New Trailer Mock Up

[tantrum]

Recently my trailer for my X22 was pretty much destroyed when the leaf springs decided to shatter as I was driving down the street.  I have acquired a Boatmate trailer as a replacement.  The boat is supposed to be loaded onto it today to see if the trailer will work.  My thought is the bunks should work fairly well, but I am concerned with the winch post height.  Does anyone have any experience with trying to fit a different trailer to our boats?  I am assuming if worse comes to worse the bunks and winch post can be cut off and rewelded to fit.

[phenom_1819]

sorry to hear about your trailer... I went through a trailer also, I found the trailers for the original Malibu Wakesetter hull to be a pretty damn good fit.  I only had to adjust the center bunks and the bow v-bunk.  After the adjustments, the boat fit great and the quality of the trailer was much better than the stock AmeriTrail.  Mine was a trailer from a VLX v-drive, my boat was a direct drive.  Surprisingly, the weight distribution was actually pretty close to the stock trailer.  However, if you can find a direct-drive trailer that would be better...  And adding spacers to the bunks to go higher is a lot easier than cutting and welding to go lower...

I can only think of two other manufacturers that I'd guess would be pretty-close -- MB and MC... but I'm sure there are many others as well.  You should expect to pay about $3k for a trailer in near perfect condition... and downwards from there.  I paid $2700 about two-three years ago for a trailer that was about 4 years old at the time.  Good luck.

[phenom_1819]

Adding my last comment... is the Boatmate trailer from a Supra or Moomba?  If so, I'd imagine it would take some welding work to make the front braces work because the Boatmates for Supras/Moombas wrap around the drop-keel towards the bow.  Hopefully it will work out for you.

[Lakeside]

Tantrum, I saw your boat at Skipper Buds when I dropped my boat off for storage.  Its a beautiful boat.  Sorry to see your trailer.  

The guys at Skipper Buds told me the story about the railroad track workers who were following you when your trailer broke down on the tracks and they were able to radio to stop the incoming freight train.  (Is that how the story went?! Please correct me if it happened differently.)  What a stroke of bad luck and good luck at the same moment.  I hope everyone was OK.

Are you having Skipper Buds do the work?  How did you decide on a Boatmate trailer?  I have the same single axle Ameritrail trailer and I was wondering what would be involved to upgrade it.  Good luck on the project.

[phenom_1819]

OK, check this out:  Late 90's MC Maristar trailer for $750 in Oklahoma:
http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/rvs/912405219.html

Plus... LOOK AT HIS NEW TRAILER!!!  

[tantrum]

I beleieve the Boatmate is actually from a Gekko Revo boat.  Cost me about $2500.  It doesnt have the V-bunks in the front, however the center bunks run a lot farther to the front of the trailer than the Ameritrail and the side rails are pushed outwards further. Still waiting to hear if they lowered my boat onto it yet and how far off things are.

[tantrum]

Lakeside...

Thanks, she looks a lot nicer in the water than in a parking lot  Skipper Buds told you right. The train was on its way, not right on top of me, but the railroad guy called it and stopped. We then let that one go through when things were clear and he again radioed ahead to stop all trains so we could get the flat beds in to haul her away. Everyone is fine, just hurt the traielr, as you saw, and couple little dings in the boat.

Yeah, Skipper Buds is going to do the reapir work, since at the moment i cant haul it anywhere and i was only a few miles away when this happend.  I just kind of happened to end up with the Boatmate. A friend of mine is good friends with the guys over at Kendor in Franklin and i guess they went and bought all of Gekkos remaining inventory when they shut down, so they have a bunch of Boatmate trailers. I will let you know how this goes and how or if it fits, then you could look at the Boatmates for an upgrade.

phenom...

thanks for the link, i will check it out.

[tantrum]

that double decker trailer is sick!!!

[cyclone]

.....And I was there, for the swap out.... of the mighty epic to the VLX trailer. What a tangled web we weave..... Cal, I'm trying to get out west for a ski trip, you goin this winter?

[cyclone]

Uhh, sorry for the thread hijack, memories.
Boatmate trailers are the shizz, I can't believe my 46 yo ass just said that. They are nice, oil bath bearings and I think the rails are boxed. Much nicer than the third world POS Afghanitrail that came with my Epics.

[tantrum]

No problem. Glad to hear that the Boatmate is the shizz  now to see if the X22 fits on it or not and how much screwing around it will be to get the trailer to work.

[phenom_1819]

Boatmate trailers are the shizz!  They do have oil-bath bearings and boxed frames... and torsion-bar suspension instead of leaf-springs.  The difference those three things do for simplicity-in-maintenance, rigidity and smoothness while boucing down crappy highways like I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass... Hopefully its an easy swap, but if not... it'll be worth whatever it costs to make the shoe fit the foot (err, trailer fit the Epic)!

Pete, yes... the memories!  Two of those trips are still among the most fun weekends to date -- the all-weekend long scuddle-session and the NW Epic Roundup.  We'll definitely have to get skiing this year.  I sent an email to you a while back... but sent it to the hiwatt address... I think that account may be inactive.  Drop me a note when you have a chance (first)(last)@hotmail.com and we'll figure something out.

[tantrum]

Got a call, the boat is on the trailer, but doesn't fit real well. Guess the center bunks do not meet the hull  Haven't seen how it fits yet, but if all I need to have is the center bunks raised I can get that done. I am going to pick up another trailer tomorrow to see of this one fits better, but not sure if that's a Boatmate.

From what you are all saying makes me want to stick with the Boatmate, especially since the leaf springs are what broke on the previous trailer and the roads here in WI aren't usually too smooth! Even if i have to make it fit, that shouldn't be too big of deal. My buddy who I am getting these trailers from said he would get that taken care of for me at little or no cost!

[skibeau]

Boatmate made this trailer for my '99 Epic 22.  Owen Shelton, VP Operations made a tandam axle 2002 Malibu Wakesetter VLX prepped for galvanizing.  Steve Carter of Custom Welding fitted the bunks to the boat, mounted the tongue winch and the cover loops.  Marshall Griffin of Industrial Galvanizers dipped it for me.  I put it back together this past May.  I think it is the best one made, but my opinion is obviously biased!  It was expensive because of the options I chose.

[phenom_1819]

It's not a big deal to raise the center bunks -- that's what I did with mine.  If I remember right, the largest adjustment I had to make was 1 1/4" -- use little squares of PVC sheets as spacers, and longer bolts to run through the bunks, and the spacers, to the mounts...  I had a shop do it for me, they charged like $550 which was a rip-off... but still a rip-off that was worth it. Good luck!