I'm looking at buying a 1997 20 footer sterndrive. It's been sitting in the yard for a couple years on a Trailmaster tube-steel trailer with surge brakes. I believe boat is about 2600 lbs, so if I understand the law, it needs to have breakaway breaking at a minimum to go on the highway.
Anyway, the trailer has an Atwood hinge-type actuator, and Dexter drum breaks (8-201-90 stamped on them - looks really heavy duty). Hubs have a bearing-buddy like setup as well.
Now the problems... the actuator is rusted so that the pivot lock-out for backing up is hard to engage. The master cylinder cap won't come off so I can't check the brake fluid level. The break-away actuator cable clip is rusted solid IN THE "BRAKE ON" position. I towed this boat 2 miles to a marine mechanic and the trailer was shuddering and seemed awfully hard to tow (I have a 5.8 hemi with tow package). Checked the bearing buddies... there is watery grease dripping out from the outer seal. The brakes are probably on too, because of the breakaway being on, so I'm guessing there's a rear seal leak and the pads are fouled with grease too. The trailer frame itself has some non-structural rust around the step plates, and there is plywood rot.
Now the questions: if you were buying a 14 year old boat with a trailer in this condition, what kind of price concession would you look for from the seller, if any? Seems like it's sub-par to me who has always trailered my boats, but apparently "good enough" for the owner who docks his all season.
Second, once you bought the boat, assuming you want to do more that just trailer the thing twice a years to and from the dock, would you try to fix up this thing, or would you just get a new (or decent used) trailer?
Finally, if you know what kind of cost I should figure for repairs / replacement per question #2, that would be a big help too... as well as what I might get for it if I bought the boat and sold off this trailer to someone else?
Anyway, the trailer has an Atwood hinge-type actuator, and Dexter drum breaks (8-201-90 stamped on them - looks really heavy duty). Hubs have a bearing-buddy like setup as well.
Now the problems... the actuator is rusted so that the pivot lock-out for backing up is hard to engage. The master cylinder cap won't come off so I can't check the brake fluid level. The break-away actuator cable clip is rusted solid IN THE "BRAKE ON" position. I towed this boat 2 miles to a marine mechanic and the trailer was shuddering and seemed awfully hard to tow (I have a 5.8 hemi with tow package). Checked the bearing buddies... there is watery grease dripping out from the outer seal. The brakes are probably on too, because of the breakaway being on, so I'm guessing there's a rear seal leak and the pads are fouled with grease too. The trailer frame itself has some non-structural rust around the step plates, and there is plywood rot.
Now the questions: if you were buying a 14 year old boat with a trailer in this condition, what kind of price concession would you look for from the seller, if any? Seems like it's sub-par to me who has always trailered my boats, but apparently "good enough" for the owner who docks his all season.
Second, once you bought the boat, assuming you want to do more that just trailer the thing twice a years to and from the dock, would you try to fix up this thing, or would you just get a new (or decent used) trailer?
Finally, if you know what kind of cost I should figure for repairs / replacement per question #2, that would be a big help too... as well as what I might get for it if I bought the boat and sold off this trailer to someone else?
