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The great debate... ‍♂️

Dmonnny123

Dmonnny123

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Location
Wisconsin
Just purchased new 2019 23ssxbp
-Express package
-150 Yamaha

That said:

I'm having a real tough time deciding what in the heck to do regarding a trailer or not..

-We are on the water, in WI, and so 98% of the time, the boat is in the water.
-We will take the boat once a year to cabin up north. Then return back to home lake.

-Trailer will be sitting most of the time

That said, do I buy a bunk trailer ($3300+)?

Seems like such a waste of $3k for something that will literally sit 98% of the time..

As far as winter storage, I have a heated workshop I keep it in (13' doors) and so I could either just keep it on said new trailer, or rent a hydraulic bunk lift trailer and set on some stands.

If I go the trailer route, given our specific situation, (only in/out once, one road trip, and then winter storage) and you feel that is the best option....

Do I really want to drop $3300 on a galvanized, tritoon setup? Or fine with painted, basic model?

-Do I really want/need brakes? If so electric or surge?

- Carpet or plastic bunks?

-With the Express package, I have lifting strakes.. is this a problem with the standard bunks?


Thanks for all the assistance!! We appreciate it
 
I share a crank up trailer with my neighbor. We both have 2 tube boats. He cranks his down onto dollies and pushes/rolls it into his garage. I leave the trailer under my boat in the yard (cranked down) so that he can pull it out and use it if he needs it first. We each only use it twice a year to launch and take out - not the travel. That said - how far would you be towing to the cabin? A crank up is much less stable with the wheels being closer together (between the pontoons) than a bunk and I also seem to remember seeing that crank ups do not offer brakes. That might be different now. Someone else may be able to chime in with more current information.
 
Crank up trailers don’t work with tritoons unless you get a very expensive one due to the cross members on the lifting platform hitting the center toon. Have a standard bunk trailer with surge brakes on both axles for our boat with the ESP and it works well. We store our boat on the trailer in the off season and drop in several different lakes during the summer so it’s worth it for us to have one.
 
So I'm leaning the shelling out and buying a new trailer. Ugh.

Are the bunks ok with the lifting strakes??
 
Dmonnny123 said:
Thanks!! What trailer is this? Are these the "standard" bunks? Reason I'm asking is they make "Performance bunks" that are angled differently for strakes.. ‍♂️‍♂️ for of course more money lol
Click to expand...
Standard bunks on a Shoreland’r with the Tritoon kit added. I would not recommend Shoreland’r due to the quality of the fit and finish but structurally it works well. I’m not sure what the difference would be with strakes or without unless the performance bunks are closer together. The diameter of the toon doesn’t change with strakes or without.
 
Found a straight on pic showing spacing better.
upload_2019-6-16_15-15-31.jpeg
 
DaveyJ said:
Found a straight on pic showing spacing better.
View attachment 25125
Click to expand...


Ahh. Gotcha. I think it's more about the concern that the toons might sit lower then they show in this pic and so that the strakes would be touching the bunks.. but it looks like they sit higher so it shouldn't be a problem...

Though you have full center toons and I only have the half length Express center toon
 
I also live on the water and the boat stays on a lift but I have a trailer. Nice to have for maintenance as your not stuck to working in the rain if you have one day to get things done. I’ve also used mine to haul hot tubs, dune buggy and other misc stuff.
 
Dmonnny123 said:
So I'm leaning the shelling out and buying a new trailer. Ugh.
Click to expand...

I realize you are going to be shelling out over $3000 now, but that trailer will hold it's value. In my area (central SC), used toon trailers are rare. People sell them for just a few hundred less than new ones. You'll be able to get $2000 out of it in 10 years if you want to.
 
I agree completely with sunedog. A used trailer in good condition will bring within 1k of a new one several years down the road. The convenience factor is worth 1k to me.
 
The one thing about this that I will say is that if you decide to go with a trailer I'd go galvanized if you drive on any gravel roads. When I bought the new Benny last year and decided to save a few bucks and go with a painted trailer instead of galvanized I literally pulled it one time on about 10 miles of gravel and now the paint is pretty chipped up. I was pretty disappointed with how cheap the paint is on the trailers these days. Some might be better than others but I'd still go galvanized for the $300-$500 extra. Just my .02
 
Renegade34 said:
The one thing about this that I will say is that if you decide to go with a trailer I'd go galvanized if you drive on any gravel roads. When I bought the new Benny last year and decided to save a few bucks and go with a painted trailer instead of galvanized I literally pulled it one time on about 10 miles of gravel and now the paint is pretty chipped up. I was pretty disappointed with how cheap the paint is on the trailers these days. Some might be better than others but I'd still go galvanized for the $300-$500 extra. Just my .02
Click to expand...
Definitely agree on the galvanized finish. Every weld on my trailer is rusting and I bought it brand new 2.5 years ago. It looks like they skipped prepping the welds before powder coating. I’m not a big fan of the galvanized look but the lack of maintenance outweighs that.
 
It sounds to me like you have really no choice but to buy a trailer if you want to take the boat with you once a year to the cabin. And if that is important to you, then the cost of the trailer is well worth it.
 
Mine is galvanized and looks like the day I got it aside from some surface rust on the axles that were painted.
 
Yep, a wise man once told me "galvanized trailers aren't the prettiest but at least they don't get any uglier". Painted ones look nice and shiny at the dealership but that usually doesn't last too long. I'm still kicking myself for not getting one this time :mad:
 
First thing.....Buy a trailer. We keep our boat in the water about 6 mos. and on the trailer 6 mos. I have had 2 painted trailers. I have taken care of them like the boats that were/are on them. I have religiously waxed them and kept the maintenance up on them. (Bearings, Carl cleaned and repacked them. Brakes, winch and strap, replaced the boards and carpet, and of course tires. Doesn't matter if you get painted or galvanized. Take care of it and it will give you many years of service.
 
Here is a picture of mine after 5 years of ownership and a couple trips back and forth from MI to FL.
boat trailer.jpg
 
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