posted 05-15-2013 12:29 AM ET (US)        

After combing the internet and evaluating the limited choices locally, I narrowed it down to 2 manufacturers. The one closer to me gave me ballpark pricing on a galvanized steel bunk trailer, and I nearly fell off my chair. The other phoned me within an hour or two of my e-mail inquiry, and provided me with an itemized written quote on an aluminum bunk trailer, at what I think is a very fair price. He also offered me a very reasonable trade in value for my current trailer, which had also attracted some local interest. Initially, I was concerned about ordering a trailer from a dealer over 300 miles away, but that subsided when the owner offered to personally deliver the trailer to me in Santa Cruz, and make any necessary adjustments on the spot. He had the design specifications from Whaler, and had access to an Outrage 22 nearby to verify measurements if necessary.

My trailer was delivered this week by Wayne Redomond, the owner of West Coast Trailers, and I am extremely pleased with the quality, fit and especially the service. The trailer is a 7000 pound aluminum I-beam style, with UFP torsion axles, UFP aluminum/stainless disc brakes on all 4 wheels, UFP low profile surge coupler, LED lighting, diamond plate load bearing fenders, radial tires and Vault hubs. All fasteners are stainless steel, and I opted for a spare tire and mount, mounted to a hub/rotor/bearing assembly. It has a DL 2-speed winch, DL heavy duty jack, forward bunk boards and urethane bow stop.

The initial fit was quite good, buy Wayne took his time and made some minor adjustments to the winch stand location and side guides, and we relaunched the boat and retrieved it a few times to get it all dialed in. Wayne also spent a great deal of time going over all the systems and components, and helped me hitch it up to my tow vehicle. He took my old trailer in trade, so some new owner will get the benefit of the refurbishing work I had completed.

Here are a few snapshots of my boat on the new trailer. The boat is filthy because it stayed in the water all winter while I worked on the old trailer. Time for some spring cleaning!

Photos of the new trailer: http://smg.photobucket.com/user/andygere/library/ New%20Aluminum%20Trailer

I give West Coast Trailers my strongest recommendation. My trailer was exactly as promised, it was on time, and the customer service throughout the buying process was outstanding. http://www.westcoasttrailers.com/

I'm also really impressed with the UFP trailer components used by WCT throughout this trailer. They are an integrated system, and are really well designed and made. http://www.ufpnet.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

posted 05-15-2013 10:26 AM ET (US)            

I have noticed that many trailer manufacturers have begun to use the UFP surge coupler and brake systems. Let us know how they work for you.

posted 05-15-2013 10:46 AM ET (US)            

What model UFP coupler is used on the new trailer?

posted 05-15-2013 01:16 PM ET (US)            

Are you able to give pricing? I'm curious to know what the difference between it and the Pacific I got last summer, which I apparently had received a great price on.

Also, do you have brakes on both axles? My trailer is also rated to 7,000 lbs (GVWR) and I was told it was mandatory to have the brakes on both axles. I thought it was a little much for the 22...wanted to take a set off to have for parts/replacement down the road but was told that by law they were not allowed to remove it. On the plus side, it stops very well.

posted 05-17-2013 04:38 PM ET (US)         

But I have got to ask - why 7000# capacity for a 22' boat.
That seems [excessive], and Whaler has always said don't under-rate or over-rate a trailer. I only have a 6,000-lbs trailer under my Outrage 25 with twin engines and 140 gallon capacity, and it's been working fine for 23 years.

I figure you have:

2,300-lbs boat (according to Whaler's specs)
600-lbs in engines
500-lbs misc "stuff" batteries, gear, coolers, canvas, etc.
500-lbs full fuel tank
200-lbs fudge factor

-------

4,100-lbs

posted 05-19-2013 11:02 AM ET (US)            

Looks like a great trailer. You will love the spindle lube hubs and the torsion axle suspension. I couldn't believe how smoothly the trailer under my 25 tows and it's rated to 8,000-lbs but the ride is very smooth and you can see those torsion axles working over the bumps in your mirrors while the boat just sits back there nice and smooth. I am with you 100 percent on how well those things work.

posted 05-19-2013 11:36 AM ET (US)            

Do the torsion axles have an adjustment feature? I believe that on some of the torsion axles you can set them for a certain amount of ride height under load. In this way you can tune the torsion axle to the actual load it is carrying, giving you the optimum range of motion.

I would not worry about LHG comments about the trailer rating being too high. Let me explain why. I drive around all the time in my Suburban with nothing in it except me. Under those conditions the loading on the axles and suspension is very light, just a fraction of the rated weight. Then I hitch my trailer to my Suburban, fill the truck with gear, top off the 45-gallon tank, and carry a passenger. Then the Suburban is just about at the maximum rating for the suspension, particularly on the rear axle. I really do not find that the ride when lightly loaded is particularly awful. I mean, I don't experience any unusual jarring motion or hard landings when lightly loaded.

