If your boat has a considerable amount of rocker (most of them do) then only one small area of the curved bottom of the boat will contact the flat board. It works well for the Wave because of the skeg keel.

Like I said, with a flatbed, you have to be creative in how you cradle, support, or cushion your hulls. Lots of possibilities.

And, who knows, if you have a hull with a lot of rocker and you flatten it out in transit, maybe it will go faster on the water. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
But is that legal? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

My husband says my StreetPilot clocked me doing 98 while towing our I-20.

Fiberglass boats do not like to sit on wet carpet on flat trailers. The gel coat will blister on the bottom.

Jake, what exactly would I be loosing if I got a galvanized instead of an aluminum? I know aluminum is lighter and won't rust, but is this all? Can the galvanized trailer be painted or cured with something to safeguard it from rust? How severe is the rust anyway?

I'm getting a Hobie 16 really soon, within the next month I hope, and I'll be getting whatever trailer comes with that. Should I just use the trailer it comes with? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> I'm just wondering if it's worth it to get another trailer.

This, of course, leaves out the unprobable possibility that a H16 actually does come with a trailex! that would be nice... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

A galvanized trailer is usually dipped and coated with a layer of zinc (the whole thing!). The zinc provides really good rust protection (better, usually, than paint). It will be a good bit heavier than an aluminum trailer and you'll really notice the biggest difference while moving it around by hand with a boat on it. You might notice some increased efficiency while towing with the aluminum trailer, but my experience has been that the mileage difference is pretty tiny.

Are you buying a new boat? They should be able to tell you what trailer it comes with - often, however, trailers are optional items.

If you can keep the trailer out of the water then rust becomes a non-issue. If you launch at a ramp, back up just enough to get the boat into and out of the water but keep the trailer dry. I did that for eleven years with my last boat/trailer and never saw any rust. H16s are fairly light so, at the worst, you use a winch to haul them back onto the trailer.

Just an idea, but why don't they dip and coat galvanized trailers in aluminum? or is zinc more rust resistant than aluminum? looking at my periodic table i see how zinc would work, but aluminum is tough to rust too. Just a thought

OK well when I go to launch my future H16, it'll be my first time launching a boat from a ramp. Will I need cat trax or some sort of wheels to get the cat from the trailer safely into the water?

I know the H16 is pretty light, but is it light enough so that I could load it off and on the trailer alone if I go sailing solo?

A winch is a good idea... I'll look into that.

I don't believe the aluminum would bond well with steel...another benefit of the zinc is that it acts as an anode and protects the steel electrically from galvanic corosion. (hence "galvanized"). You can read more about it here: Wikipedia - galvanized

I have 4 trailers.
Two Galvanized Steel, One Steel (painted), one aluminum (2 position snowmobile). My boats are on Glavanized trailers and neither has rusted although admittedly I only put them into fresh water. The Aluminum Trailer is the greatest. Light and VERY versatile as Rick pointed out. In addition to towing two snowmobiles with it and towing around a Hobie 16 I had for a while, I use it almost every weekend for something...... getting mulch, or bringing brush to the recyling center etc. etc. It's great for carrying odd size things like mattresses too.

A friend had a steel trailer sprayed with the bedliner stuff from LINE-EX. That is one great system and completely impervious to weather I think. I will watch and see how he likes it and report back at some point.

This is exactly what our H20 hulls are riding on, 2x8's with a close nap carpet. Basic standard cat trailer without rollers or cradles. As far as rocker goes, not much to a H20 but the exterior grade wood flexes enough to match the curve. The carpet remaining wet I don't see as much of an issue. The trailer has simple, non-tapered, 10 inch, vertical rollers, on the INSIDE, at four points, attaching at the crossbars (bottom) and an "arm" to support from the sail box at the top leaving a 1" gap between rollers and hulls. These are guides for loading, do not support any load, and also prevent side movement (don't recommend flying a hull with boat on trailer <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />).

CatTrax will last you a lifetime (and many boats). I'd invest in one RIGHT NOW and forgo dumping money into an aluminum trailer. You'll get far more value from CatTrax ... and save maintenance on your hulls (and trailer) by not dragging your boat around on the beach or shore--or dropping your trailer in the water to launch your cat.

