Trailer for 17 Outrage

A conversation among Whalers
Theine78
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Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Theine78 » Tue Jan 04, 2022 5:42 pm

Please give me recommendations for a trailer for a 1992 17 Outrage for freshwater-only use.

I have looked at the Shorelandr and E-Z-Loader. I lean toward the E-Z-Loader.

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Phil T
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Phil T » Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:58 pm

I also have a 17 OUTRAGE. I replaced my trailer in 2018 with a LoadRite model 17220090VT galvanized torsion-axle trailer, and installed keel rollers and guide posts. The 17 OUTRAGE like a glove and rides like it is on pillows. Expect to pay $2,300 to $3,000 due to Covid.

LoadRiteTrailer.jpg
Fig. 1. LOAD-RITE trailer as purchased.
LoadRiteTrailer.jpg (76.2 KiB) Viewed 4893 times

https://www.loadrite.com/trailers/load-rite-galvanized-single-axle-bunk-17/#

Also, I had this same trailer on my 1991 Outrage 17 during my seven years of ownership.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

Jloutrage
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Re: Trailer Recommendation - 17 Outrage

Postby Jloutrage » Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:13 pm

I have a 17 OUTRAGE. Since 2000 I have used an E-Z-Loader galvanized trailer with swing tongue, also in freshwater only, [and without a problem].

jimh
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby jimh » Wed Jan 05, 2022 7:51 am

I do not have a 17 OUTRAGE, but I do have a galvanized steel E-Z-LOADER trailer made in 1992 which I acquired in c.2005. At age 30-years-old the trailer's structural components are all sound. The trailer has seen probably more than 25,000-miles of highway towing. The trailer has been used mostly in freshwater, but has seen saltwater several times. The boat lives on the trailer all year.

The only major component that has been replaced is the wheel fenders. One fender developed a crack (after being bent slightly by a very low speed encounter with an immovable object); Once the crack developed it continued to grow, so I eventually replaced the fenders. I was able to buy OEM exact replacement fenders at a very reasonable cost.

One advantage of buying a trailer brand that has national distribution and has been in business for several decades: the company usually supports their older products well and maintains some inventory of replacement parts.

Theine78
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Theine78 » Wed Jan 05, 2022 1:15 pm

Great ideas, thanks. Did anyone consider having breaks on the trailer, or is it so light that it just doesn't make sense?

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Phil T
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Phil T » Wed Jan 05, 2022 1:42 pm

Check your state's regulations.

https://trailers.com/state-laws/

Typically anything under 2,000 lbs does not require brakes.

I have trailered for over 10 years with a mid-sized SUV with a 5,000lb tow rating. Never needed/wanted brakes.

Then again, what is your tow vehicle and its tow rating?
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

Theine78
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Theine78 » Wed Jan 05, 2022 2:30 pm

Quick Follow up question. Do your motors go all the way down when on the trailer? I ask, because I fish a lot in the winter and want to have the motor down to drain when not in use. currently I can not lower it all the way on my existing trailer. thanks

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Phil T
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Phil T » Wed Jan 05, 2022 2:42 pm

My engine stores in the fully down position.

I do tilt the engine in the up position when traveling to ensure I don't scrape when transiting steep curb cuts.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

Theine78
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Theine78 » Wed Jan 05, 2022 2:57 pm

Thanks to all.

MarkCz
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby MarkCz » Thu Jan 06, 2022 12:45 pm

I bought a LOAD-RITE 5-STAR model galvanized trailer in c.2015 for [a different boat, a] 1987 MONTAUK 17.

The LOAD-RITE 5-STAR model galvanized trailer had four cross members, and they were welded [to the longitudinal or side rails or frame]. The joints of three crossmembers to the side rails were failing; I had them rewelded.

brokenWeldmentTrailer.jpg
Fig. 2. A broken joint between the trailer longitudinal frame and the crossmember. The weldments shown are the originals. Note how the tear in the crossmember is away from the weldment.
brokenWeldmentTrailer.jpg (36.63 KiB) Viewed 4679 times

[Moderator's note: added illustration after receiving a very large very-high-resolution image by email, which was then cropped to show only the weld area.]

In the welded design the crossmembers are only welded to the side rails on the top and sides, and the bottom of the cross member is below the side rail and is not welded. That created the problem: all the welds started cracking where the welds stopped.

I recommend buying a trailer with bolted-on crossmembers.

