Trailer goalposts full of water

[craiglaforce]

Even though I vaccuumed the water out once and installed the big PVC pipes with glued on caps.
Has anyone decided to drill a drain hole at the bottom of these to keep them from rusting away? It is probably salt water from my last retrieval so I should probably do something about it.

[Moe]

I haven't done it, but now that you mention it, I'll probably drill the crosspiece under the pipe rather than the pipe itself.

I added the PVC pipe with end caps over mine, as well. The rubber caps are still on the goal posts. I think I'm going to hammer the caps down so the pipe cuts through them, opening the caps for water from a hose, yet leaving them on the sides to support the PVC better.

I have the same setup on my Whaler trailer, and pull the PVC tubes off so I can wash out the square tubing they sit on. The tubing is open on the top and bottom.

--
Moe

[jklightner]

Beats vacuuming it out. I used a battery powered drill and stuck the drill bit through an old plastic lid. That way the water that was in there didn't run into the drill and mess it up.

[PeteC]

I drilled mine also. I have wondered if I should pour some anti rust paint down the tube to coat the walls.

[craiglaforce]

Thanks everyone. Guess I'll get out the drill and have at it.
The margerine lid idea sounds clever to keep water off of the drill motor.
I can't see trying to paint the inside of the posts.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

I vacuumed mine out once with a syphon hose...I wouldn't call what came out..water..exactly. It was the nastiest black stinky stuff that you would have been more likely to find in a septic tank. I guess I should drill mine out too, but I fear that if you use the lid on the drill bit method, it will spin that nasty crud all over you.

[Rolf]

One thing I've come to realize about the trailer... Rinse it well and then forget about it. You'll go nuts trying to fight off the eventual rust.. and I don't care what you slap on there, it WILL rust! I'm already planning my next move.. a galvanized custom trailer. Must be light! Anyone here recommend wher I could find one? Not urgent, I'll give the Mac trailer another 5-10 years.
Rolf

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

I agree that it will eventually rust...but...You can certainly make the stock trailer last a heck of a lot longer if you spraypaint it often and completely....and you started this process before the rust got too bad. I have a 2000 model (built in late 99) that is used in harsh FL saltwater environment. It is still in very good condition because I started spraying it with rustoleum about 1.5 yrs ago. It was still in a not too bad condition at 3 yrs old since it had only been used a few times. Now at 5 yrs old, I'll bet that there are a fair amount of equal age unpainted saltwater Mac trailers that are being replaced because they rusted out. I wouldn't be surprised if I could make mine last for at least another 10 years as long as I keep spraying it every year or two...at least 3 times as long as if you didn't do anything to it.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

A little paint is a lot cheaper than a new trailer.

If you want a light replacement skip the galvanized steel and go aluminum.

[Sloop John B]

Scratch the rust and spray it with Extend, or paint Extend on. This is a good 'cover' till your next trip to the launch.

Gol dang brakes are the real problem. Went to move the boat for the next hurricane and the right wheel is frozen, burrowing up the soil. A couple sharp back and forths 'broke' it and made it turn like a wheel.

Two years old. I figure everything behind the hubs has been ate up bad.

It's okay. I just wheel over to the beach. But if I want to take a trip with any confidence, Ill have to go see the trailer man.

[craiglaforce]

One of my trailer brakes was frozen on last week for the first time. The boat was not on the trailer and I just drove the trailer around the block to the ramp and after skidding along the pavement about 100 feet it broke loose. It worked fine after that. 90 miles home with the boat and the wheels were cool for the trip. Ckecked them twice coming home. I will probably pull the wheels to check them out this winter.

[Harry van der Meer]

POR-15 works great. Much cheaper than replacing the trailer[/url]http://www.por15.com/[url][/url]

[Harry van der Meer]

Sorry, pressed wrong button.....

POR-15 works great. Much cheaper than replacing the trailer.

[Chip Hindes]

You can certainly make the stock trailer last a heck of a lot longer if you spraypaint it often and completely

Skip the spray paint. Most of it ends up every place other than on the trailer anyway, and it won't even last a season before you have to do it again. I use a brush and roller. Get one of those small roller handles, a package of throwaway foam rollers, a cheap brush and a $10 quart can of paint. Use a paint tray with a plastic bag liner. You can do probablly 90% of the trailer with the roller. Use the brush to get where the roller can't; you can slop it into cracks and crevices, behind stuff and into places you couldn't touch with a spray can. When you're done, throw the brush, roller and liner in the garbage.

It lasts way longer than spraying, costs about 1/4 as much, and who gives a rat's ass wheither you can see brush and roller strokes? You can even do most of it with the boat on the trailer.

[jklightner]

I vacuumed mine out once with a syphon hose...I wouldn't call what came out..water..exactly. It was the nastiest black stinky stuff that you would have been more likely to find in a septic tank. I guess I should drill mine out too, but I fear that if you use the lid on the drill bit method, it will spin that nasty crud all over you.

Yep, it did. Wear an old shirt and safety glasses