Enclosed Boat Trailer

[Beau Parsons]

Beau,

It's very cool that you are getting a new trailer. I got the best price in town on a new unit from Trailer Source right there at Ward Road and I-70. You may have to order to get the best price though but the come in just a few weeks, A couple of things I learned from my trailer. Mine is a 12x7 and that is a lot of trailer to tow, if you go 10' or above make sure you go tandem axes with electric brakes otherwise your tow vehicle will suffer including tires.

Make sure when you build out your trailer you pay attention to tongue weight, especially if you have a single axle! Once again having an improper tongue weight will cause you lots of headaches. Oh yea and make sure you get 5/8" or 3/4" wall sheeting, 1/2" will be pretty tough to hang anything from.

David

No worries here I have all the power with the diesel dodge up front, and the handy exhaust brake. Bought a 12X6 with barn style doors and the side man door, all led lightning in and out. Ready to start rigging it up this week. Classic trailer sales had the best deal and great guys to work with.

Beau

D

 

[Beau Parsons]

Trying to finish up this ongoing trailer almost done, I am wondering what suits best to finish the floor with, I don't want to leave it raw wood but want something that I can putdown, paint, adhesives, or cover with that will last for a couple of seasons? Any suggestions would help me out.

Thanks Beau

 

[57fairlane500]

I used the 2 part epoxy garage floor paint, that is tint-able. I just didn't use the traction "sprinkles". It's very durable, looks good and easy to clean.

 

[glenng]

I used the 2 part epoxy garage floor paint, that is tint-able. I just didn't use the traction "sprinkles". It's very durable, looks good and easy to clean.

The traction "sprinkles" make it two or three times harder to clean and will tear up mops,squegees, sponges etc.

 

[FloridaScaleBoater]

I used the 2 part epoxy garage floor paint, that is tint-able. I just didn't use the traction "sprinkles". It's very durable, looks good and easy to clean.

If I had it to do over again, I would go the epoxy floor paint also.

I did vinyl flooring in BLK & WHT checker board,, one thing that is nice... Jack the tongue up high, clean with simple green and scrub brush and hose it out the back door,, place a fan in there to circulate air to dry... Very easy.

 

[David Santistevan]

Beau,

This is the stuff I used, chemical resistant, easy to clean. Only drawback is it ain't cheap.

D

http://www.quickshipmetals.com/diamond-plate/aluminum-diamond-plate.html?gclid=CJj6w4Wz6bcCFe9cMgodS1MA6Q

 

[Beau Parsons]

Well fellas finally after working on it all summer here and there see is ready for some use. enjoy

Beau

 

[Ron Olson]

Nice clean setup. Invest in a lot of bungee cords as you'll need them!

I see that you've got one of those Harbor Freight generators, I've got one also and it's plenty for most of us but I've got a 12-volt deep-cycle battery plus inverters for back-up.

Now, let's see it loaded up for racing!

 

[Beau Parsons]

Ron,

Thanks buddy, I love those harbor freight generators, got mine for like 59.00 dollars with those flyers they send in the mail. Does not have a huge amount of power but works to charge batteries and light the trailer when it is dark, I have plenty of boats to fill her up with.

Thanks Beau

 

[Ron Olson]

I'd been wanting a generator for a long time but the wife kept saying that I didn't need one. I waited for it to go on sale also before getting one. I stashed it away in my trailer so she didn't know that I got it. I got a call at work one night shortly afterwards saying that we lost power at the house again. I told her to get my son Eric to get it out of the trailer and hook up some lights and fans in the house. Boy, was she happy (not an easy job to do)! After that we had 3 more outages in 6 weeks. Later on she asked me why I didn't buy a bigger one! Yeah, I can't win.....

It's got enough power to run the fridge so that we don't lose any food and even then it doesn't sound like it's working hard. It's not a Honda but it doesn't have the Honda price tag either.

Other things. Seeing how I run gas also I keep a fire extinguisher right by the back door. A magnetic white board goes on the inside right door for notes and heat sheets. A paper towel holder just inside also.

I've got narrow wire racks on the left side. I've seen guys place the racks in upside down (I can't do that with mine) to help hold their boats in.

 

[Beau Parsons]

Ron,

Yes these are great ideas, looks like I will be off to go shopping for more items I did forget about, mama is going to say "have you spent enough money on your trailer yet" and I am going to say it is the small things I just need. Thankful she understands my passion for this hobby. Do you see anything else I am missing or forgetting? I am always looking for new ideas and things that others do that are just slick, and useful.

Beau

 

[Ron Olson]

You can let your imagination go wild! Fans are handy. I've got a small 12-volt fan that rotates plus I've carried along a 20" box fan if I know it's going to get hot at a site. A stereo comes in handy so that you can either party or listen for weather warnings. Mine has come in handy for that when we were out playing with the boats as a really nasty storm was heading right for us. We were packed and on the road just minutes before it hit. A tornado was spotted just to the south of us.

I scored some rubber mats for the trailer floor to keep the toolboxes and such from sliding around. I had a small pile of extra mats that came in handy at Hobart as we used them for the tables and on the launch dock. Those i got from work as we use them to keep loads from moving around in semi's.

Milk crates are handy for tossing fuel, bungee cords, rags, canopy stakes and other stuff from moving around. I've been thinking that a small pegboard area might have to find itself in there too. There's all kinds of accessories that you can put on one of those.

 

[Buddy Benedict]

I have the same wire shelves and I hope you have locked them in place by either putting a screw and washer in the wall hanger just above the where the shelve clips in or by drilling a hole through the side of the wall piece and through the shelve tab and screw them together. I didn't do anything to mine and the shelves "bounced out" of the wall hangers and everything on them went to the floor.

 

[Beau Parsons]

Buddy, I have been concerned about the shelves, I drilled a hole in the one side and put pop rivets to secure them, I have tried to think about everything but there is always something I forget come race day, thanks for the help, any help is great help. Thanks Beau