This off-season, try some DIY trailer projects. With a few simple products and additions, you'll make the trailering experience safer and easier.
by David S. Yetman
Many people who own a boat trailer think of it as just another piece of equipment that has to
be insured, maintained and stored. For the inexperienced, learning to maneuver a trailer can be
difficult because of its size and weight. And the need to handle its winch, jack and hitch coupling
during use presents additional challenges, especially in wet and slippery environments. On the
other hand, trailering affords a wealth of opportunities to boaters. It’s less expensive than
keeping the boat in rented dock space, it gives you much more flexibility as to where and when you
can do your boating, and it provides safe and convenient storage for the boat in the off-season.
With the right know-how, using a trailer doesn’t have to be difficult or dangerous. Regular
maintenance of tires and wheel bearings is a definite must, but here are some other simple projects
and additions that can make your trailer safer, easier and more convenient to use.
Apply 3M Marine's self-adhesive pads anywhere you might stand.
Safety Devices
One of my first exposures to the hazards of trailering was watching a young man stand on the
tongue of his trailer as he winched his boat up into place. The combination of his effort and the
wet surface caused him to slip off and do a split over the tongue. His painful experience was a
powerful reminder to ensure I didn’t suffer the same difficulties with my own trailer.
One solution to this problem is to equip the trailer rails and tongue with a non-skid surface
everywhere you’d normally stand. This is easier to do than it might first sound at first because of
the availability of self-adhesive, non-skid material in a number of shapes and sizes. A great
product is 3M Marine’s 2-inch-by-9-inch pads, which are sold in a six-pad package (part No. 7639)
for less than $10. They’re designed for outdoor use and are made from a course sandpaper-like
material. They’ll adhere to almost any clean, flat surface. The same material is available in
1-inch-wide rolls as well as other sizes at hardware and home improvement stores. (Beware of
similar products designed for indoor tubs and showers, which may not perform as well.) You can
apply a pad in every location where you might step, including the tops of the trailer’s fenders,
which are occasionally used as a step to climb aboard.
Another safety-related gadget I created is an easy-to-use, hard-to-lose pin that I use to
lock the latch on the trailer’s coupler. I had no need for an anti-theft padlock there, but I kept
losing the long screw and nut that I used to keep the latch from accidentally opening. My gadget is
made up of a clevis pin, a length of utility chain, and a hairpin-type cotter pin, all of which
cost less than $2 at the hardware store. The chain can be crimped onto the pin or held in place by
a small rubber washer. The result is quick and convenient, and the chain can also be attached to a
nearby screw or bolt to make it loss-proof.
The trailer’s tail and running lights are important safety items that are often impaired by
corrosion caused by the intrusion of water. Although these lights are equipped with seals to try
and prevent this, the gaskets are often flimsy and not up to the task. The resulting failures are
frustrating and can get you into trouble with the law. A good preventative measure is to remove the
gaskets, clean all sealing surfaces, and apply a very thin coat of marine-grade silicon sealer to
both sides of the gasket before reassembling the light. The silicon will provide a much better seal
without adhering so tightly that the light cannot be disassembled again. An application of sealant
around the light’s wiring entrance will complete the job.
Boat Guides
The hands-down winner in convenience accessories is probably a boat guide, which positions
the boat onto the bunks or rollers as it’s being drawn onto the trailer. My early efforts to do the
job without guides were embarrassing displays of ineptitude, which resulted in multiple scrapes of
the hull against various bits of trailer hardware and a boat that was never positioned properly on
the bunks. I eventually found that the combination of the winch line pulling on the bow eye and a
properly installed set of guides makes the retrieval process nearly foolproof, even when performed
single-handedly.
Guides come in many forms, from simple poles to fancy, roller-equipped affairs. In addition
to easing the retrieval process, they can also provide a place to mount taillights and license
plates up high, where they’re more visible and protected from the constant exposure to water. Most
commercially available guides are designed with universal bolt-on mounting systems to fit a variety
of trailers. The main thing to remember when installing them is that they need to be spaced to
accommodate the widest part of the boat, which may not be at the transom. Placing the guides a few
inches wider than they need to be will ensure any wider part of the boat’s beam will pass through
them without jamming. A few extra inches of space will make retrieval easier without preventing the
guides from enabling accurate placement of the boat on the trailer.
Most guides attach directly to trailer frame rails with "U" clamps like this.
Other Accessories
There’s an entire group of convenience items that makes hooking up more accurate and less of
a chore. Among them are mirror rigs that allow you to see what’s happening from the driver’s seat;
wings that guide the coupler into alignment with the ball’s receivers that swivel from side to
side; and matching wands that are conspicuous enough to be visible as you back up. These items, as
well as others, can contribute a great deal to the process.
However, as much as these accessories may assist you, the best accessory is to use a second
set of eyeballs — someone stationed out back to help guide you in. But even without that
assistance, practice eventually eases the trauma of hooking up. Another thing that will make the
process easier is to make sure the wheel of your trailer jack is always set in a right-angle
position, which allows you to move the trailer tongue from side-to-side once the fore-and-aft
position of the ball and coupler is correct. You can also place the wheel on a stout piece of wood
to let it roll easier and keep it from sinking into the lawn.
Trailer jacks and winches are often ignored and left to rust in the rain, but they can
benefit from some additional attention that will make them less challenging to use. The plate on
which the jack swivels up and down should be generously lubricated with a grease that contains
Teflon. It’ll be much easier to use and will be protected from rust and corrosion too. The
spring-loaded lock that keeps the jack from rotating will be simpler to operate if it’s lubricated
at the same time. And don’t forget the winch. A thin film of grease on its gears and some light oil
on its locks and pawls will keep it turning effortlessly.
Using a grease containing Teflon will protect from rust and corrosion.
Quick Tips
1. Put non-skid pads everywhere you step on your trailer.
2. Use a pin to lock the latch on the coupler.
3. Apply silicon sealer to the trailer lights' gaskets.
4. Get boat guides that position the boat as it's being drawn into the trailer.
5. Grease your tailer jack and winch to keep them smooth.
