click to expand...

There we may differ, Tom. I never release the winch cable until after backing in and stopping - even if I have help, though I do give it a little slack before locking it. You would cry like a baby if the boat crashed to the concrete, I would cry like a baby if the boat launched itself and I watched it take a solo cruise all by itself! Second only to forgetting to set the brakes/locking transmission before jumping out of the cab and equal to forgetting the plug, that ugly scenario has always given me nasty nightmares. :cry
 
Sneaks":pjs9rwta said:
Otter-BelleHavenMarina":pjs9rwta said:
2. More significantly, at the ramp. I keep my boat on its trailer at the marina, so every time I go out I launch and retrieve. When I get ready to put the trailer in the water, I take off all the attachments of course and ease the trailer/boat into the water.
Click to expand...

There we may differ, Tom. I never release the winch cable until after backing in and stopping - even if I have help, though I do give it a little slack before locking it. You would cry like a baby if the boat crashed to the concrete, I would cry like a baby if the boat launched itself and I watched it take a solo cruise all by itself! Second only to forgetting to set the brakes/locking transmission before jumping out of the cab and equal to forgetting the plug, that ugly scenario has always given me nasty nightmares. :cry
Click to expand...

I agree absolutely with this one - especially if you have rollers or put the slick stuff on the bunks. Some ramps are steep enough that the boat will come off without any of it floating. I never disconnect the boat's bow from the trailer until I am sure that it will float safely if it comes off right after the disconnect.

Roger
 
...and I can't imagine launching or retrieving a boat without putting the trailer axle(s) in the water. It would make one heck of a splash going in and I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the winch, powered or not, upon retrieval. I think the force on the winch line would be horrendous and if that clevis gave way - lookout!
Al
 
Hi Folks,
Liquid Rollers and I get along just fine. Yes, the package must be securely attached to the trailer for the tow and the winch cable must remain attached until the trailer and boat are in the launch position at water's edge. Even with Liquid Rollers I find it necessary to dunk the rearmost axle into the water or the boat will scrape the frame of the trailer as it changes attitude in relation to the trailer. Having the boat slide off the trailer prematurely and hitting the ramp would be embarrassing but so is removing the winch cable, starting the engine, putting it into full reverse and having the boat REMAIN on the trailer!!
Mike 'Levity'
 
Like Moose, I too can't imagine getting my boat in the water without getting the axel submerged. The only exception is using a travel lift - if there is one near you, that might be a preferred solution. There's one not too far away and I have to admit I'm willing to pay a little extra to use it (relative to a ramp) since that keeps the trailer out of the water and saves me a bit of flushing time. However, where I go, the ramp is $5-8 and the travel lift is $27 (both RT w/ parking). If it wasn't for the fact that travel lift is closer, I wouldn't pay the difference. The other downside to the travel lift is that it only operates at certain times - which seem to correspond with "just after the morning fish bite has stopped" and "just prior to the start of he evening bite".

Another possible option (if you're really trying to avoid getting the axels in salt) is to launch and retrieve in fresh water that connects to salt. I don't know if either of these options are available to you in Fla. but they might be.

Roger on the SeaDNA
 
Here is my problem. My drum brakes lasted about 14 months. I have a roller trailer and see no easy, safe way to launch without getting the brakes wet. I rinse after launch and retrieval and I always rinse the brakes with the flush kit., even if it is for a day cruise. The problem is that the launch ramp and my storage unit are about 50 feet apart. The brakes don't have a chance to dry like they would if I were to drive a few miles before storage. I don't feel like replacing the backing plates every 14 months. Because I sometimes travel on the road, I legally need brakes in this state. (The trailer is rated for 3100 lbs, and any trailer made that is rated for 3000lbs or more must have brakes.) My 19 footer weighs less than 3000lbs. Any ideas? I think that I should have bought disc brakes. :?

Robbi
 
Robbi":2zustfk9 said:
Here is my problem. My drum brakes lasted about 14 months. I have a roller trailer and see no easy, safe way to launch without getting the brakes wet. I rinse after launch and retrieval and I always rinse the brakes with the flush kit., even if it is for a day cruise. The problem is that the launch ramp and my storage unit are about 50 feet apart. The brakes don't have a chance to dry like they would if I were to drive a few miles before storage. I don't feel like replacing the backing plates every 14 months. Because I sometimes travel on the road, I legally need brakes in this state. (The trailer is rated for 3100 lbs, and any trailer made that is rated for 3000lbs or more must have brakes.) My 19 footer weighs less than 3000lbs. Any ideas? I think that I should have bought disc brakes. :?

