Picked up a few trailers
 

I have been looking for a trailer for My 25 seafari and in My search i found a aluminum single axel that fits My 20 Seafari for only $375, I couldnt pass it up!. then yesterday on Craigslist I found this Slip-on aluminum 24-26 7000lb trailer listed for 950!! I drove over and picked it up for $900! what do yall think? all it will need new tires and carpet on the bunks!

Good deal. 7000 lbs works well for me. Looks like you will have to raise the bunks a bit to fit the 25. I modified my Owens by adding a 1x4, curved and raised another inch on the forward end to fit the curve of the hull. Fit the hull perfect, worked great after I played with it a little. Be sure to check the angle of the bunks to match the hull where they will touch. Also, the bunks should be under the strakes, where the stringer is. Looks like yours will be in just the right place.

Looks like you have torsion bars. If not, think about going to torsion bars when its time to respring.

it has torsion bars but no breaks, Im going to add them later before I start hauling it back n forth to Flordia.

That's a real nice trailer for the 20 I wish I could find one for that price

Phil,
Sweet deal on the trailer for the 25. Connor's right on the bunks.

On the trailer for the 20, check the load rating on the tires. A friend of mine had a trailer for his 20MA with those low profile tires and he would blow at least one tire every time we went to the Keys from Lauderdale. Even if you have to put new tires and rims on it, it's a good deal.

Dave

the trailer for the 20 has brand new tires , rims and hubs on it, and he gave me the two old tires and rims for spares!, I didnt look at the load rating on them, will do that tonight. thanks
Im going to test fit the 25 this weekend and see what I need to do to get it to sit right on its new home.

Make sure you have the brakes on both tandums. It's the law now in Fl and the patrols in Miami/Keys have portable weigh mats that they check requirements out on the highway :eek:


Nice find BTW, I have the same for my 23'

"what do yall think?"

I'm with Capt. Chuck great find. Even if you drop another thousond or so to get it just right you are way ahead of the game!!! Lucky dog!!

Wow nice find looks like a really good deal

Heck, I dont think Ga even requires breaks on a trailer, if they do, no one enforces it!

Yeah, it's like Chuck says....especially in the Keys and Miami-Dade. It's easy pickins for the cops to find problems with boat trailers, who are well trained to find trailer problems; things like no hold down straps, no tags, out of date registration, brakes, lights, etc. I've been stopped towing my brother's boat, but never in one of mine. A $200 ticket sure makes that first beer taste not quite as good as normal.

you guys got me looking into brakes for my tandum trailer that was w/o brakes looks like the best Ive come up with so far will run me about $1000 to add them . any cheaper places to check?

Look on eBay and the like, stick with Kodiak. I've got the stainless on my trailer and I think it's worth the extra $$$$, especially as much as I'm in saltwater.

saltwater??? down here/---maybe just a lil

On the trailers is there a certain weight that you need in order to require brakes?

I have a tandum trailer but only have a 20 riding on it.

What's the law now.

There are so many tandum trailer down here that do not have brakes I cannot imagine that all these trailers are now needing brakes

I believe its 3500lbs?

I got mine here:

http://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/ite...atus=0&Tp=&Bc=

They've got a tandem kit for 5 lug for $711, but it's got Titan Brakes. I agree with Don on the Kodiak. If If you call them, they'll work with you to customize the kit a little and substitute Kodiak for the Titan with not much difference in price.

I respectfully disagree with Don on the Stainless. You can buy two or three sets of replacement rotors for the price difference between Dacromet and stainless. You pays yer money and you takes yer choice.

My $0.02
Dave

I've actually got the Kodiak SS calipers and regular Dacroment rotors. I bought them from the place you mentioned, only 25 minutes away from me. I also had to replace the Titan's master cylinder and reverse solenoid.

Nice looking safari it would look great at home with my 20sf

it could be for sale for the right price :)

That's probably a pretty good indicator of how many ignorant, uneducated boaters there are! Makes for great entertainment at the boat ramps on weekends though! Ever since I retired, I've tried to avoid boating on the weekends for that reason!

