Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

[Arynden]

After much deliberation and great advice from this forum as well as others, we've decided this is the boat we're going to go for (Cobalt's promo was tempting, but the rule of faster servicing and repair if you bought your boat from your local dealer/servicer was the deciding factor).

The dealer got down to a ballpark price we felt was fairly reasonable for the boat, but was claiming that to buy the trailer we'd need to pay an additional 3K. I don't intend to do that. Considering he told us buying a Bimini Top would be around $900 and I found out I can buy the same top with the same dimensions, fabric, brand, and the boot for $300, I don't trust them to not try fleecing us on the trailer.

My first question is, for this type of boat, which of these types of trailers is best?
Bunk, Float-On, Roller, Keel, or Rib? Based on the docking point we'll be using I was thinking Float-On would be much better than a standard Bunk Trailer, but I really don't know the pros/cons of these types and what should be my deciding factors.

Secondly, for a boat of this size should we definitely be looking at a double axle trailer, and does the above type we choose affect which type of axle choices are available? For all the great discussion on boats, I'm woefully ignorant on information concerning trailers.

My third question is, where can I buy a good trailer like this for a discounted or reasonable price? Any trailer dealerships with a good reputation and a large selection would be helpful. I've decided to give up on the boat dealership, and would gladly get a used trailer that is in good condition.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

Trailer type either bunk or roller. With either one you'd want to find one that will match the weight and size of the boat. If the boat weighs 2000lbs then a 3000lb capacity trailer wouldn't be out of the question but you wouldn't want one that has a 2000lb capacity.

As for the bunks or rollers, 4 bunks are better than 2 and with a roller trailer you want one with the most rollers you can find. Most roller trailers have just 4 wobble rollers per bunk, some have 6 per bunk and some even have 8 per bunk on the end of the trailer. Again more is better!

My opinion is that which type of trailer to use is best decided by what type of ramps you will use. If mostly deep water ramps then bunks work very well. If very shallow/flat ramps then rollers work better. Bunks are cheaper and easily replaced when worn out yet I have a 15 year old roller trailer that still has all the original wobble rollers on it and they are still in great shape.

A good idea would be to go to Shoreland'r web page and use the app to find a trailer to match the boat then look at the different models they offer for that range, they offer both bunk and roller styles, and then start looking for a used one. Craigslist comes to mind to look for used.

 

[gtochris]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

Where in the country are you located? How much will you be towing? is this mostly for storage purposes or long hauls? All these factors are important as: if this is for storage purposes then nearly anything with wheels will do.

Chaps are heavy boats so I'd say 2 axles with brakes, bunks or rollers- your choice, but definately get enough capacity if you are going over the road.
I shopped around- check out the various trailer web pages and do google searches, I ended up with a 5 star which I think is a division of Loadrite? My single axle 3,100lb capacity galvanized trailer with bunks and disc brakes cost $1,800 brand new.
I would think you should be able to get out the door for $2,500.00

 

[jkust]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

Depending on what brand and type of trailer that $3000 would buy, it could have been a deal. I had a trailer incident last season on the road and my trailer was damaged while towing my Chaparral. The full Shorelandr roller trailer equivalent to my Shorelandr, single axle, heavy load, 2004 trailer was about $3400. I have and prefer rollers due to the massively different ramp conditions at all the lakes I go to. Add to that that Chaparrals are crazy heavy, and the rollers really come in handy even with my many years of experience. I actually have two tiny little bunks toward the front and the rest is rollers. I didn't pull the trigger on the new trailer yet. Oddly enough, trailers have transitioned from white to now black as the standard. White is special order but dealers only made 2 orders a year it seemed.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

My 2 cents . . .

Most, if not all trailers are made from the same basic components. So, any of the more prevailent brands should be decent.

I would look for the following things . .

Disc brake (surge type) - simple, yet effective braking system
Bunks - better support for the boat and most versatile for V-hulls
Torsion axles - simple, yet effective . . . less hardware than leaf springs
Aluminum or Galvanized. . . easier maintenance than 'painted'.

Look for trailers in your area . . . $3k may not be so bad. See if the dealer will go $3500 more for trailer and bimini.

Road King has a plant in North Carolina (IIRC you live near there), if you want to look at that brand . . . may save a bit on transportation cost.

I got me a 5-Starr, which is a no-name version of the Load-Rite trailers.

