It’s zero-dark-early in the morning as you cruise across the asphalt at 65 mph, trailering your fishing boat as you head for the boat ramp. Wait a sec, what’s that strange vibration in the steering wheel? Why do you suddenly hear a grindy noise? You take your foot off the gas as you glance in the rearview mirror and see… a cloud of smoke?! Yikes! So much for catching the sunrise bite.
If you’ve been hauling a fishing boat on a trailer for a decade or more, you’ve probably lived through this trailer-boating nightmare. And unfortunately, it’s just one of several potential trip-ending trailer disasters. In the best case you can patch things up and get back on the road with little delay, and in the worst, your teary eyes will be gazing at fiberglass spilled across the asphalt. The best way to minimize the mayhem? Good maintenance is key, but on top of that, be sure to consider these three things before buying a boat trailer in the first place.
Boat Trailer Bunks Versus Boat Trailer Rollers
It’s pretty easy to boil this debate down to a single sentence: boat trailers with bunks are simpler, less expensive, and require less custom fitting, but rollers make it a lot easier to get the boat onto and off of the trailer. That big advantage, however, can also be a huge disadvantage if the boat decides to launch itself at the wrong time. Back down a ramp without the bow sufficiently secured or fail to strap the stern down tight, and it won’t take much to roll that boat right off the trailer and onto the concrete.
That’s a pretty significant downside, so for most of us—especially those with small or light rigs that are easily manhandled—bunks win hands-down. However, there are times when going with rollers is the smart move. If you’re regularly hauling a larger boat to a ramp that’s barely angled it may be more or less necessary. And if you trailer all over Chesapeake country using many different ramps through the course of the season, you’ll encounter places and tidal swings where the easy launching and loading is a huge advantage. If you do go with rollers it’s critical to make 100-percent sure your bow winch strap, safety chain, and stern tie-downs are more than sufficient and in excellent shape. If they aren’t, hitting the gas pedal can be enough to launch your boat onto the roadway and slamming on the brakes can send it into the bed of your pick-up truck.
Straddling the Lines with Slick Boards
If bunks make for difficult launching and the thought of hauling on rollers scares you, consider a bunk trailer with “slick boards.” These poly boards (which can be added to existing bunks) let the boat slide more easily than carpeted bunks, but not quite as easily as rollers.
Boat Trailer Bearings
Grease bearings have always been the norm on boat trailers, but oil-filled bearings have been gaining ground for well over a decade and are now seen on a number of new boat-motor-trailer packages. As one might expect, the manufacturers of each product say theirs are “best.” The oil-filled hub manufacturers make some big claims, and the grease guys spend their time shooting them down. Reality lies somewhere in-between.
Although grease bearings are generally considered reliable and inexpensive, oil-filled bearings offer easier maintenance and their manufacturers claim you can trailer up to 40,000 to 50,000 miles without changing the lube (5000 to 10,000 miles is generally the norm for grease bearings, depending on who you ask). Plus, they reduce bearing wear and friction (which contributes to a gain in tow vehicle efficiency). And on top of that they are easily monitored via a see-through cap on the hub. But their downsides can be significant: this type of bearing may allow condensation to form in the hub, leading to internal rust and ultimately, bearing failure.
The kicker here is that while oil bath bearings can be expected to go much longer distances than grease, how often they get used makes all the difference in the world. Let them sit for a few weeks and that condensation can form in the hub. Then corrosion and pitting sets in, and the next breakdown is just a few miles away. This is easily prevented by moving the trailer a few feet every week or two that your trailer is laid up, so the wheels rotate and the bearings are always freshly covered in oil. The bottom line? You’ll find oil advantageous if you trailer long distances with regularity and/or stay on top of moving the wheels every couple of weeks. But grease will likely win out if your trailer sits for long periods of time between uses.
As for efficiency, talk is cheap and there’s only one crowd who’s making the claim that oil-filled hubs have a substantial advantage—the oil hub manufacturers. We have yet to see any quantifiable real-world data to back it up, so we’re laying this claim aside until someone proves it. On the easy monitoring, however, it’s grease that takes a bath and oil bearings are a big winner, because you can look at their clear covers and see that everything’s looking good at a glance. On the flip side of the equation, plastic shatters on impact. So if you tend to clip curbs while pulling around tight turns, you may want the old reliable grease hubs on your trailer.
Which system is superior? As is true with boats, there are trade-offs involved with each choice. If you trailer on a professional level doing long distances on a regular basis, oil bath bearings are probably going to be the best option. But if your personal trailering schedule is erratic and your boat doesn’t move for weeks at a time, you’ll most likely want grease in your hubs.
Quick Release Hubs for Boat Trailers
If you have the option, get a spare tire that’s pre-mounted on a quick-release hub. Then if you blow out a bearing (or get a flat), all you’ll need to do to get back on the road is jack it up, pull the release pin in the axel, and swap it out. Otherwise, if a bearing goes bad you’ll have a lot of work ahead of you and if you don’t have the tools and spare parts, you’ll need to call for a tow.
Boat Trailer Construction
You’ll see three trailer options on the market: painted, galvanized, and aluminum. Painted trailers are the least expensive and you’ll regularly see them in relatively low-cost boat-motor-trailer packages. But if you enjoy Chesapeake Bay fishing or go to the nearby coastal bays to fish for species like flounder in briney waters, watch out. These boat trailers are commonly made with a relatively low grade of steel, certainly not stainless-steel, and sooner or later corrosion is going to be an issue. On galvanized trailers the steel is coated in a layer of zinc to protect it from corrosion. This is effective, however, it can wear away with age. Aluminum trailers are the most expensive option, but they’re naturally more corrosion resistant. If you regularly launch in the brine aluminum can’t be beat. Added bonus: aluminum weighs less than steel, so your overall tow package will be lighter.
Boat Trailer Maintenance
Whatever material your boat trailer is made of, giving it a thorough rinse with freshwater after every use in saltwater will extend its lifetime substantially. Remember, even aluminum isn’t immune to corrosion, it’s just resistant.
Okay: are you ready for the next zero-dark-thirty fishing adventure? Hitch up and head for the ramp. If you’ve considered all of the above carefully and don’t have a particularly unlucky day you should get there with no problems. Now, as for getting those fish to bite…