Western14’
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- Dec 22, 2019
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Ok guys, before I start, thanks in advance for any help!!
First time boat owner so please bare with me. Between life and this restoration, I’m limited on time to fully research the following questions, so I figured it would be faster to just ask the pros. It all started when I took the boat off the trailer to seal a leak....shoulda just went fishing #-o The headache began with the thought of replacing the bunks, sweet easy enough I thought. Then I had the bright idea to repaint the fenders, also simple. Unfortunately, the deeper I dug, the worse it got. Fast forward 2 weeks and now the trailer is completely disassembled ](*,) Did I mention that I should have went fishing? I wish I had recorded the progress from the beginning, but here’s the best pics I got and here’s where we’re at. I spent the last 2 weeks grinding the trailer down (harbor freight polycarbide blades are amazing). All bunk brackets have been primed and painted using rattle can Rust-Oleum stop rust in gloss black. Both fenders have been primed and are waiting to be rolled with the same gloss back. The new bunks are ready for vinyl downspout. They have been sealed with 4 coats of spar urethane. I know I’m putting in the time, but it feels like I’m swimming against the current lol
So here are my questions boys:
1) How do those springs look? I removed the center bolt and separated to individual springs. I then wire wheeled all the rust off each one. (I have more detailed photos if needed) Plan was to paint them individually and reinstall. There’s no visible cracks or breaks. Am I in urgent need to replace them or proceed as planned?
2) After searching the forum, I’ve seen pictures with the leaf springs attached above the axel and some attached below the axel. Does this matter?
3) When the trailer is disconnected, it’s extremely stern heavy. I can easily lift the trailer tongue with 2 fingers. I’ve read the tongue weight should be around 10-15% total weight. I was going to move the axel back a few inches seeing how the trailer has multiple positioning holes. Will this cause any problems I’m overlooking?
4) I’m thinking the trailer is a bit small for the boat. When I unload/load I don’t have much room to stand on the tongue. I was thinking of hanging the bunks off the back of the trailer 3-4”, essentially moving the boat back and gaining 3-4” at the tongue. I would have long enough bunks that the transom is fully supported. Thoughts?
5) If extending the bunks past the back of the trailer is not a good idea, I was thinking of positioning the winch stand more vertical. (More photos if necessary) Is there a preferred angle it is suppose to be set at?
6) My trailer has sliding leaf spring hangars (see photo) however the driver side slider has completely rusted through. I came up with 2 solutions. One is salvaging the old hangars off the slider by grinding them off and cleaning them up. Then fabricating a new slider with steel angle and welding on the salvaged hangars. The second option would be to completely ditch the sliding hangars and go with bolt on slipper hangars. Any insight as to which and why? Possibly other options?
7) Thoughts on keel rollers? Originally the trailer had 3 (see photo with rust) but I’ve read you only need it at the bow. I would need to purchase 2 new ones or am I good with just one at the bow?
Apologies for the long post. I know it’s a lot of questions, and I’m sure I will have more, but anything helps at this point. Thanks again for those willing to take the time to help. I’ll be sure to update the progress here. Thanks gents, Cheers!
First time boat owner so please bare with me. Between life and this restoration, I’m limited on time to fully research the following questions, so I figured it would be faster to just ask the pros. It all started when I took the boat off the trailer to seal a leak....shoulda just went fishing #-o The headache began with the thought of replacing the bunks, sweet easy enough I thought. Then I had the bright idea to repaint the fenders, also simple. Unfortunately, the deeper I dug, the worse it got. Fast forward 2 weeks and now the trailer is completely disassembled ](*,) Did I mention that I should have went fishing? I wish I had recorded the progress from the beginning, but here’s the best pics I got and here’s where we’re at. I spent the last 2 weeks grinding the trailer down (harbor freight polycarbide blades are amazing). All bunk brackets have been primed and painted using rattle can Rust-Oleum stop rust in gloss black. Both fenders have been primed and are waiting to be rolled with the same gloss back. The new bunks are ready for vinyl downspout. They have been sealed with 4 coats of spar urethane. I know I’m putting in the time, but it feels like I’m swimming against the current lol
So here are my questions boys:
1) How do those springs look? I removed the center bolt and separated to individual springs. I then wire wheeled all the rust off each one. (I have more detailed photos if needed) Plan was to paint them individually and reinstall. There’s no visible cracks or breaks. Am I in urgent need to replace them or proceed as planned?
2) After searching the forum, I’ve seen pictures with the leaf springs attached above the axel and some attached below the axel. Does this matter?
3) When the trailer is disconnected, it’s extremely stern heavy. I can easily lift the trailer tongue with 2 fingers. I’ve read the tongue weight should be around 10-15% total weight. I was going to move the axel back a few inches seeing how the trailer has multiple positioning holes. Will this cause any problems I’m overlooking?
4) I’m thinking the trailer is a bit small for the boat. When I unload/load I don’t have much room to stand on the tongue. I was thinking of hanging the bunks off the back of the trailer 3-4”, essentially moving the boat back and gaining 3-4” at the tongue. I would have long enough bunks that the transom is fully supported. Thoughts?
5) If extending the bunks past the back of the trailer is not a good idea, I was thinking of positioning the winch stand more vertical. (More photos if necessary) Is there a preferred angle it is suppose to be set at?
6) My trailer has sliding leaf spring hangars (see photo) however the driver side slider has completely rusted through. I came up with 2 solutions. One is salvaging the old hangars off the slider by grinding them off and cleaning them up. Then fabricating a new slider with steel angle and welding on the salvaged hangars. The second option would be to completely ditch the sliding hangars and go with bolt on slipper hangars. Any insight as to which and why? Possibly other options?
7) Thoughts on keel rollers? Originally the trailer had 3 (see photo with rust) but I’ve read you only need it at the bow. I would need to purchase 2 new ones or am I good with just one at the bow?
Apologies for the long post. I know it’s a lot of questions, and I’m sure I will have more, but anything helps at this point. Thanks again for those willing to take the time to help. I’ll be sure to update the progress here. Thanks gents, Cheers!
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