If boat + trailer weight exceeds 3000 lbs, you need brakes on all wheels. Here's a link to the Florida Boat Trailer law: http://www.ehow.com/list_7476335_flo...uirements.html The REAL eye-opener is THIS requirement: "Gross towed trailer weight must not exceed 40% of the tow vehicle weight"! That says you'd need a 7500 lb HUMMER or F250 to tow a 3000 lb boat & trailer! Bet very few folks comply with that!

I also went with Kodiak disks from Trailer Depot, but didn't go with the SS version, since I have a roller trailer that I can load/unload without dunking the axle.

I agree that there is great entertainmnet at the south florida boats ramps on any given weekend

But I am for sure not one of the ignorant one's out there.
I have had a boat since I was 12 years old and have my share of experiance with them

I simply asked a question on what the law is on tandum trailers.
I am sure that there are hundreds if not thousands of tandum trailers all over florida that are over the 3k weight limit that have been rolling around for many years. That a they are going to go out and install brakes or buy a new trailer I doubt it very much. Or buy a bigger truck to tow it I doubt it too. There are boats down here that will need a semi to tow the 40% rule

I think that I will be ok with the 20 on the trailer towed behing a newer ford explorer down to the keys which is 60 mile from home, the rest is to black point marina which is 8 miles

And no matter what you tow or what you tow with you have to be carefull !!!

I think the author of the article misread the statute:

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/...20261#0316.261

The requirement is under FS 316.261(3)(a) which is the exceptions to the brake requirement. So the 40% rule only applies to trailers under 3000 lbs that don't have brakes. I.E. if you're towing a trailer with gross weight of 2500 lbs, and it doesn't have brakes, your tow vehicle must weigh at least 6250 lbs. If your trailer has brakes, the 40% rule doesn't apply regardless of trailer weight.

At least that's how I read it.

Dave

Dave, you were right to go directly to the statute; I just posted the first thing that popped up on a google search and it was obviously flawed! (BTW, had a problem opening your link but here's one that takes you right to the section in question: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/.../0316.261.html) I agree with your interpretation of the 40% rule; it makes a lot more sense if applied to trailers under 3000 lbs. w/o brakes. I originally ordered my trailer w/o brakes because didn't use When I originally installed brakes on my trailer about 15 years ago, it made a huge difference in stopping distance! Sort of like there was nothing back there!

Since I don't dunk the trailer, I originally followed the dealers advice and installed 11" drum brakes, since they have more swept area than the disk brakes. They were very powerful brakes, but not self adjusting, so after I put some miles on them it became a real PIA to keep them adjusted evenly. One side would always grab first and jerk truck to one side, and they were always dragging & making a lot of racket at low speed, so after an inner grease seal blew out and contaminated the linings, I switched over to disks, which eliminated all of those problems! (If anyone wants a cheap set of drum brakes for 6000 lb axle and 6-lug wheels, send me a PM!)

Jorge, didn't mean to offend . . . after seeing all the research and restoration you've done to your MA, it's obvious you're a sharp guy that knows what he's doing! Looking forward to hearing about first launch and shakedown run! And thanks to you, DonV and Capt. Chuck for broaching the subject of trailer brakes . . . it's an important safety issue that merits a good discussion! Denny

I wish I had some spare money

none taken

and since I have no boat yet maybe I get my video camera and a chair and go to the ramp next weekend

And I'm with you I need some spare money too

My son just graduated from high school so now I have 3 in college

My oldest only has till the end of the year till she's done and she will then be working for Polo in New York, unless she goes to Grad school

My middle one is in FSU spending money like a Arab price
And my youngest one wil be going to either Barry or St Thomas here in town

But still I need some spare money!!!!!

Jorge, be sure to take some olympic style score cards to to the boat ramp!!! The real doofs like to score a minimum of 9.2, some expert idiots are expecting a 9.5 and will earn it!! :) :)

So by this calculation, my trailer that has a GVW of 5000#(dual Axel and no brakes) and that my Sport Trac with a GVW of 6250#. That I should stay away from the "Keys" and keep my hauling to around the block...:eek:


Found this which may help!

http://www.glen-l.com/designs/trailer/trailer-wts.html

So with light fuel, I need an f 450 and with full fuel I need brakes.