I am thinking about having a trailer made for my boat this winter. I am not sure about a few things. I am planning on probably building a steel trailer. Boat is a 34 Saber.


what kind of Brakes do I want? how many axles need them on a triple axle trailer?

drive guard or no? are they a pain in the arse?

any advantage to led lights other than looks?

any reason why so many trailers are white? I think I would prefer the main accent color of the boat.


Thanks for any input

I would go aluminum. never rust.. and l.e.d.s are the bomb,, I have been through dozens of lights over the last 15 years, now have leds on all my trailers and NO MORE PROBLEMS, uless you hit them on something.

Aluminum trailers will NOT break in half due to rust (this is a good thing).
Aluminum trailers do flex more than steel ones (good or bad? it can be argued either way).

Brakes: I personally like one axle to have no brakes. Keeps the trailer straight when stopping in low traction situations.

LED's won't rust, last virtually forever, and are zero maintenance even in salt.

Drive guards are a matter of preference. They make the bare trailer longer (harder to store it). But they are nice to stand on and protect the drives. I prefer a vee to sit very low on the trailer, which means a drive guard will be in the way of loading and unloading the boat.

weather to go with an aluminum trailer or a steel trailer kinda depends on how much you value astetics as compared to function, I personaly think that painted stell trailers look alot sharper but aluminum will not corrode. Another option is to have a stell trailer powdercoated instead of painted. there are companys out ther that do this for a 34' boat trailer it would probably cost about $3000 wich isnt that bad when you think about it. Of course the powdercoating is ussless to fight corrosion if you bash it up. LED's are the only way to go, they dont burn out they dont care how many times you put them in saltwater and they dont get hot(wich is why filament bulbs shatter when you submerge them)I personnaly dont care for drive guards they are a pain in the ass and anything that happens to the drives while on the trailer will be covered by insurance(although you still have to deal with the headache and the lost time on the water). anyway that was my more than 2 cents worth I hope it is usefull.

I just built a Manning steel trailer (yes, white) for a 40' Hustler. I went with electric over hydraulic brakes on all 3 axels. Added in drive guards, torsion axels, and a tool box.

There are trade-offs with steel versus aluminum. We boat in fresh water, so salt is less of an issue.

Other that a few hick-ups with 2 pinched wires, all is good.

Yeah, what everybody else said. Two definites: Disc brakes over drum. LEDs.

Bill, have Manning build you a trailer, they are just up the road in Comstock Park. I'd go with steel, flexes less on our bumpy roads here in Michigan. And you can paint them to match... can't really do that with an aluminum trailer.

I just took delivery of a new Myco aluminum trailer for my Top Gun. I prefer the brushed aluminum look and like the idea of not having a rusty steel trailer in a few years.
I don`t see any reason why you could`nt paint an aluminum trailer if you wanted to. With the new primers on the market today, it really isn`t any more work than painting a steel one.

A trailer??????? You don't need no stinking trailer!!! Just throw that hog in the back of your pick-up Bill, put a few bunji cords around it and you're good to go! Dang, what's the matter with you anyway???


Hey, hit me on the 2-way when you get a chance.

You can go steel and then have it galvanized... that will make it last for years... One of the reasons for white paint... First... it's cheaper than some colors... Second...you can see any rust spots easily on the white paint.. also any rusted areas will "bleed" onto the white paint and show... If you properly maintain the steel trailer... even in salt water it will last for years... usually what really takes the "hit" when you launch in salt water is the suspension and wheel bearings. It doesn't matter if the frame is aluminum... you will still be plagued with those issues.