Trailer Suggestions

[johnsquires]

I have a Scadden Outlaw Avenger (2-person, 12') inflatable that I've only been using on my Alaska trips, so I haven't needed a trailer up to this point. I want to start using it in CA and have it blown up and ready to go when I get to a lake or river, so I'm trying to figure out a good trailer for this inflatable.

I saw an ad for TrailWater and the trailer looks great - the price tag, not so much.

The Trailex looks good and it not nearly as expensive. Anyone have experience with that one?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Hogan Brown]

get one of the utility trailers from tractor supply and put plywood over the top and mount a wench on the front of the trailer. great raft or float boat trailer.

[SeanO]

get one of the utility trailers from tractor supply and put plywood over the top and mount a wench on the front of the trailer. great raft or float boat trailer.

+1

I see a lot of kit trailers that you bolt together yourself used for rafts and small prams. The boats don't weigh too much so even a slightly sketchy trailer is probably good to go? I still won't drive behind one though!

[johnsquires]

I'm sorry, I left off an important fact, that I am not handy. In fact, because of so many prior "incidents" (and don't even get me started on Super Glue), I'm pretty much barred from using anything over the level of a screwdriver. And I can tell you a story about how I ended up in the ER because of "the screwdriver incident."
So I'm afraid if I assembled anything, either I would get hurt or, as Salmonid alluded to, someone behind me might get hurt. And if a lawsuit ensued and they checked my prior "incident" level, well, you know the result.
I'd rather just buy a trailer. And, because of my small business of taking people on wilderness trips in AK, I can probably find a way to write it off.

[Frank Alessio]

This is what happens when you do not have shop classes any more...Sorry but I saw this coming a long time ago...

[tcorfey]

Check you pm's for a couple of suggestions.

[beachbum2]

Sent pm....plks chk

[johnsquires]

Thanks, folks, I appreciate the help.
And, Frank, I had shop class, but it didn't help. Apparently that part of my brain didn't get wired properly. But put me in the wilderness and I shine.

[trouterfan1]

Find a shorelander trailer made for a jetski, extend the tongue and deck it. This is a very good trailer setup for rafts. Solidly built and tows like a dream!

[tcorfey]

I noticed that Bass Pro has a Malone xtralite trailer for Kayaks. May work well with the raft.

[YEM]

I, too, am interested in a small trailer. I was thinking about Harbor Freight's trailer, which is less expensive than any of the options mentioned in this thread. I wonder if it's a decent product with a good value, or is it a case of "you get what you pay for"? Anyone here use the HF trailer for their raft or pontoon boat?

[johnsquires]

I can't remember where I read it, but I did read that the HF trailer does fall into the you-get-what-you-pay-for category.

[SeanO]

Re: Harbor Freight trailers

My buddy got one for his small boat recently. I thought it would be complete junk, but it seems to be fairly road-worthy.

He had to modify it with some wood decking to make it work, but so far it seems to work well for him.

Not sure about long term durability of the axle/bearings, but he says they are easily replaced with standard parts from any auto supply store.

Hey, if it doesn't work out, at least they are cheap for guys on a budget and a little bit handy.

[TaylerW]

Harbor freight!!!

[markz]

Hi,
I bought a harbor freight utility trailer for my 10' portabote about three years ago. The trailer works very well for me. I drive anywhere from 40min to an hour to the water. I would buy extra bearing , dust covers, bearing holders and sprare tire. The weight capacity is about 1000lbs, but I wouldn't load that much.

I laid carpet in the garage and assembled. The only problem was the ground wiring. The instructions say to bolt ground wire to frame but that doesn't work. An electrician said to string another a wire from the ground wire on the plug to the light and that works.

The bearing come in a anti rust grease that you need to remove by soaking in gasoline then add appropriate grease.

My friend also bought one for his 10' pram, and he found when they left the boxes some items were missing. Harbor Freight sent him the missing parts at no charge.

Hope that helps
Mark

[sixrivers]

Baker trailers out of Springfield, Oregon is at the top of the list. they either make them out of galvy or aluminum, your choice. If you are going to be working the last thing you want to do is worry about your investment falling apart. Murphy's law here is coming to mind:) They also have a tilting model specifically for cats or rafts.

[SeanO]

UPDATE on my buddy's Harbor Freight trailer.

Caveats: He drives too fast on gravel roads. He drives too fast on gravel bars littered with softball and larger-sized stones. A bouncing HF trailer is prone to premature failure.

The HF trailer was trashed after a half dozen off-road trips to the river. The frame started to develop a crack at a joint. We shored it up with some larger bolts/hardware but the stress continued on. Oh well, it was a cheap thing to try.

I think if you are mostly on the road, it will be fine, but if going off-road drive slow!

Take care,


Re: Harbor Freight trailers

My buddy got one for his small boat recently. I thought it would be complete junk, but it seems to be fairly road-worthy.

He had to modify it with some wood decking to make it work, but so far it seems to work well for him.

Not sure about long term durability of the axle/bearings, but he says they are easily replaced with standard parts from any auto supply store.

Hey, if it doesn't work out, at least they are cheap for guys on a budget and a little bit handy.