Robbi
Click to expand...

I've been told that drum breaks will rust even if used exclusively in fresh water because they can trap water in the drum and it doesn't matter if it's salt or not if it can't evaporate.
 
Hi , just came back from shrimping today did great. My last three trailers I had a 9' tongue installed. it make life so much easier to unload and retrieve your trailer , easier to back up, small adjustement of the streering and it correct it self right away, low tide no problem. I sink my trailer untill the bunks desepear, than use a 25' rope with a quick disconect in front of my anchor, when trailer is in the water I go untied the boat use the front rope walk on the dock jump in the box of the truck than proceed to pull the boat to about 3' of winch line away from the bow eye. Very easy this way. I also have the hot dip galvanize drum breaks with the wash down system maybe the will last longer than just the steel one?. Gary
 
After reading about these brake issues here and elsewhere, and from my own experience, I can tell you that the answer to the brake problem is stainless steel brake discs with cast aluminum caliper piston bodies and the matching pads, etc.

I went over to these a year or so ago, and have had zero problems with them. I have the Tie-Down Engineering brand, which have been just fine. Some of their first discs were prone to warpage because of the way they were made from rolled stock, but that problem has been a solved.

If you want to go absolutely first class, get Kodiak's top of the line stainless vented discs with all the best rust and corrosion resistant materials.

If you have drum brakes, you'll also have to replace the actuator at the same time to convert to discs, but no big deal.

The Tie-Down first axle kit to convert from drums to stainless discs including all new stainless lines, hoses, discs, bearings, seals, backing plates, calipers, pads, trailer coupler, actuator, and solenoid back up kit, is available from

www.championtrailers.com

for $410 + shipping. The kit for the second axle, if you need it, is $250.

The Kodiaks will cost two or three times that, depending on how you get them.

If you're reasonably comfortable with automotive/mechanical work or have done brake work yourself before, the job is a cinch. Just leave the boat somewhere for the weekend, so you can work on the trailer more easily.

And don't forget to rinse the brakes good (and the entire trailer, too) after salt water immersion.

The outfit above has all kinds of other trailer stuff available at the lowest prices I've seen. Take a look and order a catalogue from them if interested. Joe.
 
Interesting topic: Just a thought and I had not given thought to the salt drying while out on the boat. How much water does it take to rinse? How about one of the 2 3/4 gallon pump sprayers ....like I use for my round-up and ant-n-roach killer around the house???? Would that be enough of a rinse to simply roll off the salt after a launch retrieve to get "a layer" of the salt off to keep it from baking on? Or not?
 
C-Brats,
Float on v. roll on. :hug I have a single axle, easy loader. with roll on. I have towed this 22 ft C-Dory close to 100,000 miles. The tow rig is a one ton dually. I have a third wheel on the front hitch, ( also works to carry an extra spare.) so I can launch across the sand in Mexico or in very shallow water any where. Boat and trailer can be pushed in by hand as far as necessary. Boat and trailer are going on six years old. I can winch the boat and trailer back across the sand about 100 ft. After the boat came loose off its mooring and came surfing into shore on the back of a pretty good size wave, it was left high and dry on the beach. I backed the trailer right up to the bow hooked on the boat winch, lifted the bow up on the rollers with the winch and slowly backed under the boat with the winch running at the same time. I have found that you can launch or pick up the boat without getting the axles wet in most cases. If the depth is too shallow and you have very little grade, now you need to drop the third wheel and hand push boat and trailer out. But that has only been in Mexico.

Brakes still seem to work well after these six years and have had very poor rinsing with fresh water. The one ton Ford hardly notices when the boat is on behind. Maybe I have no trailer brakes at all........better check on that. :roll:

Captd
 
Joe, Thanks for the information and the web site for Champion. Very interesting read on the switch from drum to disc. I'll have to do some checking on bearing size etc. But, this may be an answer for my trailer. Robbi
 
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