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With only a few more more weeks left
in Season '04, I've reluctantly begun thinking about hauling out and
what's going to need to be done to store Chip Ahoy for another winter.
Of course the trailer was my primary focus, and I found that it needed
critical work again this year. (Sep. 16, 2004)
See:
Trailer Work 2003 |
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Last year I had to replace the
extremely corroded V-shaped cross member that supports the swing keel
and the upright members that support the bunks. I also had to replace
the winch, which was rusted beyond use, and its cable. As I don't use the trailer
except to haul the boat down to launch in the spring then recover it in
the fall, I've long ignored its wear and deterioration. |
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On its last legs, it did what I needed
it to do, the minimum. But as I'm considering next year trailering Chip
Ahoy up to Portland, Maine, and picking up my coastal cruise where I
left off last month, I'll need a trailer that's in good shape. This is not that
trailer. |
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The first thing I spotted upon
inspection was that one of the primary structural supports was corroded
entirely through at a critical point, above the axle and leaf spring.
Just to get the boat home from the boatyard a mere mile away required
immediate repair. I took it over to my buddy Brad's shop on Tuesday and he
welded a 3' piece of steel boxed on three sides over the corroded
frame. It was a near-perfect fit with a little hammering. |
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The original frame was corroded paper
thin in an area of about a foot, corroded right through in places when
we hammered it. |
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The new steel brace covers the old
frame on three sides, and runs about a foot in either direction beyond
the serious corrosion. At least we were able to find good metal to weld
to. |
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This'll get Chip Ahoy home for the
winter, back into the water in the spring if necessary -- but I've decided
I need another trailer as soon as I can locate a decent deal on
one. |
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If I were to keep it, this trailer
would need a whole lot of work; the bearings and races definitely need
replacement, the jack at the tongue needs to be replaced, and the rest
of the trailer is rusting out too. It's simply time to replace the
trailer. Especially with the nearby and classic "Beauty and the
Beast" comparison. |
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A lot of inspiration for this decision
comes from the trailer parked alongside mine, owned by my buddy C22 owner Wally
Riddle of Nahant. He parked it here in my yard this season until he
hauls out his boat, and the side-by-side comparison is stark. If I ran
into any trouble during my cruise up the Maine coast, he was going to
come up and retrieve me with his trailer. His trailer would have
easily made the trip up and back. Mine never would have.
It's simply time for another
trailer!
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The Trailer Decision
NEXT --
Page 3 |
