Buying a 2002 228 without trailer- Need trailer advise

[Thor's Outlaw]

Hello all,

I'm in negotiations with a seller for his 2002 228 Seafarer. I will need a trailer and the seller does not have one. My math tells me i need a 6000# trailer w/brakes but I cannot figure out how long the trailer should be. Im on long Island and roller trailers seem more popular than bunk trailers, Ive always had rollers but any advantage from one to another? Might as well weigh all the pros and cons before I purchase one.


Thank you

 

[PointedRose]

You will want dual axle. Generally GWs use bunks rather than rollers. You don’t want your 6k lb rig rolling off at the ramp. Lots of 228 owners that could give you specs here but you want to get your tongue weight right and balanced with the axles positioning. Are you looking used or new? Do you have an adequate tow vehicle?

 

[Thor's Outlaw]

You will want dual axle. Generally GWs use bunks rather than rollers. You don’t want your 6k lb rig rolling off at the ramp. Lots of 228 owners that could give you specs here but you want to get your tongue weight right and balanced with the axles positioning. Are you looking used or new? Do you have an adequate tow vehicle?

Thank you- Looking at both new and used. Tow vehicle is my Hemi Ram 4x4.

 

[Coastboater]

Most adjustable trailer manufacturers will fit a 2-3’ range of hull length. Ex. - 20-23’ and so on. Other non-adjustable trailer manufacturers will build for a specific hull and weld brackets.
Once you determine proper length make sure it has proper weight capacity. Common axle rating is 3500 lbs X 2 total 7000 lbs subtract the trailer weight, usually 800-900 lbs gives you roughly a 6,000 lb carrying capacity.
Other options are type of axle (torsion preferred) type of axle hubs, brake selection, SS hardware, led lighting, bunk materials and configuration, wheels, etc.
If you get an adjustable trailer, plan on tweaking it a bit to get more bunk/hull contact and moving bunks a bit to help center the boat.

 

[seasick]

To a certain extent, the launch ramp dictates what style of trailer, roller or bunk. On steeper ramps, a bunk can make launching and retrieving easier. For less steep ramps, rollers are helpful since the boat can be winched forward a lot easier and also the boat can be driven up onto the rollers easier. There are disadvantages to both but bunks are less costly and simpler to maintain as long as you have decent ramp slope.
Salt water or fresh makes a difference also. Aluminum frames don't rust (as much). Stainless steel hardware including disk brake rotors will help things last longer. There are lots of little things but they are not as critical.
Buying a used trailer that is steel (galvanized only for salt or brackish waters) can be tricky and risky since trailer axels and box frames tend to rust from the inside out. On aluminum frames, that is not an issue.
Sizing a trailer is not too bad if you know two pieces of information: The total load, boat, gas, water, gear, etc and the bow eye to transom length of the boat. That is the measurement from where the winch bumper hits the front edge of the keel (at the bow eye) to the transom. Boats with engine brackets may need to add some length to that length o size the trailer. The trailer manufacturers will usually list the bow eye to transom length and or range.
I fing that trailers can be tuned by about two feet. Remember that in most cases some of the hull will be hanging back past the end of the bunks/rollers.
For your boat sizing , figure that a steel trailer will weigh about 1200 pounds.

 

[luckydude]

Hello all,

I'm in negotiations with a seller for his 2002 228 Seafarer. I will need a trailer and the seller does not have one. My math tells me i need a 6000# trailer w/brakes but I cannot figure out how long the trailer should be. Im on long Island and roller trailers seem more popular than bunk trailers, Ive always had rollers but any advantage from one to another? Might as well weigh all the pros and cons before I purchase one.


Thank you

6K is too light, you want dual 3500 pound axles. Like others have said, just say no to rollers, you want bunks and I highly recommend guide on bunks as well. Once I got the guide ons I never hand line the boat onto the trailer, I just drive it on. Rollers just seem like they are waiting for you to take off the strap too early and watch your expensive toy hit the pavement. I have felt covered bunks and I undo the strap after the engine is over the water, not before. I can't imagine dealing with rollers, sounds awful to me.

I live in the Santa Cruz mountains so I replaced my surge braking system with electric over hydraulic and absolutely love it. If you are on the flats then surge should be fine.

My trailer was made by Pacific trailer and they know how to place a 228 on a trailer. Let me know if you need dimensions but I suspect you want to get one that was built for a 228.

 

[Coastboater]

Here’s a trailer I had built for a 225 by a local company, Charleston Trailer. This is after they set it up for the boat. Notice the main bunks are “pigeon towed”, closer in the front than the rear. This was to fit the SV2 hull best. It had torsion axles with Vortex hubs and Kodiak surge brakes. Once adjusted, it launched and retrieved smoothly, centering up every time.
Around here, aluminum trailers are necessary. A steel trailer you can hear rusting after a few uses but they’re fine for freshwater.

 

[DennisG01]

The length measurement you want is from the bow eye to the back of the transom where the hull stops - typically where the garboard drain plug is. Measure that straight line distance.

Weight... take the dry weight of your boat (on GW's site) and then add the engine, batteries, gas, options, regulary toted gear, etc. I suspect a trailer with a 6,000lb carrying capacity will be just fine.

Bunks and rollers are a personal preference, although as noted above, if you regularly can't get your boat in far enough then go with a roller. I've owned (and currently own) plenty of both... and have had experience with with probably a few hundred through my business. They are both perfectly fine as far as the boat's hull is concerned (but don't go with a cheapie roller trailer with minimal rollers). A bunk trailer will, however, help to center the hull out a little better than a roller trailer.

A boat will never roll off the trailer by itself since you will never unhook the strap nor the safety chain before the boat is at least part way in the water.

