There seems to have been some threads in the past about All American Boat Trailers in Pompano that cast a negative light on the business. This thread will convey my experience with them relative to my trailer purchase.

http://www.allamericanboattrailers.com/

Within the past year I have purchased a few parts from Carla and Willie at All American in an effort to keep my old steel "homemade" roller trailer from Michigan together. Steel painted trailers don't do well in our South Florida environment but that's what I got with my boat so I have stuck with it until recently.

I started shopping for a replacement used aluminum bunk trailer. After shopping around a bit I ended up at All American and started working with Willie trying to upgrade a used trailer that he had in stock that we both thought would fit my needs. I will add here that through this process Willie never pushed me in one direction or the other. He answered my questions and made suggestions. We decided on a triple torsion axle EZ Loader aluminum and settled on a price that included new brakes on 2: axles, all new bearings races and seals on all 6: hubs, new carpet on all the bunks, setting it up for my Formula as well as a new master cylinder. Willie never asked me for a dime during this whole process. I brought my boat over and Willie and his guys got started.

While I was at their facility I made mental note as to how busy and pleasant every one seemed to be. There were several trailers being built, new boats being fitted to new trailers and some service work being done on older trailers. All of this was being done the week before Christmas.

After 2: days of modifications and fitting my boat to the trailer, Willie told me to come by and tell him what I thought. I rushed over to All American, which is 15 minutes from my office, and started looking at my Formula's "new" ride. The whole rig looked impressive and Willie had his crews working late the night before to get my trailer as well as others completed. All the items we discussed were taken care of. As I looked at the relationship of the wheels to the ground I detected a bit of negative camber in all 3: wheels/hubs on the port side. I am a contractor and mechanical engineer and deal with symmetry and straight lines every day. If something is out of plumb I can see it from across the street.

I walked over and got Willie and pointed out to him what I had discovered. He looked at it and agreed that something was out of whack. We moved the rig to a level part of the concrete apron and with the use of a 96" level as well as a tape took measurements. Turns out that the trailer, once loaded with my 6000 lb + boat was warped. This trailer has a 10500 GVWR and 9000 lb net rating. Willie and I agreed that this trailer should be relegated to "yard duty" and never go out on the road.

Willie suggested that we move on to another trailer that he could modify that had leaf springs and was a double axle....for less money!! I realized then on the spot that Willie was doing all that he could do to stay within my budget and provide me with the best possible solution to my needs. He had invested at least 16 hours labor and probably $750 +/- in parts (his cost) trying to get this trailer ready for me. I looked him in the eye and with the knowledge of all that had happened...understanding that I could walk away from this and call it a day...I said to Willie "Screw all of this...sell me a new trailer."

I saw a big smile come over his face and we went to his office and sat down with his build specs and price sheets. He offered me a decent enough trade in allowance on my old trailer, discounted the whole package and I signed a deal on a new aluminum double torsion axle 10160 lb trailer with 4: wheel Kodiak Disc brakes.

I put down a 50% deposit, Carla ordered all the parts and by next week sometime I will have a new trailer.

During this entire process, Willie always communicated regularly with me while juggling phone calls and running out on service calls. I overheard him on the phone with one customer that had left the day before pulling a 40' boat on a 4:axle trailer headed north. The man had hit something in the road near Vero Beach (100 miles up I-95) and blew a tire. Willie immediately dispatched a man with a new wheel and tire assembly to get that man back on the road. Most outfits would have blown this guy off and told him to call AAA or something....but not Willie....he was all over it.

Stay tuned to this....I expect to pick up my new trailer with my boat on it next week. Based on the negative things I have read vs. what my personal experiences have been...am I apprehensive ?....not in the least.

Well today I took delivery on my new trailer. Karla called me and said that all the final tweaks and adjustments had been made and that she would have my delivery package ready by the time I arrived.

I arrived at All American and the Formula was on the new trailer and ready to ride. I wrote my check, signed some paper work and went out side. I walked around and all was as expected. I purchased a 7: pin adapter to convert the 5: prong flat lead to the round 7: pin set up on my Ford F-150 with the factory towing package.

I headed over to the turnpike and headed north. This is my first new trailer in many years and the first I have owned with torsion axles. I was really surprised how smooth the whole rig rides and how well it tracks even over rough spots and dips in the road. The brakes are super and do a great job of slowing 7500 lbs of boat and trailer quickly. I held a steady 65 MPH for the 40~45 mile run up to West Palm. I was passed by a few semi's and experienced no sway or feeling of wind action as they passed. The guys at All American set me up with 450 lbs of tongue weight which worked out perfect for me.

I am seriously considering going back to Willie in the near future and have him re-fit this rig with Electric over Hydraulic brakes. It may seem like overkill to some on a rig under 10000 lbs but I would gain a great measure of safety I feel.

In summary...I am very happy with the service that I received from All American Trailers in Pompano and recommend them to any one looking for a reasonably priced well built aluminum boat trailer. They are friendly, courteous and go the extra mile to satisfy and take care of their customers. I have no reason to consider going anywhere else for my future boat trailer business and feel at ease in calling on these people for anything I may need for my trailer.

I had several choices that I could have made here in South Florida relative to buying my trailer...I know for me that I made the right choice.