wooden boat trailer

[Unregistered-fred]

I need to build a simple boat trailer for an alluminum 14 foot flat bottom boat.

Any suggestions?

[tomh]

To be honest, I don’t want to be following you down the road with a home-made trailer assembled with wood, screws and glue. I think the logical starting point here is a small, inexpensive steel utility trailer that is modified by adding a padded cradle for the boat. This will give you a welded steel frame, suspension, lights and will meke me feel much safer behind you on the way to the fishin hole. All attachments for the cradle should be bolted through the frame with lock nuts. Keep in mind, you still need to license this contraption to use it on the roads. This could mean an inspection, especially if you don’t start from a fabricated steel trailer.

[galven]

I have used a wooden boat trailer for years, it was an exact copy of a wooden trailer that came with a 1929 steel boat i bought. Basically trailers back then were built on old car front axles with steering links cut and welded to keep wheels straight.
The trailer frame was replaced with southern pine 2 x 6, the tariler was a traingle formation, with a hard wood rear cross piece and a front wedge between the 2 x 6’s. All pieces are bolted together and the axle was u-bolted to the frame.
The boat trailer lasted over 70 years and I still have the original wood here. This trailer design had no winch and launched and recovered the boat easier than a modern one. No winch was needed, the trailer did float and was tempted to take it out with the boat but never did.
I have a picture of this trailer, sold the boat this past spring due to failing health. The boat was on a boating calendar for 2005.
I can get you the picture or the dimensions if needed. The only problem I had was a bad antique wheel, never found a like replacement. I think originally the trailer had wooden spoke wheels.

Dave Dufresne

[Author]

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