Trailer Tire Size(s)

John: We have 2 sets of hulls, but I am not to happy with either set. They have cracks and soft spots in the typical places. But I do think that we will be able to get a boat out of the parts that we have. We only gave a donation of $100 for all the Hobie and trailer parts that we have.

As I wrote earlier, the axel on the trailer that we have was eaten away on the surfaces that the seals should seal against, so the axle absolutely has to be replaced. The issue is, how much money do we want to spend on a trailer for a boat that won't be great? We obviously don't want to have a breakdown in the 100 miles that we will be frequently towing the boat to sail it. We estimate that it will take ~$350 in parts to fix-up the trailer. The boat actually will belong to my son, and he is in college. But we certainly know that the time to buy bigger wheels and tires is now. I don't forsee us carrying too much on the trailer, because we will be towing with a Suburban when we tow the boat to the Chesapeake, but when my son tows it behind his Cavalier, he will have to have the sails and other equipment on the trailer.

We also have to replace almost all of the lights on the trailer. We took the boat, trailer, and the extra hulls and an extra bent mast home on a car trailer, so that way we didn't have to worry about the no good tires, rims, or seals on the boat's trailer. The hubs, wheels, and tires are now off of the axle. Nick, this is why my question about the clearance around 12 inch tires probably sounded silly. Anyhow, now there is snow all around the trailer, but there's still plenty of other things to work on. Sometimes I feel like a slave to my toys.

Aldo

Aldo,

Sorry, I get carried away sometimes and forget to reread the posts from the beginning.

Maybe a Harbor Freight or Northern Tool utility trailer would get you the axles, wheels/tires, light kit and fenders that you need. If you're patient they usually go on sale every month or so, at probably lesser price than single sourcing all this stuff (I paid $189 for a 4x8 with 12" wheels). The only thing that may be a problem with this idea would be axle width.

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hobiejohn at earthlink dot net
Fleet 297

look for a trailer supply store in the yellow pages (let your fingers do the walking) the axel with everyting tires wheels etc about $200. Walmart for new wires and lights about $25.00 and you are done. you can always upgrade the boat later and just keep the trailer.

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Tom & Nancy Page H20 803

I would invest in the trailer. Of all things concerning cats, the trailer is what you will most likely get your money back on when you go to sell. Used trailer in good shape are hard to find. Remember, a new glavo trailer will run about $1000 for an H16.

I would look at the trailer lights as disposable and not spend a bunch of money on them. Get the cheap submersible kind (about $25). I have been launching in salt and brackish water for about 7 years now and I seem to replace the lights at least every other season.

As John mentioned, Northern Tool has just about everything you need to build or repair a trailer. you can also look for truck supply stores locally, a farm supply store or a trailer store (as mentioned earlier).

Remember, there is no point in having a boat if you can't get it to the water. One big mistake many boat owners make is not maintaining thier trailer as well as they do thier boat. I made that mistake once and was very lucky that I only had a few scratches in my gelcoat. I now fix my trailer as soon as anything breaks or wears out.

Also, if you only put $100 into the hobie parts and you put another $300 into the trailer, you have a boat and trailer for $400. Not a bad deal.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Most tire failures on trailers are due to underinflation. Once they loose their air they run much hotter and can fail from the heat. Worse, the heat can melt the grease ouit of the bearings and blow the bearings.
Save your money on the bigger tires and get a good air pressure gauge (NEVER trust a ggas station gauge) and use it afew times a season. esp. when the weather turns cooler, the tires will loose air pressure from the reduced heat.
If the tires are old and you can see sidewall cracks, replace them.
Lastly it's never a bad idea to have a spare, wrench, and jack that work for your trailer. A battery powered impact driver with the right socket makes the job a cinch, even at night.

John he is better off with just the standard axel and springs

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Tom & Nancy Page H20 803