Recommended trailer brand?

[Seabear]

We are looking into buying a trailer for an A25. Folks in this forum say to get a custom built one. Can anyone recommend a brand name to use, or a dealer in the northeast US?

[dkirsop]

I can't recommend a brand in your area but I can recommend some configuration options. My trailer originally came with bunks which were a disaster when it came to getting the boat on and off. I converted to rollers and no longer have any problems. I strongly recommend using roller bunks and keel rollers for this hull. ideally having 3 sets of keel rollers with 2-12" rollers per set on equalizer bars is best but you can get by with 2 sets if necessary. Having the keel well supported will protect the boat from shock loads when trailering. Then configure 4 roller bunks each having 8 rollers to stabilize and support the hull. I also strongly recommend electric-over-hydraulic disc brakes for ease of hauling as well as control when backing down the ramp.

[DesertAlbin736]

Can't help you on trailer brand names, especially back East. Our trailer was made 20 years ago by a small company in Florida & purchased new by the owner previous to our PO. But that company is long since out of business. It was family owned & when the owner retired they shut it down.

I can agree dkirsop with rollers vs bunks. We had rollers on our sailboat trailer & bunks on the Albin trailer & while not a "disaster" in launching & retrieving the Albin, retrieving is a minor hassle in getting the keel centered over the cross member rollers it rests on. I've yet to figure out a good way to avoid this problem (I've put so much money into this boat & trailer already that I'm not going to switch from bunks to rollers or from surge to electric over hydraulic brakes). What I do when pulling out is make sure we get a ramp lane next to a dock so I can stand on the dock & center and steady the boat as my wife drives the truck up the ramp. Launching is no problem as it floats off easily. However since the bunks extend all the way to the stern it would be difficult if not impossible to sling launch with a crane or Travelift.

Other basic choices to make beside bunks vs rollers, and your budget may have a big influence on those choices, include painted steel vs galvanized steel vs aluminum. Also drum vs disc brakes, leaf spring vs torsion bar suspension, surge vs electric over hydraulic brakes. You'll want tandem axles of course, a GVWR of at least 6,000 lbs, preferably a bit more, and tires rated to handle that much weight, ie 75R15 Load Range E. Aluminum would be a premium choice if you're primarily dealing with salt water. Our aluminum trailer & is 20 years old and I would guess has over 20,000 road miles on it at least, of which at least 16,000 miles we put on it since 2014. While electric over hydraulic brakes are preferable for a number of good reasons, surge brakes have served us well over those 16,000 miles including climbing and descending some serious long, steep mountain grades. Corrosion is not a problem with aluminum, but metal fatigue is. I think if I had to shop for a new trailer I'd choose galvanized steel, since we've had numerous problems with failed aluminum welds.

But whatever trailer you get you want to have the boat ride as low as practical yet high enough that the rudder skeg doesn't hit the ground in dips. Also the keel should be supported. Remember, if a ramp has a 5:1 slope, then for every extra foot the waterline is above the ground is an extra 5 feet further down the ramp you have to back in to float off. And if you're in and out of salt water frequently, the less your tow vehicle gets wet the better.

With either bunks or rollers, it's prudent to keep the bow winch and a safety chain connected until the boat is mostly backed into the water. I've seen boats on roller bunk trailers slide off & land on the pavement prematurely before getting far enough down in the ramp to float off.

The other item to consider is the tow vehicle. If you're mostly towing on flat ground a 1/2 ton pickup or full size SUV may be OK. 4WD is nice to have on slippery ramps. The Albin 25 loaded with fuel, water, ground tackle, personal gear, plus trailer weighs in the range of 6,000+ lbs. If you have to deal with mountains like we do in the west, a 3/4 ton truck is preferable so the tail doesn't end up wagging the dog. I'm a big fan of diesels, but a stout gas powered truck would do. Different folks have different brand loyalties, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I like my Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 with Cummins diesel. It's now 13 years old, of which I've owned it for the past 8 and has been by far the most reliable vehicle I've owned in 50 years of driving, including between the boat and our camp trailer we've towed a total of about 29,000 miles in all.