Boating for Dummies 101: Part 4: A bit of Trailer TLC

……an article by Dom Appay

Last time we replaced our boat trailer coupling and bolts and realigned the trailer axle.  While under the trailer I could see rust and corrosion starting but no rust holes. My trailer has spent time swimming in salt water.

I’ll have a go to fix up two frame parts, scraping the rust and corrosion and applying a protective gal coating.  I’ll start with the two front cross members and see how they go.

The boat trailer A-frame has two welded cross members, at the front and in the middle, with drain and vent holes that need to be kept clear to allow water to drain out. These tube cross-members need to be flushed out with fresh water each time you dunk the trailer to remove salt.

These cross members show a bit of surface rust (RH pic) and some white corrosion.

The surface rust need to be removed and a new coat of galvanising paint applied.

I scraped off the loose rust with a wire brush and followed up sanding with metal abrasive paper.

I painted over the sanded areas with a spray cold galvanising paint used by trailer manufacturers.

Doesn’t look too bad now!  We’ll see after 12 months if it holds up.

Next time: A bit more maintenance!