Galv takes a special primer if yourgonna paintit.

ric
i'm in the steel fabrication business i'll contact the galvanizing assoc and see if there is a good one in your area.and yes you are right the galvanize is a very flowing hot liqiid with a lot of zinc it flows thru the tubes and channels so it will get eveything.they might have you put a couple of drain holes in the tubing section as the heat from galvy could blow up the tube.the paint is what they call color galv.and yes it lokks better then any painted trailer on the market due to its not a production unit.and more custom.make sure don't be cheap put a good set of wheels on it. good luck

hi ric
try industrial galvanizers tampa 800-776-4528
paul

Thanks, Paul.

I have a hard enough time keeping my boat shined up, so I have always taken the lazy mans ugly galvanized trailer route.Thing is when they get about 5 years old the galvanized unit starts to look better than the rusty painted one.If looks are a priority I would go the aluminum route.I wouldn't galvanize a painted trailer after the fact because there will be lots of corrosion in the tubes you cant sandblast.A freind of mine had a production made trailer that was painted and the main rail on one side rusted through after about 7 years with very little salt use.The thing that was interesting is the new rail (bolt together design)was only about two hundred bucks.I wish more people would spend more attention to the mechanical maintenance,and proper sizing of trailer to boat than waxing there pretty trailer.

Painted trailer + salt water = death to the trailer. For one in and out I'd have it lifted - or go on and buy an aluminum. Aluminum is the only option that will hold up to constant salt water use. And, with any of the above a very thorough rinsing is a must after each use.

The one thing I do have going for me is that my trailer has a minimal number of closed "tubes", so everything can be rinsed thoroughly. One tube is at the tongue, which never gets submerged. The only others are the axles. Are axles generally sealed? If not, I can always replace them with galvanzed axles, I suppose (There are no aluminum axles, are there?).

If you do go the galv. route, you will need air vent holes in the tubes. Be sure to check with the plater as far as how it will be dunked so you know where the vent holes need to be.

Ric... I galvanized my trailer after it was disassembled. After a couple of years being dunked in salt water, there are small cracks in the galvanization that will begin to rust. I hope you aren't thinking that by galvanizing the frame that most of your problems will be over. The springs, backing plates, brakes and bearings are what really take a beating from the salt water. In either case, boat trailers take lots of maintenance. I personally would save the expense of disassembly and galvanization. From your prior post I see that you don't have any closed tubes. My trailer was the same. I'd suggest that you just closely inspect the trailer frame every time the boat is off. Then when you return and wash down the trailer you can touch up the paint after the trailer has dried off. I'd rather attempt to keep up with the rusting on the frame by constantly wire brushing and repainting. If there are small cracks or pores in the galvanization, the salt water will find it's way in and start rusting anyway. There will always be issues with the fenders and running gear. I don't have enough fingers to count the number of times I had the wheels off my trailer in the few years it was dunked in salt water. I had bearing buddies and the water still managed to seep into the bearings and rust them. I had drum brakes and the salt even leaked into the wheel cylinders and fouled them. It got to the point that I had spare rebuilt wheel cylinders and spare wheel bearings and seals. Like I said.... the frame is the least of your worries.

Reed,

I'm fully prepared to (and have been) dealing with the non-frame related issues. I would have those same issues with any trailer. (I installed a brake flush kit a couple of years back. Hopefully, that will help.) I've just been trying to determine if there is a better solution for my frame (short of buying a new trailer). After realizing that I have no closed tubes, I came to the same conclusion you did; just stay on top of the rust. It really has not been that bad. The worst part is where the bunks mount to the trailer brackets. I guess the wood stays wet for a while and causes the metal that touches it to rust. I have to figure out a way to get my boat off the trailer for a couple of days so that I can grind them down and repaint them with multiple coats of TrailerCoat or Rustoleum, followed by a topcoat of matching purple paint.

By the way, I realize that this is a losing battle in the long-term. I just want to extend the life of the trailer as long as possible. I can do an awful lot of grinding and touch-up before the cost and time involved will add up to the cost of a new trailer.

Thanks for your input.