Ordering Trailer

[ajcampen]

I would go cheap as possible unless you tow distance often. Especially if u r upgrading in next couple years. Boat is a ‘99 so $6k trailer should be out of the question

I go cheap on things often, ask Katie, but lesson learned last season. A trailer is not something to cheap out on regardless of how much or how little you tow. We pull the boat 10 miles round trip storage to ramp. Even with that short distance trailer issues ruined three trips to the lake last season.

I'm not saying buy the rolls royce of trailers, but I wouldn't buy the kia of trailers either. Maybe the Honda of trailers I dunno lol. You really don't appreciate the trailer until you have issues /w it, remember it is the only thing between the boat you love and the hard pavement. Sitting on the side of the road fixing a crap trailer while trying to figure out what in the hell to do with the 6000lb boat that is sitting on it isnt fun. Spend accordingly.

Reliability is key. No need for a custom trailer vs lower cost adjustable trailer. It needs to be well built and have right capacity

[thunder550]

Custom trailers are more about looks IMO. If that's your thing, go for it. All of my family's boats in the past have come with custom trailers. Took me awhile to get used to the "ugliness" of my current galvanized trailer. That being said, I have loved the adjustability and flexibility.

For example, we've had to take trailers in to a pro in the past when the inevitable shredded tire happened and took out the fenders. They were weld-on, so we had to pay someone to cut the old one off, weld on a new one, then paint to match. Same with the coupler - had to have one of those replaced when the master cylinder went out. Again, cut, weld, and paint. Trailer jack goes out - base is welded to frame. Want different size tires, can't do it because the fenders can't be adjusted. Everything is bolt-on on a universal trailer, and individual components can be replaced and/or upgraded easily.

Another thing that's interesting - we always struggled to get our boats centered on custom trailers when pulling out of the water. Normally had to have someone stand on both sides to keep it from drifting as we pulled it out. Could have been a bad technique or trailer too far in the water I suppose, but once I got the bunks adjusted right on my Venture trailer it self-centers easily. I would think it would be the opposite. Could have been user error.

If there's any chance you'll ever put the boat in salt water, you will want a galvanized or aluminum trailer for sure.

Anyway, those are my thoughts after having both over the years. I love the way custom trailers look, but the flexibility and ease of repair of a universal one wins in my book.

[Big Block Power]

Custom trailers are more about looks IMO. If that's your thing, go for it. All of my family's boats in the past have come with custom trailers. Took me awhile to get used to the "ugliness" of my current galvanized trailer. That being said, I have loved the adjustability and flexibility.

For example, we've had to take trailers in to a pro in the past when the inevitable shredded tire happened and took out the fenders. They were weld-on, so we had to pay someone to cut the old one off, weld on a new one, then paint to match. Same with the coupler - had to have one of those replaced when the master cylinder went out. Again, cut, weld, and paint. Trailer jack goes out - base is welded to frame. Want different size tires, can't do it because the fenders can't be adjusted. Everything is bolt-on on a universal trailer, and individual components can be replaced and/or upgraded easily.

Another thing that's interesting - we always struggled to get our boats centered on custom trailers when pulling out of the water. Normally had to have someone stand on both sides to keep it from drifting as we pulled it out. Could have been a bad technique or trailer too far in the water I suppose, but once I got the bunks adjusted right on my Venture trailer it self-centers easily. I would think it would be the opposite. Could have been user error.

If there's any chance you'll ever put the boat in salt water, you will want a galvanized or aluminum trailer for sure.

Anyway, those are my thoughts after having both over the years. I love the way custom trailers look, but the flexibility and ease of repair of a universal one wins in my book.

I won't pick on t555555000000.
Ok I will.
Buy a used trailer and stick as much as you can in it so it exceeds the cost of a new trailer. That's my suggestion.

[thunder550]

I won't pick on t555555000000.
Ok I will.
Buy a used trailer and stick as much as you can in it so it exceeds the cost of a new trailer. That's my suggestion.

I should note....I am advocating for a new universal trailer, not a used one.

On a positive note, after spending more than what a new one would have cost, I have one that's almost new except it's 10 years old and not new

[NautiGirl]

I am thinking the cost of flying T5555555000000 to Louisville and letting him convert ours to EoH brakes may be less than paying a shop locally to do it. Let me know when you have a free weekend and I will book the flight.

[Tuscany]

IMO,
A 220 is a lighter boat. There isn’t a need for a HD trailer when towing a 22’ boat.
If you are getting into a 7-8-10k load, then you may need to rethink everything from bunks to brakes, crossmember count, suspension, and the actual type of steel being welded.

