Floridians, enlighten me on your trailers...

Why does nearly every boat I see from Florida have a galvanized single axle trailer with the boat hanging way off the back with no prop guard and bunks that aren't carpeted all the way around? I see similar trailers on everything from older Nautique direct drives to newer Malibu vdrives.

I ask since I'm in the market for a boat and although Florida would be a good 20+ hour drive I have a friend down there outside of Orlando so wouldn't mind making a mini vacation out of picking up a boat from down there. I just don't like the look of most of those trailers I see. I don't like the boat hanging off the back, don't like the lack of a prop guard, and prefer a dual axle. Curious as to why so many have that style of trailer.

I haven't seen the trend you're talking about but I would assume that their painted factory trailer took a beating from salt water exposure and they got whatever cheap, universal trailer they could fit the boat on to replace it.

yea i havent seen that either

A true Florida trailer is an aluminum tandem. Most of those don't have prop guards or bow stops. Drum brakes are an amusing idea. High Tide Brakes suck so bad they may as well be drums. Kodiak SS discs and calipers are very good but 3X$. The good trailers will have torsion suspension with interchangeable spindles. A steel trailer with leaf springs would not last very long if dunked in salt and will corrode soon anyway just from the humidity.. A HDG trailer if well kept will last about 6 years when used in salt. Perhaps Orlando area isn't as bad atmospherically speaking but around here even if you never dunk it in salt water a steel trailer will die just sitting behind your house. I live on a barrier island on the SW Gulf coast 4 hours South of O town.
Hope that helps you in your search.

No trailer is prettier than a galvanized or aluminum trailer!

I don't see inboard ski boats hanging off trailers either but I do see big trailers with little boats all the time as transport trailers. I know a number of people who don't own trailers at all. Many rent or borrow when needed and perhaps that is what you are seeing. We also tend to trailer short distances since water is always close so many people choose a single axle for less maintenance and cost.

I bought a single axle galvanized trailer which sits empty on the side of the house 99% of the time. The sun eats at my carpet and tires all year. I end up replacing the tires at 5-6 years because of age not wear. I don't care what it looks because its rare that its seen, I just want it to last.

If your dropping into salt, the trailer needs to be galvanized or aluminum or it will develop cancer at a very young age. You will find a lot more non-galvanized trailers in the central part of the state(fresh water) but not on the coast.

http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=782788

26,400 Miles in the attached link would be a record for even a 20 year old trailer in Florida.

I suppose if used in salt it makes sense to go cheaper single axle if it'll be replaced often anyway. I see some boats down there for decent price but when you figure I trailer every time I go out and would be looking at a 1000 mile drive home on a cheap trailer... Would make me nervous and a few grand on a new trailer + gas and time to get there and back would make a good deal average or expensive by the time I get it home and replace the trailer. I normally go in either fresh or slightly brackish. My I/O trailer is an '88, original to the boat which is an '89 and really isn't in terrible condition. Could use a little work to make it nice but isn't gone and I didn't sweat putting 1000 miles on the trailer last month. It's rare that I boat in salt water though.

Not many people seem to know this, but Load-Rite offers a line of trailers for inboards. I'm very happy with mine and think it makes the boat look sharp.

fancy trailer = waste of dough when you boat in salt water... I have an tandem axle aluminum trailer that I have replaced everything on except for the I beams and I'll probably do again in the next few years... For that reason alone I envy fresh water. I often wonder how the guys with 500K go fast boats dump their trailers in the salt but I guess if you got the $$...

Originally Posted by baitkiller

A true Florida trailer is an aluminum tandem. Most of those don't have prop guards or bow stops. Drum brakes are an amusing idea. High Tide Brakes suck so bad they may as well be drums. Kodiak SS discs and calipers are very good but 3X$. The good trailers will have torsion suspension with interchangeable spindles. A steel trailer with leaf springs would not last very long if dunked in salt and will corrode soon anyway just from the humidity.. A HDG trailer if well kept will last about 6 years when used in salt. Perhaps Orlando area isn't as bad atmospherically speaking but around here even if you never dunk it in salt water a steel trailer will die just sitting behind your house. I live on a barrier island on the SW Gulf coast 4 hours South of O town.
Hope that helps you in your search.

A Hot dipped gal trailer could last 20 years if looked after properly. I've had a couple come close to that & they had been neglected by owners along the way.

I live in FL. Honestly, not really sure what you are talking about here. Anyone anywhere near Orlando is going to be in fresh water. Inboard towboats in salt water would be the minority in the state. If they are in salt, they are typcially on a lift so the trailer probably does not get used much. We don't trailer our boats very far here b/c water is everywhere. So maybe what you are witnessing is crappy trailers simply b/c the majority of us don't use them much, or go far distances.

If the boat is used in salt, and Otown boats are not used in salt, the steel trailer probably rusted out already and they purchased an after-market trailer, like myself...a galvanized 2x axle.

But I think it's just b/c we don't need fancy trailers like you guys in TX or out west towing to Meade or wherever the heck you guys go. I ride on the lake that Shapiro, Watson, and Tara Hamilton grew up on. It is fresh water, and less than a mile from the intercoastal waterway..which of course is salt. If I trailer, it is like a mile. This is common.

Also, I think there are many more older boats here in FL than other places, hence more older trailers.

Brian, I used to live on Lake Ida and it was common to see people back their trailer into the water for a soak and pull out. Now that I live on the intracoastal, I do the same thing, a 3 mile run to the fresh water ramp at Ida then back to the house.

I cannot count the number of steel trailers I have seen on the side of the I95 with major broken parts. Also common all over the country are steel trailers over 10 to 15 years old that look like hell even though they have never seen salt.

Love my galvanized trailer. Like they say, beautiful is whats on the inside.

Used to live in St. Petersburg, and there the trailer was generally looked at as a disposable item to get from your house 2 miles to the launch ramp. For most locals even towing it on the highway, much less any distance, was not much of a consideration. I still remember my dad selling a clapped-out Buick Roadmaster to a guy who had no intention of licensing it, he just needed the V8 to get his boat the 2 miles to the launch ramp.