Upgrades to base Hobie/Trailex TI Trailer

Hi Everyone, new owner and forum member here.

I just got the 2015 TI and ordered the Hobie/Trailex trailer with cradles.

The trailer is fine, but I wasn't terribly happy with the the configuration- I wanted to add a winch and front wheel to the trailer. I worked with Trailex directly and added the following parts:

WPWCO, winch post, $45
4-201, 1400lb winch, $77
1-2608B, support roller, $38
4-517, Parking jack, $109

I'm very happy with everything except the parking jack- I was expecting it to swivel, but I should have asked about that before I bought it. It works fine, but sticks below the trailer a bit. If I were to do this again, I think I'd buy that from somewhere else. All the hardware was very easy to install- no drilling required- just needed a couple of wrenches.

Here is the finished product:

Front of trailer with winch:


Clearance for parking jack:


I don't trust the strenght of the hook on the bow, so I wrap a rope around the front aka brace for winching and trailing:


Really a fun boat- my wife and I love it. Not as fast as my last sailboat (Thistle) but super practical and runs great with no wind!

Thanks all- hope this helps someone else.

You can buy a pretty cheap swing up front wheel at etrailer.com or Harbor Freight. Mine is mounted about where yours is but on a custom trailer. If you do, note that when fully extended sometimes they don't swivel either. You have to back off a turn for it to swivel
I cut the hook off of my winch strap leaving the ring and just snapped a smaller carabiner on the remaining metal loop.

Thanks for posting

Chris

Good to see a fellow Wisconsinite on the forum! Believe me, when the wind dies and you have to get back to a narrow dock area, you won't miss the Thistle.

I agree with Chris in that for $17, with coupon, you can get a swing style jack stand from Harbor Freight. That gear tooth rack on yours look a little too close to the hull for comfort.

Like you, I pull from a loop around the mast support. I found the Trailex winch to take forever to crank, so I now power it by an 18V portable drill -- works surprisingly well. Also, I found the winch strap didn't want to track on the reel, so it was replaced with 550# paracord. This allows a much longer length on the reel.

I also moved the wheelbase frame to above the tongue, lowering the boat 5" on the trailer, making launches and retrievals easier. At first, I avoided dunking the wheels, but now I just dunk away - - saves the back.

Gary

2014 Tandem Island
1984 Hobie Hawk Glider

I had a factory Trailex for my 2015 TI and after a few uses I noticed horrible scratches from the ama's rubbing against the hull. I added pool noodles to stop the rubbing. There is a texture on the new ama's I never noticed on my older models

I was very disappointed first couple of trips the boat was all scratched up, I didn't notice until a few trips in

_________________
Al aka "YAKMAN"

I added a steel ring to the steel pad eye in front. When I was car topping I would loop the straps through it to stabilize the front. I have also read about running an anchor line through it. Now that I trailer, I use it to clip the winch hook, I have the strap running out of the TOP of the wheel so it lines up with the bow. When I use spray skirts, I run the front lines through the ring. This is a power point on the boat, the receiving threads are molded into the boat. I have added steel rings to front and back on all of my Hobies (3), I like the large attachment point.https://www.flickr.com/photos/a8cmg/14842177226/ You can just see the steel ring up front. The tangled mess is an old water ski rope. I use it to tie up the boat when I come ashore, or if I ever need to make a surf landing I would hop in the water and be the sea anchor. I've never practiced that! My one crash on the beach took out an aka pin and a lot of wind from my sail. I stick to places that have boat ramps, now.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/a8cmg/
https://www.youtube.com/user/mastery415/videos

Picked up a swing style jack stand with wheel today from Harbor Freight and it was a complete piece of junk.

Attached very solidly to the front of my Trailex SUT-350-AIT. After it was mounted, I noticed the release spring for the swivel locking bar was missing a circlip on one side, so had to remove the stand and fix that. Worst though was that after it was remounted and working, I discovered that the flange that holds the jack to the mount is weak and wobbly at the swivel point. It looks to be very poor quality overall and is going back for a refund.

This was the Haul Master 1000 pound model and was $40 MSRP but $25 with coupon. Total piece of junk and DO NOT RECOMMEND.

Anyone find something better?

~BoP

I am still totally satisfied with mine: http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=51561&hilit=#p236169

I used Herbaldew's set up as my inspiration. I added a winch after reading how easy it was to load the boat. And it is. My trailer at home is on a gentle slope, so it is grunt to manually pull the trailer out. The space is really narrow and I dont have the mad driving skills to get my truck in there and then I am afraid I will rip the fence or the boat if I am not trued up when driving out, so.... I use the winch, attached to nearby trees to haul out the trailer until it is on flat ground and I can ROLL it around. The Wheeled Jack is essential to moving the trailer. It is a Pro 1000 I think I got it from eTrailer. You can see the ring in the nose, excuse the expression. ]


I noticed you used the roller up front on the bow. I used the roller on the back to help with load/unloading. Some of the fellas have the self aligning roller which is cool but I dont have the shop skills to mount something like that.

