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Buying a Boat Trailer
Unless you store your boat year around at a marina you need a boat trailer. It bot provides a convenient way to store the boat and lets you go to new areas by pulling your boat down the road. Good trailers will do both equally well.
When it comes to buying a boat most people are way more interested in the boat and hardly consider the trailer at all. They'll spend a lot on the boat and then try to get by with the cheapest boat trailer they can get. This is a big mistake.
How much weight your trailer will be carrying is the biggest consideration. Pick a trailer where your boat, motor and all of your gear fall into the mid range of the trailers rated capacity. Don't pick a trailer with the same rated weight capacity as your boat.
Get tires and wheels that are a larger diameter. Larger tires rotate fewer times per mile so there is less heat produced, less wear on the tread and the wheel bearings will last longer also.
Personally I like drive on trailers the best. They are usually a bit lower to the ground and will allow you to launch and recover your boat very easily. You can drive the boat right onto the trailer within a few inches of the winch so there's hardly any work involved.
You should always pick your trailer based on where you are going to use it most. If you plan to only be ob salt water you need a trailer that is well protected and won't rust easily. Also make sure that the trailer lighting, for when you are pulling the boat down the highway, are sealed against water and protected.
Most trailers are Protected from rust and the weather but not all protection is equal. Make sure you get the best you can get and your trailer will last for a long time. Always pick a trailer that's designed for the type of terrain whee you will be pulling your boat. Then you shouldn't have to worry abbot the trailer doing the job it's designed for.
Some boat trailers come with a spare tire. If your's doesn't make sure you get one. The first time you have a flat and can change it right away you'll be very happy about it. Otherwise it's take the tire off, unhook the boat and leave it by the side of the road, drive to the nearest place that can fix it and then go back and put it on. Very irritating to say the least. Get a spare tire for your boat trailer and save some aggravation!
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