Jefecinco
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Jefecinco » Fri Jan 07, 2022 10:26 am

You may also want to consider a Karavan trailer. I believe they are the stock galvanized trailer furnished with smaller Boston Whaler boats shipped to dealers with a trailer.
Butch

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Phil T
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Phil T » Fri Jan 07, 2022 11:06 am

MARK--thanks for that info on the welded crossmembers. I didn't realize the LOAD-RITE 5-STAR crossmembers were welded to the frame. The regular LOAD-RITE galvanized trailers--referred to as the "Elite" models--have bolt-on crossmembers.
1992 Outrage 17
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jimh
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby jimh » Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:17 pm

I suspect that bolting-on the crossmembers allows for some slight movement when there is a torsion or twist in the trailer frame due to uneven pavement or in turns on banked pavement. The bolt-on joint has some give whereas a welded joint would be rigid. Continual torsion on the weldments probably leads to cracks.

jimh
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby jimh » Fri Jan 07, 2022 7:28 pm

Now that the weld illustration has been added at Figure 2 above, we see what appears to be a situation in which the material of the crossmember was torn away at some distance from the weldment. The weldments look like they are still intact.

The failure of the material may be related to the heat from welding. The material may have become brittle in the area around the welds. Or, the stress on the crossmember created by the fixed joint to the longitudinal frame members may have exceeded the shear strength of the material. The material itself creates a long lever arm to work on the joint.

porthole
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby porthole » Sat Jan 08, 2022 2:01 pm

MarkCz wrote:The LOAD-RITE 5-STAR model galvanized trailer had four cross members, and they were welded [to the longitudinal or side rails or frame]. The joints of three cross members to the side rails were failing; I had them rewelded.
Did you contact Load-Rite about this?
Thanks,
Duane
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MarkCz
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby MarkCz » Mon Jan 10, 2022 12:10 pm

I initially contacted Highway Marine, [the LOAD-RITE dealer] where I bought the trailer. Highway Marine told me to contact LOAD-RITE customer service.

I sent LOAD-RITE a detailed email with pictures, including [a picture of] the sticker that had the trailer's manufacturing date and serial number; I also sent pictures of the cracked areas. For a week I heard nothing back. I called LOAD-RITE. [In the telephone conversation with LOAD-RITE ] I was told I had to start a warranty claim with Highway Marine [the dealer that sold me the LOAD-RITE trailer].

Again I contacted Highway Marine, but I did not expect much help since they were useless before.

After getting these run-around [responses] during prime fishing time, I just decided to get the [cracked] areas welded by a local welder.

Eventually LOAD-RITE contacted me. LOAD-RITE told me if I would remove the boat from the trailer, they would pick up the trailer and look at [the cracked welds].

Since I already had repaired [the cracked welds, and I] had no way to remove the boat [from the trailer] and store the boat, I did not pursue this repair with LOAD-RITE further.

I may be partly responsible for the cracking. I used to tighten down the gunwale straps very tight to the trailer side rails. But, that said, the design of the trailer is partly responsible for the failure.

The repaired areas are holding up well.

Because the galvanized coating on the steel is lost during welding, I used wax-based coating inside the rails.

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Phil T
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby Phil T » Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:59 pm

Mark--I sent you via email some photos, a narrative, and the links for parts. Let me know if I can provide additional assistance.
1992 Outrage 17
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Member since 2003

jimh
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Re: Trailer for 17 Outrage

Postby jimh » Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:07 pm

That the trailer manufacturer expected you to remove your boat from their trailer in order for them to inspect the damage seems a bit unfair. For most trailer-boaters, the trailer is the boat's home for 99-percent of the time.

Your pre-emptive repair of the damage would have made an assessment of the now repaired trailer much more difficult for the manufacturer.

Regarding your earlier advice recommending to purchase of a trailer with non-welded crossmembers, I tend to agree with that recommendation. My opinion on this topic is based on the ability to make a repair. If a bolted-on frame member fails, there is always the possibility of just obtaining an OEM replacement and bolting-on the new part. If the attaching bolt fails, only a new bolt is needed to make a repair.

But that said, for several years I owned a PACIFIC TRAILER tandem-axle galvanized steel trailer. PACIFIC TRAILERS are made in California, and they use an all-welded frame and undercarriage. These trailers are highly regarded for their durability, for use in saltwater, and for use on poor roads in remote destinations (such a Baja California). The particular PACIFIC TRAILER with welded construction that I owned was made in 1987. I put many--many-- thousands of miles on that trailer, at least 5,000-miles in one long trip to Washington state from Michigan and return. I sold the boat and trailer about 15-years ago, and I am quite certain that trailer is still under my old boat and still on the road at a nice old age now of 35-years-old.

I don't think having the boat's hold-down straps in tension would be able to exert enough force to crack a weld. I have to think the weld is going to be stronger than fiberglass or stronger than a nylon strap or stronger than the amount of tension you could apply to the hold-down strap without using some extraordinary means like a three-foot pole to exert the force onto the mechanism. I also think that excessive force in the hold down strap would act on the hull fitting it is attached to, and then the fitting might deform the fiberglass or bend the fitting.

If you consider the weight of a boat compared to the weight of a trailer, the boat hold-down straps are really not holding down the boat, they are just holding up the trailer under the boat if the the boat experiences some sudden upward acceleration that exceeds the force of gravity on the boat and trailer.