I recently bought an older East Cape Lostmen back in February. When I purchased the boat the trailer was in very rough shape but was decent enough to make the trip back from NC to SC.
I knew this trailer would not suffice for the trips I would like to take in the future so I threw the boat on the lift and started cranking some wrenches. I replaced basically everything except the trailer frame, winch, and tongue.
New bunks, carpet and brackets, jack, axle, fenders, fender guards, hardware, rewire with new lights, keel pads, the whole 9. The only thing I have really yet to replace is the tires as they’re in pretty good shape although will probably replace both in the future and keep the others as spares on long tows.
I really enjoyed working on this project and was really happy to finish before the days hit the 90s. I just wanted to make my first post here and share since I am finally finished and have the skiff sitting pretty back in the garage! Enjoy the before and after photos.
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Nice work! Nothing is worse than a trailer ruining a perfectly good day. I drag my skiff 400 miles round trip, so yearly maintenance on it is a must.
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Looks solid now.
Welcome to the group, and I did your quote.
I used to say something similar all the time.
Put a dollar bill in one bowl, food in another, and see which one the dog takes.
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I keep a couple of cans of cold galvanizing paint ready at all times - bring them to the ramp and often hit a any galvanized item that looks like the current galvanized coating is wearing thin - do this just before retrieving the boat when the trailer is dry but the boat isn’t on it - you can keep a galvanized trailer looking amazing with a single can. Keep a wire brush handy too to hit any areas where rust has started.
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That is actually exactly what I did. A new trailer wasn’t in my budget so I hit some areas with a wire brush and recoated the entire trailer. Thanks for the tip about keeping some in the truck at all times, I know there are some areas that will require a little more upkeep than the rest. For the most part I try to completely dry launch and retrieve but the landing I use is so steep sometimes I need to dip the trailer more than I like.
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