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https://www.youtube.com/user/mastery415/videos

Just called up Trailex at the contact number on their site and ordered the winch and extra roller. Nice guy and we might see him join our discussion here if Hobie permits. Found out that yes, the trailer is fully submersible (hubs, lights, etc) as long as you grease up those hubs once a year. I also ordered a set of end caps for the cross members - he warned that they don't seal, so not recommended to immerse those as they'll take on and hold water.

~BoP

I bought the Buddy Bearings for my wheels, I bring the grease gun with me on long trips. Really easy to add more grease, through out the year. Auto stores have them and for me I got mine at a local shop that repairs trailers. didn't know it existed but glad they are there. Very knowledgeable folks.

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https://www.youtube.com/user/mastery415/videos

I have the same swing up wheel jack from etrailer as Clintvava and it works well. I have a Harbor Freight trailer dolly to move the trailer in or out of the garage. I don't always use it but probably should, my trailer barely fits in the garage and it's hard to see the back end of it from the drivers seat while backing.
On the HF dolly I repositioned the handle closer to the wheels by drilling a few holes. It makes it easier to store in the garage without the handle sticking out so far and also makes it stronger. Also put slime in the tires to help keep the air in.

Chris

I am very happy with my Trailex Trailer - like the product and like the fact that they're in eastern Ohio - but it dawned on me today that I should have a spare tire to bring along if I'm going to drag my TI from SW Florida back to Pittsburgh. Not enough time to order one from Trailex, and no local dealers had a spare, so it was off to Northern Tool. Their item 12110 (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200330197) seems to match up okay. Ken at Trailex was very helpful and did mention that their center hole is 2.75 or so, while the NT tire is only 2.5" in diameter. I did a spare tire test and found that the NT tire does fit.

Interestingly I also figured out that the lug wrench from my Chrysler van does NOT fit the lugs on the trailer - it's TOO SMALL!! I needed a 13/16 socket for them. Also needed a rubber mallet to whack the ratchet end because the nuts are on so tight. I re-tightened them by hand, and then found that I (again) needed that mallet! Hmmm maybe some anti-seize??

The instructions for my 12" wheels/tires said torque to 75-85 ft lb then re-torque at 10,25 and 50 miles, monthly after that.
They also have 13/16 lugs. I use a 1/2" torque wrench and a short extension to the socket.
Chris

Thanks everyone for your replies- Sorry I posted and then was out of town for a while.

Hi Gary, where do you sail in Wisconsin? We've been on Mendota, Monona, Waubesa and Koshkonong so far

Does that allow the Amas to rise above their support cradle? The only issue I'm having now is getting the amas started in their cradles. I'm willing to buy another roller if that would solve that problem.

My latest addition is a versabrella: http://www.amazon.com/Sport-Brella-Versa-Brella-Position-Umbrella-Universal/dp/B00HA2ZKCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437951142&sr=8-1&keywords=versa+brella Works really well in the front seat, at least for me- the sail just clears the umbrella. If you're over 6ft, it's probably too tight of a fit. I used this yesterday in about 8 mph winds- probably wouldn't use it with any faster wind speed or it may not stay put. Nice to have some shade. Unfortunately the main sheet doesn't have enough clearance for the back passenger so whoever is in the 'dry seat' will have to use a plain old umbrella.

Wunder,

I'm in the Milwaukee area. This is my second season with my TI. So far, I've been on Lake Michigan, Pewaukee, Nagawicka, and Geneva. Next month, I am renting a condo on Castle Rock Lake for a week. The Madison lakes are high on my "hit list".

I'm constantly tinkering with my setup to make launches faster & easier. My Trailex trailer has 3 cradles and 4 rollers. The front roller is similar to yours and supports the hull behind the bow stop. The other three rollers are strictly to keep the boat tracking well when launching and retrieving. These rollers do not touch the hull when the TI is fully on the trailer I have a roller at the very rear (also protects the bow from crashing into the exposed trailer tongue end). The other two are located between the cradles.

I have also fashioned a couple of removable bike racks.

I have also found the front of the amas do want to splay outward during retrieval directing one or both outside the cradles, so I'm going to try a simple clip-on line to tie them together during retrieval.

By the way, I do have an extra cradle (new in box) if you are interested. These can only be purchased in sets of 2, so there is always one leftover in a 3 cradle setup.

Gary

2014 Tandem Island
1984 Hobie Hawk Glider