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While setting up my trailer on the new to me boat I discovered it floats. Makes launching in shallow water easy as I dont have to worry about dropping the axles off the end of the ramp but sinking it for loading is a problem. I am guessing it is because the trailer has no brakes which I will remedy soon enough.
The tires can be pretty bouyant, can't they! A couple of the 6 wheel trailers I see at the local ramp have dive weights strapped to the rear crossmember of the trailer
Is the frame boxed in on the trailer? If so does it have a way to let water in and out? If not drill some small holes in the frame(do not do this near stress point). This will help with weight when launching but will lighten up once it is out of the water for ease of towing.
I had the same problem and the drilling cured the problem and got rid of the saltwater that would stay in the box frame. It was a chore in in a high fast flowing tidal sound that would float the trailer at a right angle before you could gert the boat lined up on the center roller.
__________________ Living in South Carolina, fishing any place. "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf". G. Orwell
I don't know far you trailer your boat. But I work in construction. I run a front end loader and when I tried to pick up something really heavy the machine would tip onto it's nose. Simple fix. Took the machine to a tire shop and had then put calcium in the tires. They fill the tires 1/2 way then blow the tires up with air.
I don't know far you trailer your boat. But I work in construction. I run a front end loader and when I tried to pick up something really heavy the machine would tip onto it's nose. Simple fix. Took the machine to a tire shop and had then put calcium in the tires. They fill the tires 1/2 way then blow the tires up with air.
That can't be good for the inside of a tire that is rotating a thousand miles a hour pounding on the hot pavement.......on a front end loader, sure, but not a tire that goes up and down the highway.
Assuming it is I beam aluminium find a boat lift contractor/dealer. They have cast lead weights that they can bolt to the bunks of aluminum lifts for the same reason. Don't know how heavy they are, but one on each side of the bunks should do the trick. If it's not I beam, drilling should work, although I don't know how I'd feel about salt water sitting inside my aluminum tubes, cause it will never all drain out.
I don't know far you trailer your boat. But I work in construction. I run a front end loader and when I tried to pick up something really heavy the machine would tip onto it's nose. Simple fix. Took the machine to a tire shop and had then put calcium in the tires. They fill the tires 1/2 way then blow the tires up with air.
That can't be good for the inside of a tire that is rotating a thousand miles a hour pounding on the hot pavement.......on a front end loader, sure, but not a tire that goes up and down the highway.
The calcium I'm talking about is not a solid. It is a liquid. So when you are driving down the hyway the liquid will run evenly around the inside of the tire. So when you stop it all goes to the bottom of the tire.
Calcium is for low speed tires needing weight. Above 40 mph in a passenger vehicle it will shake the front
end to pieces. Works great in backhoes, agri tractors ect, the calcium in the water acts as an antifreeze.
I am wondering why would someone pay extra for a lighter weight aluminum trailer only to have to weight
it down with a disimilar metal thats also expensive?
I've had three aluminum trailers, and two were tri-axles which floated. Of course they were all made by the same company, Fastload out of Plant City, FL, so it stands to reason. Rocky uses large bunks which "help" the situation I'm sure.
I used a couple of vinyl coated mushroom anchors I could hook on the back of the trailer which did the trick whenever I had to load the boat in a current. Otherwise, it was no big deal as the trailer just floated up on one side at an angle. It laid down the minute the bow hit the first roller.
I lived in Venice back in the late 80's myself. Do you use the public ramp near the yacht club on the island?
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My trailer floats. 
You drive fast! 