Now when I am loaded right to the maximum rating, I do find that the ride changes--it is much more harsh. Any big road bump might bottom out the suspension. The ride is much better when the suspension is loaded below its maximum.

This experience seems to be completely opposite what LHG suggests. LHG seems to suggest you have to size the trailer to exactly match the load at its maximum rating. My experience with my truck tells me that gives the worst ride, and I don't think that is good advice.

Also, you have only to compare LHG's trailer to the one that Boston Whaler provides on their 25-foot GUARDIAN boats. Those Boston Whaler trailers are built like tanks. I don't know where Boston Whaler was supposed to have published some formula about trailer load weight compared to hull weight, but if you go by their own example, they provide trailers that are probably rated over 8,000-lbs for a 25-foot boat.

Andy--I think you went the right way: get a trailer that is comfortably higher in weight load rating than the actual load. You will have some headroom in the suspension. And, as we know, boats always weight more than you think.

posted 05-19-2013 12:09 PM ET (US)            

Boat Weight from Certified Scale
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/016667.html

Also, I think our boats are probably similar in weight. My trailer is rated for 6,800-lbs gross vehicle weight. From my measurements I found that my normal load trailer weight was 5,600-lbs. That puts the normal load on my trailer at about 82-percent of maximum. I think that is a good spot. There is about 18-percent headroom. I cannot imagine using a trailer with less rating.

posted 05-19-2013 04:31 PM ET (US)            

The hub system on my trailer is a bit different than spindle lube. It's called the Vault, and it's also made by UFP. It's a sealed system that uses a hybrid grease-oil lubricant. Here's what the marketing literature says: The VAULT “Hybrid Lubrication system”
uses a semi-fluid oil in a pressurized chamber to give you the ultimate in wheel bearing lubrication and protection. At ambient temperatures the oil is thick with a viscosity approaching grease. As the bearing temperature rises during towing, the VAULT’s Hybrid Oil thins out replenishing the bearings with lubricant and dissipating heat. No inspection, no maintenance and no service required. What sold me on the upgrade was the 5 year warranty (you can up it to 10 years for a $50 surcharge), and that the owner of West Coast Trailers uses it on all his heavy duty commercial trailers that he uses to deliver other trailers. That seemed like a pretty strong endorsement.
http://www.ufpnet.com/Portals/0/PDFs/VAULT%20Brochure.pdf

Jim,
I think your idea of weighing my rig is a good one, and something I've always meant to do. I suspect that you are correct that our boats are a very similar weight, and I'd like to verify that.

I was also impressed with the clean design of the UFP coupler. I had a Tiedown Engineering model on my old trailer that worked quite well, but was also obtrusive and loaded with sharp edges ready to nick your feet as you tip toe down the trailer frame after loading the boat. I'll post an update on it's performance after I've towed the boat a few hundred miles. The torsion axles do have some adjustment in that the spindle arms attach to the axle on a spline, and the placement of that arm on the spline can be changed to adjust ride height and pre-load of the axle. The other nice thing is that it's a simple part that can be removed with a single bolt. If you have bearing failure that ruins the surface of the spindle, a new one can be easily bolted on, even on the side of the road. I think I'm going to order a spare to carry around, which will leave me with a fully redundant wheel, bearing, rotor and axle system. It's a $45 part, making it an easy choice to carry a spare.

posted 05-29-2013 04:45 PM ET (US)            

And what would be really cool is if the spare tire carrier
were built around one of those spindle arms. Then it would
all be right there.

posted 05-29-2013 11:14 PM ET (US)            

The trailer I have under my Mountauk is from West Coast Trailers as well. You can see it in this posting.

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/020764.html

I went with a wider trailer so the hull sits down between the fenders. Makes it so I don't have to back as far down the ramp to float it off the trailer. The trailer is actually made by Karavan.

posted 05-30-2013 08:41 AM ET (US)         

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lgoltz/media/Montauk%2017/ Scan_Pic0017-1.jpg.html?sort=6&o=32#/user/lgoltz/media/Montauk%2017/ Scan_Pic0017-1.jpg.html?sort=6&o=32& _suid=1369917187489014218996260247235

posted 06-04-2013 11:55 AM ET (US)            

Great looking trailer. It really goes nice with your Outrage. I really like the I-beam construction, very strong. Doing a lot of hauling myself, I understand the need for braking power, especially on mountainous roads in California. Congrats on a good choice.