Boat trailer into utility trailer
- Thread starter kacz7895
- Start date
rnArmy
Adventurer
A lot of times boat trailers have fairly small and weak axles (and small tires). Boats may be what we think of as "big", but they don't weigh as much as you'd think. Just something to pay attention to. Otherwise, they make good staring points for a little adventure-type trailer.
Xrunner
Explorer
I looked at doing the same a few years back and the cost of a boat trailer locally seemed high for what they were. Also if you buy one make sure the title/paperwork is in order. The cheap ones I found didn't have a title and after some research I decided the hassle of titling it wouldn't be worth it.
Might be worth keeping in mind you can get a Harbor Freight type kit for about $250 as a starting point too. There's a lot of info online about modifying them and some great builds, including rnArmy's.
Might be worth keeping in mind you can get a Harbor Freight type kit for about $250 as a starting point too. There's a lot of info online about modifying them and some great builds, including rnArmy's.
workingonit71
Aspirantes ad Adventure
pros and cons of re-purposing a boat trailer (or others)
Xrunner said:
rnArmy said:
- I started out with a derelict motorcycle/utility/whatzit? trailer I bought at a swap meet for $50, in the '90s. I re-furbed it a bit, but never used it, and tried to give it away to friends and family for twenty years. When I decided I wanted to build a small (4'x8') teardrop-type trailer, I just enlarged upon the too small frame (50x60"), and adapted the spindles with larger bearings, hubs, and 14" tires (replacing the 8"). It took a lot of work, but it grew from a 200 lb pile of junk to a 1700 lb comfortable to use, squareback trailer.
- A primary improvement was a stronger, longer tongue...strength is needed, especially if off-roading is your goal, and a longer tongue helps in balance, and with backing up. A boat trailer tongue may even be too long, but can be cut down. Bigger wheels are often needed on a boat trailer; if a small diameter, obstacles become harder to cross, and the smaller bearings heat up on the highway, due to turning more revolutions per mile. If it is a folding-type trailer, definitely lock-nut it tight, or weld it! About the axle: if it is very small, and you plan to carry a fairly heavy load eventually, do yourself a favor, and swap in a much heavier-duty axle and springs first; I didn't, and my set-up failed (luckily backing it into the garage). It was going to be replaced before going off-road, but I took it past it's limits, and was lucky to have avoided disaster.
- If it has no title, use the bill of sale to try to register it, or if it already has a VIN number stamped on it (but no title), you might just remove that stamped piece (usually the tongue), and replace it with a new piece of steel. It can then be registered as home-built. I don't recommend skirting the law, but if the trailer is old and derelict, like mine was, it probably wasn't currently registered by an "owner", so by recycling the trailer frame, you'll be giving the state a new source of revenue, and taking junk off the street. Some states don't even require it, for light trailers.
- After all my work on modifying and strengthening the trailer frame I started with, I would've been better off if I had bought a new, stronger starting point, from a Lowes, Home Depot, or Tractor Supply (and others), with utility trailers ready-to-go (just add your box, cabin, or whatever) on top. Unless you love a challenge! Good luck.
