Trailer Advice needed

[brianbo]

I "inherited" a Weeres pontoon boat with an old Wolverine scissors trailer. The deck of the boat is 16'...not sure of the overall length with the toons but would guess 18-19 feet. I want to dump this trailer and get a bunk style. What length trailer would I need (do they rate those for deck size (16 feet) or overall length? My situation is I only need the trailer to launch the boat at the beginning of the season and then take it out and to the dealer for winterizing in the fall. I don't put more than 60 miles on the trailer in a year. Any advice as to what brand/make would be a good choice? Anyone have experience with the trailers they sell on this site? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer Advice needed

Out of curiosity - why replace the trailer if you only use it twice a year? The benefit to the scissor is that you can drop the boat on blocks in your yard, or actually fit the boat in a garage (bunk trailers make the boat ride a lot higher).

 

[brianbo]

Re: Trailer Advice needed

Out of curiosity - why replace the trailer if you only use it twice a year? The benefit to the scissor is that you can drop the boat on blocks in your yard, or actually fit the boat in a garage (bunk trailers make the boat ride a lot higher).

That's a good question . The trailer seems to be in decent shape but I really hate how narrow the wheel base is and how low the back end of the boat sits to the ground (I'm pulling it with a GMC Yukon straight hitch). If I go over a dip or uneven ground I've had the back end scrape. I have an uneven approach to the driveway at our cabin and the wheelbase is so narrow it seems like the boat is gonna tip to the side. It never has actually tipped but it scares me every time. Just feel like a bunk trailer would be a little more steady/sure of a ride when I have to tow it to the dealer for winterizing.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer Advice needed

The scissors take a little getting used to. My dad has on on his pontoon which is also only used to launch and retreive the boat once a year. If I had to tow that thing with any frequency then I'd swap it out to a bunk.

You say that the back scrapes - is the trailer sitting level?

Also - winterization on an outboard isn't worth pulling a boat to the dealer. If you look around on the forum here you'll find the info you need to save yourself a ton of time and money by doing it yourself.

To answer your original question - pretty much any trailer will be fine for a 16ft-18ft pontoon. You're not dealing with any significant weight

 

[brianbo]

Re: Trailer Advice needed

The scissors take a little getting used to. My dad has on on his pontoon which is also only used to launch and retreive the boat once a year. If I had to tow that thing with any frequency then I'd swap it out to a bunk.

You say that the back scrapes - is the trailer sitting level?

Also - winterization on an outboard isn't worth pulling a boat to the dealer. If you look around on the forum here you'll find the info you need to save yourself a ton of time and money by doing it yourself.

To answer your original question - pretty much any trailer will be fine for a 16ft-18ft pontoon. You're not dealing with any significant weight

I need to do a little more check on how the trailer sits when it is attached to the hitch. If the backend is lower than the tongue I suspect a drop down hitch might be a better option than my straight hitch? Would that be correct.

My dealer charged me $153 to winterize the motor. I'd don't know whether that's a good deal or not (he charges me $223 to winterize my 3.0 Mercruiser I/O). I could probably learn to do the outboard myself (it's an old 35 hp Johnson).

Thanks for the help.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer Advice needed

I need to do a little more check on how the trailer sits when it is attached to the hitch. If the backend is lower than the tongue I suspect a drop down hitch might be a better option than my straight hitch? Would that be correct.

Yes, you would want a drop hitch if the back is sitting lower than the front. You want the trailer/boat to be either level or sloping slightly forward.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Trailer Advice needed

I would save the $153 and winterize it yourself. O/Bs are self draining, unlike I/Os. Stabilize the fuel, run it on muffs(or, in a tank. Clean garbage can works good too if muffs isn't an option. Some just drain the carbs) for 10mins or so then fog it. I have to pull the plugs, spray fogging oil in the cylinders and turn it over. Others, you can spray fogging oil in the air intake(or carb(s)) as it runs until it's belching out a bunch of blue smoke. I believe others even have a connection to hook up a fogging can. Change the gear lube, grease up a few zerks and you're done. 1/2 hour job, 1 hr tops. Yeah, it sounds like you need a drop hitch.... I'm with keeping your trailer too....