Aluminum Trailers

Whose got an aluminum trailer with a cat on it?

What do you think about it?





The cost of the hot dipped galvy trailers tat I sell have gone up in price steadily for the past 5 years and are approaching the cost of the Aluminum. Should I stock them?

I've got 2: one for the N20, and one for the H16. I had one for the sunfish at one point.

I loved my old Trailex for a Nacra 6.0 so much that I even considered importing them to Europe. Turns out they ship over 'flat-pack', Ikea-like full trailers to Europe all the time and let the owners modify them to meet EU requirements! That is how much better they are than conventional galvanized. However, it is always difficult to get someone to buy the more expensive version of anything that does not make you go faster.

Matt
(Relucatant owner of gavanized trailer for A-class)

I've owned several Trailex trailers. Everyone of them has been awesome. However, do not doublestack N20's on the stock 20' trailer, even with the kit it will bend the frame. You have to upsize to the H-21 trailer for it to work...

I prefer a galvanized trailer for handling my A-Class. The boat is so light that it will bounce on bumps and bad road surfaces with a light aluminum trailer. She tows much smoother with the heavier steel trailer.

Now for the 400 lb boats, it probably makes sense.

This bounce issue is just a matter of getting the correct suspension rating for the load. More than likely, the one you tried was a typical 2000 lbs load rated suspension...ie a Class 1 trailer limit. There are springs or Torflex systems available for 500-1000 lbs setups. Then put a reasonable storage box on and you're good to go.

I have a home built alu tilt trailer for my Tornado which I tow with my Mini Cooper S.

Mike.

The bent-frame issue Mike talks about made me look for a source outside of Trailex. I went with hand-drawings to a local boat trailer company in Jacksonville - I came away with a 23-foot long I-beam aluminum trailer of 2,500-lbs capacity with 13-inch wheels, fore and aft mast stands and an awsome double-stack set up for less than the basic Trailex H21 without options. The Trailex trailers are more adjustable on-the-fly for different widths, but I was willing to sacrifice that for the ability to double-stack without worry.

Jeremy - you can't go wrong with Trailex for just about any application, but I'd bet you can get with a local fabricator and work out a couple of basic designs for less cost. Stick with quality - I hear people complain about the cheaply built trailers they get from boat dealers all the time. Most understand that quality and durability is worth it.

I think I'm the only person who had a Trailex and hated it.

I do like aluminum trailers. The one I had built ended up costing about $2500 all said and done. And it isn't light, there is about 400 lbs of composite decking under the boat and up the tounge.

Aluminum is the ONLY way to go but I don't like the trailex ones. They are flimsy. Take the front mast support and shake it and you will see what I mean. The whole trailer wobbles like a bowl of jelly. I think the trailex ones are too short. Better to get a local fabricator or trailer manufacturer to make custom ones.

You guys can say what you want about Trailex, but I've logged many miles on mine (more than most), and I've got very few, if any complaints. I've double stacked N20's, F18,s even a H16 on top of the 20. I've got 2 sailboxes on it and cat trax. Weight is not the only consideration for the trailer, there is also less maintenance and higher resale values. Modification is easy, and if you want to switch boats on the trailer, you can easily slide cradles, etc around without drilling holes.

Trey
~14,000 miles a year with my Trailex.

Hey Jeremy,

I don't want to sound like a Trailex commercial <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> but I concur with Trey. Trailex is the way to go. For double stacking you'll need the HC-21 version with the upper rack option. It's beefier and has the rated springs/axle to take the extra load. The beauty of Trailex is that they are infintely configurable, don't corrode and are virtually maintanence free. I've towed double stacks of Tigers 1000's and 1000's of miles to CA, FL, NY and all points inbetween with no issues. Better than what I can say about some of my past steel trailers. Trailex also has many accessories and very good customer service. Trailex is a quality trailer IMHO. Matt Bounds has had a Trailex longer than most and he is a serious road warrior. He swears by (not at <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />) his Trailex. Remember...you get what you pay for.

Later,
John <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

John and Trey -

I agree that the Trailex is a good trailer for most any application, but even the 21 is underbuilt for double-stacking. Pretty sure the capacity is 1,000-lbs. Two 400-pound boats and boxes/gear maxes out the rig and I have seen several bent frames. That's why I went to a trailer manufacturer.

