Opinions wanted: Trade Trailer?

[64osby]

I have a 1964 Crosby Fish & Ski 17' Fg boat. It sits on a Gator Trailer, Bunks w/ 4 keel rollers.

I acquired a 12 roller EZ-Loader, rollers - 2 racks of 4 at the back, 4 in one row at mid boat, same size overall length as the Gator, same weight capacity.

Both trailers have great tires, lights work, equal on paint, springs bearings ... all check out.

The Gator came with the boat, same vintage, It has a few mods so the keel doesn't get torn up, I have never used the tilt.

The EZ Loader was a great buy and I fit a few new rollers to it.

I look at the EZ Loader, wider axle, lower boat height, newer trailer. I would not have to put my bumper in the water to launch the boat.

Questions are:
Are Roller trailers good for FG boats, will only having 12 rollers damage the hull?

Are EZ-Loaders good trailers, in general terms? I know it's only as good as it's upkeep.

If I sell - Vintage boat w/ vintage trailer (Gator) Is this worth more?

I've never used a roller trailer, Launch / Load issues? I can launch / load my gator in under 5 minutes easy.


I know there is a whole lot of discussion related to bunk / roller trailers here, so give me some opinions.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Opinions wanted: Trade Trailer?

A highly collectable boat (Chris Craft, Lyman, Penn Yan, early SeaRay) will command a higher price with the original trailer. A Crosby is not particularly collectable, per se', so the trailer will have no bearing unless the purchaser is a Crosby officianado.

EZ Laoders made some of the best trailers around, and probably influenced a lot of builders to go the all roller route. However, the early ones, IMHO, didn't have enough rollers to properly support some hulls. You didn't say what year or the weight of the boat. A good rule of thumb is that no single roller should carry more than about 100 lbs, so you do the math.

I owned a Gator of the same vintage as yours and used it for 24 years. The configuration works fine. If it were me I'd just keep the Gator and put new rollers and carpet on it. (assuming its not rusted thru and unsafe).

If you have to back the bumper in the water, the EZ won't help you, since you are backing in too far anyway. Put a stronger rope on your winch and use it as intended. You should barely need to wet the axle.

 

[64osby]

Re: Opinions wanted: Trade Trailer?

The Gator is a bunk trailer w/ keel rollers, I have it set with most of the weight on resting on the bunks. When I had it set the other way the rollers would tear up the keel. The comment of putting the bumper in the water relates to offloading. The boat does not slide off the bunks. I need to get a little float in order to push it off. Loading is not an issue. I tow with a 92 Chevy Caprice Wagon low bumper height. The usual ramp we go to is not steep.

1964 Crosby Fish n Ski hull 550 lbs, 1976 Merc 500 est 250lbs, gas and gear, 1000 - 1100 lbs.

With the roller trailer I would not have to go as deep to get the boat off.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Opinions wanted: Trade Trailer?

I don't think the trailer brand or year will make any difference in this case. If it were a Crosby trailer, then yes it probably would be better to keep the original.

Roller trailers, if set properly will launch easier than bunks--(Oh, here it comes, everybody will chime in with an opinion)--so you must keep the winch or at least the safety chain attached otherwise you may launch on concrete. (there are easy slip compounds you can add to your bunks, either to add to the carpet, or to replace the carpet)

My 21 foot cuddy sits on a roller trailer that originally had 18 rollers. I added three more to the keel for a total of 21. With a little work and/or imagination, you always have the option of adding more rollers. I back up into the water, remove the safety, back a bit more and slap on the brakes and she comes off with no fuss. My only problem is that my boat NEVER goes on the trailer straight. However, it is the hull, not the trailer, since I had another hull on that trailer that always went on correctly.

I say, try the roller trailer and decide which one you like best, then keep the boat on that one.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Opinions wanted: Trade Trailer?

If the rollers tear up the keel you have a serious structural problem with the boat. If you mean they put black marks on the hull, replace them with Stoltz poly rollers and the boat will roll off like greased lighnin.

I had a Gator just like you have, so I'm quite familiar with it. The tilt function works quite well too. On mine I put a safety chain on the tilt arm so it would only tilt part way.

As I said before, collectability isn't an issue so the choice is yours. 12 rollers and 1100 pounds is a good balance. When the boat is loaded be sure that each roller can be turned by hand. If not adjust the arms as required.

 

[64osby]

Re: Opinions wanted: Trade Trailer?

I've read on the SHT forum about rollers and keeping the boat hooked up.

Would it be a good idea to add keel rollers to the EZ Loader? It does not have any.

On the Gator - Maybe it's time for the Gold 70's shag carpet to get replaced, see pic. :redface:

The front roller used to dig into the keel. Was like that when I got it. Every other year I had to do a little repair to the area where the roller supported the boat. I finally got tired of that and made a new front roller, See pic 2, It has 3 -5" hard rubber wheels in the center and 3 soft rubber wheels on each side. I also moved the old front roller next to the middle roller, pic 3. I have not had an issue since.

My tilt function is shot and needs to be rebuilt, I have it pinned and chained so it won't tilt. Pic 4. Fixing that is a project for another day!!!!

 

[JimS123]

Re: Opinions wanted: Trade Trailer?

There are very well documented written procedures on how to operate with a roller trailer. If a boat falls off it's cause the operator didn't follow the rules.

The EZ doesn't need keel rollers. At worst, put a rubber pad on the aft crossmember so the keel doesn't hit it if you are on a shallow ramp.

If it were me I'd just pick the trailer that was in the best condition overall. The Gator looks OK by the pictures, but looks can be deceiving. I didn't see the EZ.

If it were mine, I'd keep the Gator, replace the rollers with poly, replace the carpet, and add glide slicks to the bunks.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Opinions wanted: Trade Trailer?

rollers are great-not only do you keep your bumper dry, you keep your feet dry, too.
Put a little more weight on the keel rollers and less on the bunks. Slick the bunks.You can push the boat off (since you're standing on dry land).