trailers

[BogMonster]

Somebody posted a link to a good trailer manufacturer recently but I can't find it

so .... how much does a decent roller trailer suitable for a 5.8m RIB set you back?

I have a big heavy bombproof 4x4 trailer but it doesn't have rollers and is a PITA to use, wondering if replacing it would be cost effective to make launching and recovery a lot easier, or whether to try and retro-fit rollers to the current one to improve it (anybody done this?)

[Nate]

Admiral are cheap and fairly well specified: http://admiraltrailers.co.uk/ also CAN trailers speak highly of themselves, and are cheaper: http://www.cantrailers.com !

[BogMonster]

Thanks, it was the Admiral Rollaunch ones that were posted about before, fairly sure about that.

the cheap CAN one is too small for my boat unfortunately and the other one seems quite expensive to me

can you buy just the rollers to fit on an existing trailer? there's really nothing wrong with the trailer just that you need a lot of water to launch because it doesn't have rollers and I ain't putting a nearly new vehicle in salt water which limits the places I can launch from... need to be quite steeply shelving

I will email Admiral and ask them if they sell the rollers separately, depending on how horrible the trailer price is!

ta

Stephen

[Nos4r2]

Don't go near C AN trailers unless you're desperate-his build quality is low with cut/welded joints in tension on main members. I will stick my neck out here (even after my dressing down of GaV yesterday) and say IMO it's only a matter of time before he has a major failure involving losing someone's boat onto the road.

[Rogue Wave]

If you want to mod your triler I'll send you some links to trailer and roler suppliers

[Alex-341]

Can trailers looks like a real bodger, ammature website aswell. The other one looks quite good though.

[Mark Halliday]

Stephen

You seem to have a good strong chassis already. I am sure you could bolt some bits to your existing trailer, you are a Landrover guy and used to Mecano engineering after all.

Have a look at
http://www.trailertek.com/acatalog/B..._Fittings.html
http://www.towsure.com/default.asp?t=83
http://www.trailerpartswarehouse.co....er_marine.html

Then set to with a drill, spanners and possibly a welding set.

To my way of thinking, you need good keel rollers to take the weight and just use the side rollers to keep the thing straight and level.

[BogMonster]

Thanks all. The Admiral Rollaunch RL1000 would be ideal for a lightweight one just to take the boat out of the water here, sent off for a quote anyway though the freight will be a killer I expect.

Rogue Wave you have a PM

I don't want anything of even slightly dodgy quality as it will fall to bits in no time on the roads here!

Modding the existing trailer may be the best way to go, the prices of some of the components on the site Mark linked to suggest I could probably get everything needed for a couple of hundred quid and have the best of both worlds

Gotta go for a think now... as to how I would go about fitting the rollers to the existing trailer (shouldn't be too hard doing the keel rollers, the side ones may be the fiddly bit)

[BogMonster]

Here are some pics of the current trailer - as you can see it is "built to last"

I had a look at it at lunchtime and I don't reckon it would be too difficult to fit rollers to it, both the keel support and the angled side supports are made of wood bolted onto the metal subframe so could either be removed or used to fix the rollers to. As it will only be used with the one boat I'm not sure I would need the fancy "swivelly through every possible direction" ones? the angled supports are at the right angle for the boat hull shape so I could probably just put the flat "cotton reel" rollers on there and some along the keel??

Some better mudguards are also on the "to do list" - the current ones are bits of conveyor belting designed to stop stones pinging up, because many of our roads are unsurfaced gravel, but they are a bit knackered.

Has anybody done this type of home-brew job before? any pictures? they would be a great help if so

thanks

Stephen

[G L]

They have just had a load of bankrupt stock in from indespension, might be worth a look?
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/CAN083/

[jyasaki]

Stephen;

This may be an easier solution, assuming your problem is getting the boat on and off the trailer:

http://www.surfixinc.com/surfix_trailer_bunkslides.html

There are a bunch of products that are similar, ranging from screw-on strips to bunks made from a similar polymer material.

Personally, I like the support that bunks afford (though with an aluminum hull, it's not quite so important to me.)

jky

[BogMonster]

jky, that looks worth investigating, would be really easy to fit on to my trailer too, just take the current wooden runners off.

Do they make a big difference on yours?

Getting the boat on yesterday was easier than I expected (first time) somebody else backed the trailer into the water for me, nosed gently into place until it was resting on the trailer and then a few quick squirts of the throttle which shifted it about a foot each time until it bumped against the front of the trailer, mate drove vehicle out, job done. Getting it off was a lot harder, it seemed "stuck" to the trailer and lots of reverse thrust in shallow water just fills the boat up!

If I go for rollers I may just get keel rollers and lots of them, and leave the solid supports for the sides of the hull - with a few small rollers putting pressure on small areas of the hull it will get a tough time on the roads here which are very rough.

But I like the idea of those slides, it appeals to the lazy person in me who is looking for an easy solution not involving too much work


Edited to say: do you know if there is a UK supplier? getting stuff from the US to here is nigh on impossible. can't see anything on the website about UK agents.

[codprawn]

Just buy a sheet of 8' x 4' polypropelyne - really slippery stuff and hard wearing.Cut it into strips with a circular saw or jigsaw and use reccessed countersunk ss screws.

[nugent]

10mm or 22mm polyprop or fomex ever so cheap .amari plastics or william cox, will have off cuts lying around in there ware houses i bet,

i betya i have some in my factory to,

[Jimbo]

Originally Posted by G L

They have just had a load of bankrupt stock in from indespension, might be worth a look?
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/CAN083/

GL - how do you know they are indespension

(An indespension owner needing some bits...)

[jyasaki]

Sorry, Stephen;

Didn't mention that I have regular carpeted bunks. I don't have too much trouble launching and recovering, and there are rumors of the bunk slicks being *really* slippery (enough so that the standard warning is to leave the winch connected until the boat is well over the water.)

Might also try a silicone spray on what you've got; some people say it works well.

jky

[BogMonster]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Sorry, Stephen;

Didn't mention that I have regular carpeted bunks. I don't have too much trouble launching and recovering, and there are rumors of the bunk slicks being *really* slippery (enough so that the standard warning is to leave the winch connected until the boat is well over the water.)

Might also try a silicone spray on what you've got; some people say it works well.

jky

The main support on mine is a painted length of about 2"x6" timber which runs the full length of the keel, it is quite hard to get the boat off that unless you are in very deep water (or put the vehicle in the water) which limits launching options. Really slippery would be good - then I can do what a friend of mine does with a home made roller trailer, hitch a long line on to the bow loop, tie it to the trailer, back into the water and brake suddenly, boat rolls off trailer into water, drive vehicle/trailer out, pull boat in to shore, hop aboard

[Nos4r2]

You could always tack some carpet to the wood and wax it-that'd make it easier.

[BogMonster]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

You could always tack some carpet to the wood and wax it-that'd make it easier.

what sort of wax do people usually use for this? melted candle, wax furniture polish, ... ?

thanks

[The Garfish]

Originally Posted by BogMonster

what sort of wax do people usually use for this?

i yewse fairry likwid. itt maiks de bunnks slippiryer thann a imoc raydio an woshis de bote att de saim tyme

downt revv de enjin too mucch getin orf de trayler orr yool disapeer in a clowd ov bubbuls

gaRf