Thread: Aluminum boat trailer

Not to change the subject, but there are good reasons POWER LAUNCHING is BANNED at many boat launches.
I personally believe it should be avoided if at all possible.
We can come back to that discussion later in a thread appropriate for it.

Originally Posted by FurFlyin

It can't float if air escapes from the tubing and the tubing is filled with water. I don't know how it's water tight anyway if they wired it through the tubing, but it must be, or it wouldn't float. You can spend money to fix it, or just drill some 1/2" holes in the tubing frame. A couple at the back, a couple up front. That doesn't cost anything and will keep it from floating.

Brad, got 3 friends with aluminum trailers. It’s air in tires that floats them. Couple have melted wheel weights and poured bricks made in 2x4 mold and mounted on tip of frame rail seems to solve the problem. These are all on tandem trailers and on our ramps ain’t no loading with just couple of inches of bunk in water.

Originally Posted by Cray

Brad, got 3 friends with aluminum trailers. It’s air in tires that floats them. Couple have melted wheel weights and poured bricks made in 2x4 mold and mounted on tip of frame rail seems to solve the problem. These are all on tandem trailers and on our ramps ain’t no loading with just couple of inches of bunk in water.

If not for this thread I would never have believed it was possible for an aluminum trailer to float from just the air in the tires. The trailer on my new boat is aluminum and tandem axle and it hasn't floated yet. Our ramps are all shallow. Gotta back the trailer in a fairly long way, but both tires aren't submerged. Both are in the water.

Let me offer you one tip that while good for ANY boater, it is especially good for one that needs to slide their boat a long way along the bunks to get to the winch post. Next time you go to the ramp and have the boat off, take a bucket of water and wet the bunks completely all the way from the bottom to the top. Then, take a bar of ordinary soap and soap the crap out of the bunk carpet and let it dry while you are out fishing. Your wet boat will slide up the bunks easier.

Originally Posted by hound dawg

The bunk ends or runners as I call them have to be about half way under water for me to load properly.This is a 18 and a half foot boat that weighs close to 2000lbs. and I hope you were joking about the water in the tires..lol

No, not kidding.
We run water all the time in our rock crawlers, typically in the front wheels, it helps to climb.
Farm tractors have water in their tires with antifreeze all the time, hence the adapter to allow filling...

If it were in an area that it would freeze you would want to add antifreeze.
It is self-balancing so going down the highway is not an issue.

Just a thought, and probably the easiest way to solve your problem.


Sent from my MHA-L29 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

I have a 20' aluminum boat with a tandem aluminum trailer that will float every time I try to load the boat if I back down too far into the water. My trailer is made from tubing but it is the 4 tires that float the trailer. I was really frustrated until I learned how far to back it down before loading. I have to have the top of the tires exposed or it will float and it is almost impossible to hit a floating trailer. At some point I will probably drill some holes in the frame to help or add weight but I really do not have many problems since I learned how to load.

I'll trade bring me your trouble I have 2 steel ones won't float

Just going to throw this idea out there. Y'all know the tall guide post at rear of trailer with pvc pipe on them? Well they make some of those. That are galvanized steel.