Trailex = good, configurable trailer. But two F18s or 20s will bend them. Just know what you're getting into.

What's the attraction to aluminum trailers? I'd be a little nervous about it because of the fatigue issues.

Is it corrosion resistance? That's not a problem for me, but I live in the desert and almost always launch from beach wheels.

Is it weight? That's not something that makes a big difference to me either. Even the steel trailers are pretty light.

I went for the weight-savings. A steel trailer the size that I wanted (to go behind a motorhome) is reeeeealy heavy and would be much harder to move by myself.

I think Surf City said he was looking at the aluminum just because steel trailer prices have been climbing over the last few years - I heard the same thing from two dealers in Florida, too. The problem is that some of the aluminum trailers that you can get for the same price can be flimsy and buyers complained that they had to add reinforcement after the purchase. The aluminum trailers that cost a little more than the steel are lighter, durable and worth the narrowed differential (IMO).

Hey JW,

The 21 has a rated capacity of 1100 lbs. For your general double stack purposes that is more than enough capacity.

Later,
JB

Alumium is sexi. And expensive, adding to the appeal. At least for me.

Got my Trailex put together. You guys were right, it's a beauty.
From a dealer standpoint: The machining and quality control are outstanding. I didn't have to run to the hardware store to find a missing part, use a drill, use a BFH, or swear a single time. And my back doesn't ache from lifting a bunch of heavy steel parts. It took me about an hour to get it all together, compared to 4 hours with the steel.

The shipping charge was pretty high, but I hope to remedy that with a bulk order.

Here's what I got:
A single well-packaged box of goodies and a complete frame.


Sizing up rollers:





Slight tuning needs to be done, but it's all there:



Thanks for the advice! I'll let you know how it rolls.

Hi Jeremy,

Aren't the Trailex trailers nice !!! Around here we are about 50/50 with galavanized vs alumininum trailors. The Trailex people are realy nice and easy to deal with. I needed a new Mast step for my friends trailer last year because of a new truck with cap, and were leaving for the NAs in only a few days. They got the parts to me quickly and they were exactly what we needed.

But Aluminum does have its issues. it will "fatigue" and then fail under a seemly lite load, only a 25% to 50% load, Ok. So you have to be very careful about vibrations/harmonics. A friend had assembled his and placed the mast step exactly 1/2 way between the hitch and fork (Y) were the side rails meet. Several years later the tongue just failed !!! right under the mast step.

Steel never fails like that. It will general carry high % of the rated load until it fails for some other reason (corrosion???). That is why they retire airplanes, the air frame has been through too many vibrational cycles. (Jimmy Stewart starred in a movie about the british scientist that dicovered this, noboby believed him at the time!!!)

If memory serves me, Trailex made TWO different H-21 trailers. A standard (1) boat model, and a double stacker model. The H-21se wieghed about 600lbs each (I do like the boat, it has WINGS) so a double stack exceeded the standard trailer's rating. I think (???) that the double-stack trailer had siderails that the "web" diminsion (hieght) was 1-2" taller. From mech eng classes I seem to recall a formular for "MODULUS of STRENGTH"= 1/12(base X (HxHxH)), so you can see how important/factor the web dimension is.

So while I have (2) gal steel trailers my dream is a Trailex H-21 Double-Stacker. But it was/is pricey. Thr Trailex with its bigger tire dia and the lite wieght make them much easier to use on a sandy beach. Of course if you load them down with boxes, gear, coolers, ...

Idea for A-Cat(ter): Water ballast !!! install a tube and fill with water, you'll be able to wash your boat .... you could use old beer kegs ... you could use new beer kegs ... new FULL beer kegs!!!! Ya thats the ticket!!!!

I'm actually very jealous of my A-Cat friends and their beautiful 164Lb boats and hi-tech sails. Of course you can't FLOG them like a H-18mag, P-19mx, I(N?)-20 ....)

Hope these comments help,
HarryMurphey
H-18mag/#9458
P-19mx
Hobie Fleet 54/CRAC

My Trailex came with an almost new Hobie 18 in 1987 for $3K (for both), so is 31 years old. It just LOVES its A-cat. My back loves them both. BTW I exchanged the expensive aluminum fenders for cheap plastic fenders to stop scratching the boat.

Cover the fenders with carpet. That's what I did on my Trailex.

It was the fender corners & edges that scratched.