I always associated bunk trailers as being 'float-on', so I'm not sure what the differences would be. You could winch on a boat to a roller trailer, but you pretty much have to get the boat 90% on with a bunk trailer and maybe you can winch it up the rest of the way.

 

[jkust]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

My 2 cents . . .

Most, if not all trailers are made from the same basic components. So, any of the more prevailent brands should be decent.

I would look for the following things . .

Disc brake (surge type) - simple, yet effective braking system
Bunks - better support for the boat and most versatile for V-hulls
Torsion axles - simple, yet effective . . . less hardware than leaf springs
Aluminum or Galvanized. . . easier maintenance than 'painted'.

Look for trailers in your area . . . $3k may not be so bad. See if the dealer will go $3500 more for trailer and bimini.

Road King has a plant in North Carolina (IIRC you live near there), if you want to look at that brand . . . may save a bit on transportation cost.

I got me a 5-Starr, which is a no-name version of the Load-Rite trailers.

Aside from the legalities and brake requirements in some states, is it even possible to buy a new or even few year old trailer this big without some form of breaks? Also I agree on not getting painted. My trailer is 9 years old and has only spent a couple weeks a year outside when vacationing then always in a garage yet it has spotty rusty spots showing through the paint. Mostly at the welds and any drain holes. I've had to go around and spot touch with rust inhibitor. I'd much prefer non painted. As a matter of fact that is the reason dealers gave for transitioning trailers to black from white paint...to hide less of the rust over time.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

here is a link from Craigslist. Boat & trailer dealers will tend to advertise there.

+++ BOAT TRAILERS DIRECT ++ CUSTOM MADE ALUMINUM BOAT TRAILERS +=+

EDIT:

here is another one . . .

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2013-Load-Rite-5S-AC23T5200102LTB1-99859645

 

[Arynden]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

Thank you for all the great advice everyone. I'm still not entirely sure about getting a bunk instead of a float-on or roller because I'm not sure about the ease of being able to winch it up since the boat's pretty heavy. If I can get a satisfactory price on one I'll buy the roller. Even if the 3K offer was a good deal, I didn't need anything as fancy as what the dealer was trying to sell. I just want something that can do the job well. Due to all the advice I'm going to go for a double axle, and the information on getting galvanized or aluminum is excellent, because that kind of detail isn't something I would have even considered.

The dry weight of the boat is about 3400 lbs. and while we won't be needing to drive it far unless we're putting it into storage or not for the off-season, I've been convinced that the double axle is a better investment. Also a big thanks for the links provided, I saw some great deals on tpenfield's post, and I'll look into the cost for brands the rest of you mentioned.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

Aluminum, disc brakes on both axles and oil bath hubs (a personal preference) and it'll probably cost you $3k no matter where you buy it. A friend of ours bought an aluminum trailer for his 25 footer a couple of years ago and I think it was around $3,500. That was the cheapest he could find. As I said in the other thread, don't cheap out on a trailer.

If you don't trust them with buying a trailer then you surely shouldn't trust them buying a boat. Work BOTH into the deal; if the numbers don't work for you then walk. Simple as that.

BTW, there is a WIDE variety on quality and pricing on bimini tops as well. Again, if you don't trust your dealer then I'd look elsewhere.

 

[jkust]

Re: Type of Trailer for Chaparral 206 SSi and Where To Buy

Thank you for all the great advice everyone. I'm still not entirely sure about getting a bunk instead of a float-on or roller because I'm not sure about the ease of being able to winch it up since the boat's pretty heavy.

Roller versus bunk is like ford versus chevy except for the ford (roller) is a 2013 and the chevy (bunk) is a 1986. Rollers make the least fun part of boating, loading and retrieving, easier when the conditions are not optimal. To me it turns every ramp into an easy ramp no matter how aweful it is. Very few of the ramps I go to are optimal and most are downright challenging when I spy the bunk users struggling and powerloading. Both technologies have up sides and down sides but the up sides outweigh the downsides with a roller...especially when new. I could load and unload my 3000lb dry weight Chap on the front yard with my roller trailer and yank it right back on presuming the bow eye holds which may be a bit of a stretch. That translates well into practical usage. Lots of regions don't have thousands and thousands of lakes and differing ramp conditions as here in MN and so you'd just never need the advantages of rollers.