Trailer, Aluminum
Aluminum trailer, complete, US$2,200.00.
The rules say that the boats must weigh 595 pounds, but there are no limits as to how light the trailer can be. Light trailers are easier to wheel around by hand, use less fuel going down the road, and if they are aluminum, go decades with no maintenance, and still look great.
This trailer, custom built for the I-20 or M-20, has an all aluminum frame, welded, a Dexter Torflex 'trailing arm' axle which utilizes rubber in a torsion application, not leaf springs, and is sized for the load with 1050 pounds gross weight rating. The rims are aluminum alloy, not steel, with radial tires for better mileage, and the tires, once mounted, are dynamically balanced.
The hitch coupler is 2 inch (why does anyone still use 1-7/8"?), the safety 'chains' are 7 x 19 wire rope, with stainless steel screw shackles for attachment to the vehicle, not 'S' hooks, see photo.
A nose wheel is standard.
The lights are LED ('Light Emitting Diode'), which means you will never have to change a burned-out bulb. The wiring harness is protected by being run inside the aluminum tubing of the frame, and shielded where it exits the forward end of the tongue.
The harness has an additional conductor, white, run to all lights: this is a 'dedicated ground'. With most trailers, about two weeks after your trailer is new, the white ground wire breaks off, essentially disabling your lights at irregular intervals, depending on the mood of the hitch ball/coupler contact. Not so here, the grounds are run to all 4 lights.
The bunks are custom fabricated for the job: 3-2 x 8 fir planks, beveled to 3 degrees to match the line of the hull. All of the lights are mounted on the bunks to keep them as high as possible, and out of harm's way.
The fenders are aluminum treadplate, bolted to the trailer so that they are replaceable, and are strong enough that one may use them as a stepstool to work on or climb into the boat.
All of this costs a bit more in material, takes a lot more time, but is worth it when one is running down the road, or handling the boat at regattas.
The finished trailer bed, with axles and fenders. The bunks and lights finish the job.
Wheel detail: aluminum wheels, radial tires, aluminum treadplate fenders that the fat boys can stand on.
Wiring detail. Note the ground wire (white) run to every light fixture...the lighting is not dependent on the trailer frame as the ground to keep you in business after dark.
The light fixtures are LED (Light Emitting Diode). They do not burn out. You can still smash them up, though. The Douglas Fir bunks are beveled to 3 degrees, precisely matching the bevel of the hull.
Two inch coupler, not 1-7/8". Note the 7 x 19 wire rope, together with stainless screw shackles to tether to the towing vehicle. The wiring harness is shielded by a flexible loom cover, so you spend more of your time sailing, and less time rewiring the trailer.
Have trailer, will travel: here is the first new boat with George Winter's new trailer on top of it all, ready to roll to Fond du Lac, fall 2011.