I'm with Rick and the Trailex-Admiration society. Mine is 30 years old and holds my new A-cat with a smile! After 25 years of TheMightyHobie18 and H20 racing, I put a beam support system on the Trailex so that the A-class carbon fiber hulls ride in the air. My back says, "Thank you very much!" everytime I lift these things. Heavy boats? BOOOOO! Sooo 20th Century! All obsolete! Run 60mph <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> and save some on drag. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I've had painted, galvo, and Trailex. The painted ones are no good after a few years of fresh or salt water. They just don't hold up. Galvo are much better, but will eventually rust, especially in salt water. The aluminum is by far the best for a few reasons.

1)Weight. My trailer for my TheMightyHobie18 with the axel, wheels, and tires shipped to me with a weight less than 200 lbs.

2)Corrosion. Aluminum trailers will not rust. The only problem I have is with any glavo hardware attached to it. i.e. the bolts used to bolt the thing togeather. They may need replacing every decade or so. This depends on how well you wash the trailer down after submerging in slat water. If you sail in fresh they will last as long as the aluminum.

3)Ease of attaching accessories. The extruded aluminum pieces have a track on at least 2 of the faces of each piece that accept T bolts. You can bolt almost anything you want on them without haveing to drill holes in your trailer.

4)Longevity. They will probably last longer than your trailer.

These are just my opinions, but if you plan on being in the sport for a while, I would invest in one. Especially if you will sail in salt water.

Nick, you offer a very convincing argument to get a Trailex! My budget however, maxes out at 2 grand, and that's paying for first a H16, beach wheels (if not included), and then anything that needs replacing, like standing rigging, trap harnesses, tramp, tiller/rudder apparati, etc. Also later on I want to do a snazzy paint job and maybe get some good classic sails, like Carumba or something. I'm here in Florida for one more year of high school and then I'm off to college for 4 years, so I don't want to spill too much money into getting something that I'm only going to be using for a year and a few summers. Will I stay with sailing after college? I definitely hope so! But for all practical purposes, I don't have a job, and financially, things won't be better in college.

After that though, like 5 years from now when I'm the CEO of a S&P 500 company, a trailex will be on my wish list for sure! If I have a galvanized trailer, I'm definitely willing to take care of it by washing it down if it gets salty, which it will a few times I bet. As for the light weight of aluminum, my back is only 17 years old, and I can use the workout anyway. As for longetivity, heck, I might be sailing a Nacra 6.0 or something of larger caliber with my future wife on the French Riviera. Plus, I'll have to survive college first.

The one thing you say that is really benegicial to anyone, though, is the easiness of how things attach together like tinker toys. definitely good for adjusting between carrying a Wave one day, H16 another.


I have a trailer that we never use for a 10-year old Sea Doo jet boat (boat, not ski). The trailer is 5'6" wide and about 10 feet long with two 2 x 4's in the middle to support the boat. It turns out the trailer is 3 inches too thin to hold a Wave. I measured the distance between the bottom of the hulls (bottom of the V) of the Wave, and they're 5'9" apart.

what kind of structure can I build on that would hold the sailboat? I was thinking putting down a few 2 x 4's and then putting two sheets of 4' x 8' plywood, just like Mary's design, but the wheel wells protrude 5 inches up on the side. How can I build over the wheels? any ideas? I'll post a pic of the trailer when I get the chance. thanks again!

Will,

I understand where you are coming from. I bought my first cat when I was a super-senior in college (had to do the extra year, co-op). I had no money but wanted something fun to do on the weekends. My advice to budget cat sailors is to not worry about the aesthetics of the boat. Those can always be improved at a later date as the do not keep the boat from sailing. Invest in new rigging for safety issues. Don't let your trailer condition slide. I did this when I owned my H16. On the way to my camping/sailing vacation the front cross bar of my trailer failed. Fortunately it was only on one side and the boat was stiff enough to keep from dragging on the road or getting gouged by other parts of the trailer. I took some 4x4's and lashed them onto the cross bar to get me through the week and back home.

Speaking of that, attaching 4x4's to the trailer for cross beams works well for light boats like the Wave and H16. You can then attach roller or cradles to the 4x4.

As for using the sea doo trailer, the suspension is designed for a much heavier load. Most cat trailers are rated for about 1000 lbs. If you underload trailers they tend to bounce alot and beat up your load. So keep that in mind.