For your boat, you should be just fine with a Venture or other kit brands. For the money, a Venture Commander gives you surge discs, and nice wheels.
Would I tow cross state with one? With a 220? why not? You should get years of great service at an attractive price.

I do agree with Thunder. Most “custom” trailers aren’t really worth it. What is the advantage? Matching paint and pretty wheels won’t buy you strength and bunk adjustability, just a custom price tag.
True custom trailers are one off trailers, usually built by single location fab shops that give you complete adjustability, with a book of fabricated options and the ability to add custom fabricated options the customer wants.


Also my neighbor owns a tire shop, and says trailer tires are basically junk. Don’t be afraid to toss out full treaded trailer tires when they reach 5 years old. Cheap insurance against fender shredding blowouts.

[Bobo87]

Looks like protip has a lot of information to sort through. I must say I wish I had this forum back when I was looking for my trailer. I will say when you have felixabilty it sure is nice.

[thunder550]

I am thinking the cost of flying T5555555000000 to Louisville and letting him convert ours to EoH brakes may be less than paying a shop locally to do it. Let me know when you have a free weekend and I will book the flight.

How much beer comes with the plane ticket? Any limit to how much I can drink before starting? How important is it that the brakes actually work when finished? And more importantly, are you going to test them before I leave?

[thunder550]

Don’t be afraid to toss out full treaded trailer tires when they reach 5 years old.

Personally I prefer throwing out trailer tires when they are new

[Tuscany]

That's no joke Thunder. I'm not sure what the point of trailer tires are to begin with.

[jhnmdahl]

EZ Loader (what I bought with my 210), Eagle, and Heritage are all good brands that various Cobalt dealers use for their "standard" trailers to deliver with Cobalt boats.

John

[NautiGirl]

I am thinking the cost of flying T5555555000000 to Louisville and letting him convert ours to EoH brakes may be less than paying a shop locally to do it. Let me know when you have a free weekend and I will book the flight.

How much beer comes with the plane ticket? Any limit to how much I can drink before starting? How important is it that the brakes actually work when finished? And more importantly, are you going to test them before I leave?

Well we are going to put you on the cheapest flight I can find - Southwest / Frontier / Allegiant so first challenge is you making it alive.

Katie generally regulates beer consumption during boat / trailer projects - not complaining dear - it's for the best. However boat upgrades do put her in a REALLY good mood so if we can get trailer brakes working and demonstrate that they may actually stop the boat I feel like she would happily throw down with us.

The area around the lake is full of hills so we should know relativity quickly if we did a good job or not - and hell if we mess this up and the boat and trailer go flying down a hill Katie will be the first person to want a drink - most likely of something much stronger than beer.

Really a win / win - we do a good job we drink to celebrate we F up and we drink over the boat being flipped into a ditch on the side of a rural Kentucky road.

[Protip]

If adjustable is the cheaper option and you guys don't think that is a big deal then I can do that. My boat lives in the slip and I don't plan on towing it often. Maybe once a year to LOTO and occasionally over to Table Rock. I typically don't keep a boat for more than two years so sinking a lot into a trailer that will barely get used isn't something I want to do. I guess that makes the new question this. Who makes the best bang for my buck adjustable trailer?

[thunder550]

Well we are going to put you on the cheapest flight I can find - Southwest / Frontier / Allegiant so first challenge is you making it alive.

Katie generally regulates beer consumption during boat / trailer projects - not complaining dear - it's for the best. However boat upgrades do put her in a REALLY good mood so if we can get trailer brakes working and demonstrate that they may actually stop the boat I feel like she would happily throw down with us.

The area around the lake is full of hills so we should know relativity quickly if we did a good job or not - and hell if we mess this up and the boat and trailer go flying down a hill Katie will be the first person to want a drink - most likely of something much stronger than beer.

Really a win / win - we do a good job we drink to celebrate we F up and we drink over the boat being flipped into a ditch on the side of a rural Kentucky road.

Can't go wrong! LOCE IT!

[BobRae99]

My dealer sold me a new 2016 Cobalt 210 and I did t want to spend more than necessary on a trailer. I got a 2015 Shorelander with dual axle single disk brakes (surge). It had been used to move boats around the lot but never registered. I paid $1,800 CAD for it. It will see two trips a year of around 60 miles and has a manufacturer warranty. I think you’d be fine with something like this, or a better one used. But that is a new ie’s opinion.