Trailers are not the sexy part of our sport but they remain a necessity to get to and from the water without any headaches. All too often we see ocean / salt water riders buy standard (non-galvanized) trailers. A year later the trailer is high maintenance, rusted and has depreciated dramatically. Save yourself time, money and a few headaches, spend the additional money and buy a galvanized trailer and then fortify it.
Tired of breaking bunks? So were we. The manufacturers usually use cheap bunks that break, therefore we upgrade to six inch treated wood. The majority of the items we used to fortify our trailers can all be purchased at a Home Depot or Lowes hardware store. Follow the pictures and it will be self explanatory. (*Note that since upgrading our trailer, we have gone from breaking 1-3 bunks a season to zero broken bunks.)
Above: Buy galvanized connectors, nuts, bolts, washers, lock washers and support strips (pictured on the right), & spray with primer and Rust-Oleum paint or Cold Galvanizing Compound Spray Paint. We do this to provide an extra layer of protection from the salt.
Above left: Upgrade your bunks from the cheap 4 to 6-inch treated wood bunks – Paint the bunks with a few coats of oil based paint. Above right: Align with your old bunk to ensure the hardware aligns with the mounting bracket on the trailer (obviously the new bunk is on the left and the old bunk is on the right – use blue lock tight when tightening the bolts to the trailer).
Above: To further avoid cracking the bunks when loading or unloading the craft, fortify the bunks in the rear area and pressure points on the bunk with metal galvanized support that can be purchased in the deck building section of Home Depot.
Above: This is what the bunks should look like prior to attaching bunk carpet to the bunks.
Above: Trailer Bunk Carpet is available at many locations including Amazon.com. Use heavy duty glue and stainless steel staples to attach the carpet.
Above: Remember to use stainless steel staples to attach the carpet to the bunks!
Above left: Install Bunk-slicks available via Amazon.com. Above right: Install treated wood/painted running boards between both sets of bunks for ease of mounting and cleaning the craft. Use non-skid tape or Hydro-Turf on top of wood.
Top left: Place Hydro-Turf non skid on all upper deck components of the trailer – you can buy large sheets from Hydro-Turf. This will make the trailer much safer when climbing aboard or mounting the craft to work on the engine etc. Top right: Look for “dead-space” areas on your trailer and attach additional boxes for additional storage area (*Do not exceed trailer weight or tongue weight). Bottom left: Use bearing buddies and grease often. Bottom right: This is what a relatively inexpensive grease gun looks like.
Some final notes: Buy the appropriate length stainless or galvanized chain and stainless hook and attach per below. This will provide peace of mind when backing down steep ramps or on those long rides home. Also, remember to place Dielectric Grease on all electric connections. And lastly, remember to keep a serviceable, inflated spare on the trailer at all times. Replace as needed – going in and out of the salt water for a few years will break it down so make sure your spare is in good shape. Now go ride hard and have some fun!
“PWC Trailers: If You Ride Salt Water, Buy a Galvanized Trailer” was first written and published by Mark Gerner of PWCOffshore.com and can be read in its originality here.
Kevin, i hsve been a boat owner fir 40+ years, but at age 59 i am rslatively new to the PWC scene (currently have a yamaha and Kawasaki). I really enjoy your journal–always great tips and info–keep up rtt he good work. Dave./ Pensacola.