My personal preference? A bunk trailer with plastic skids instead of carpet.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I've personally owned 3 boats before and have been around dozens of other boats in my 30 or so years of boating, of which I currently own a 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer as well as a 2009 aluminum I beam bunk trailer. During those 30 years, I've owned and/or used both roller as well as bunk trailers and I personally prefer bunks as well as an aluminum trailer. The reasons are many but to name a few... the aluminum isn't going to rust like a galvanized steel trailer will and it'll be lighter as well as easier to tow. Bunks are also easier and cheaper to replace as opposed to having to purchase each individual roller when the time comes around to replace them. Bunks will also if setup correctly distribute the weight a bit more evenly as well, compared to rollers that have a lot of weight sitting on a small roller and can leave indentations in your hull. I personally think that bunks are easier to launch and retrieve, and as others have mentioned you typically don't have the worry of the boat rolling off the trailer on a bunk trailer.

My previous boats were two 21' Arima's and one of the guys on the Arima owners forum actually bought a brand new roller trailer, of which the boat rolled off the trailer at the ramp, landing on the concrete. He did undo the safety chain prior to the boat being in the water, but contrary to what has been said, winches can break or slip as well as the safety chains, they can rust, corrode and so forth. I'd rather just not have the concern of having a roller trailer, especially if you've got the choice and you can avoid it. Lastly, with regards to the weight... listen to what luckydude, myself and those that have actually have/had 228 Seafarer's say as opposed to others who haven't and are talking about dry weights as well as just guessing on numbers. Get 3,500 lb axles and nothing less than that as 6k lbs isn't likely going to be enough considering that my boat alone was 5,300 lbs on the scale. And that was with only a half a tank of fuel, no water, minimal gear of two downriggers and two fishing poles, next to no other gear or bait or food/beverages etc. If you have a full tank of fuel and your boat has an auxiliary fuel tank that is full or partially filled, along with a good deal of gear, a bait tank, water tank full, food, ice, etc... then you're going to be well over that 6k lb rating. Definitely not worth the potential risk just to save a few bucks and very much one of those situations where a bit of overkill is a good thing.

 

[luckydude]

What Mustang said. We have 228s, you want 3500 pound axles. I've never used a roller trailer so I can't really justify my distaste for them but it just seems to make sense to have a trailer that is grippy on your boat. Our ramps here on the west coast can be steep, way more steep than I'd want rollers on. Quite frankly, I can't imagine a ramp where I'd want rollers. Maybe if you had some huge boat that doesn't want to come off the trailer but if you have that, you just put the trailer deeper in the water.

So this is off topic, but when are rollers a win? Dennis said "if you can't get it in far enough", I don't get that. Maybe he will explain or maybe we have beat this topic to death

Also note that what Dennis said is a "trailer with 6000 pound carrying weight" and he is right but that is a 7-7.5K GVWR trailer which is what we have all said. Dual 3500 pound axles.

 

[PointedRose]

So this is off topic, but when are rollers a win? Dennis said "if you can't get it in far enough", I don't get that.

if the ramp doesn’t have great slope, then rollers help. Also easier to paint the boat yourself (can move the boat slightly on the trailer)

 

[DennisG01]

So this is off topic, but when are rollers a win? Dennis said "if you can't get it in far enough", I don't get that. Maybe he will explain or maybe we have beat this topic to death

Not all ramps go far enough into the water. Some concrete ramps stop and have a large drop off - and you better not drop the trailer wheels off the edge because you'll have a bear of a time getting the EMPTY trailer back up over the hump... let alone if you had the boat on there. And, some ramps (or, more appropriately, gravel/sand/etc) are so gradual that they don't get deep enough quickly enough to float your boat on/off... at least not without dunking your truck, as well... but by then you're in the mud and you get stuck.

I don't mean this in a negative way AT ALL, Lucky, but... it sounds like you're "lucky" enough to have well designed and maintained ramps that you're used to... it ain't like that everywhere!

 

[luckydude]

Not all ramps go far enough into the water. Some concrete ramps stop and have a large drop off - and you better not drop the trailer wheels off the edge because you'll have a bear of a time getting the EMPTY trailer back up over the hump... let alone if you had the boat on there. And, some ramps (or, more appropriately, gravel/sand/etc) are so gradual that they don't get deep enough quickly enough to float your boat on/off... at least not without dunking your truck, as well... but by then you're in the mud and you get stuck.

I don't mean this in a negative way AT ALL, Lucky, but... it sounds like you're "lucky" enough to have well designed and maintained ramps that you're used to... it ain't like that everywhere!

I'm getting educated, it's all good. Yeah, we have good ramps in Northern California for the most part. Not like what I saw when I was thinking about moving to New Zealand, there are some good ramps but they like aluminum boats for a reason: beach launches.

So I guess, given the luxury of decent ramps, I want bunks. But now I know why you might want rollers. Thanks.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I've honestly never had a issue with bunk trailers with regards to the steepness of the ramp to make for any problems, and if you honestly did then there are a couple of different options for as to how to remedy that. First, plan accordingly and launch when it's high tide, not low tide and you shouldn't have an issue with the steepness of the ramp being too gradual. Second, you could always try another ramp depending on where you're located. I know that around here there's generally another ramp every 5-10-20 miles or so away. On Whidbey Island where I've got my beach cabin, I can think of at least 4-5 boat ramps on the south end of the island that are all located within a 10-15 minute drive or so away. Of which I'd think taking the extra drive on land to a different launch as opposed to potentially getting your boat stuck or have an issue with another ramp would be the smarter approach. Comparatively on the mainland, there's one in Edmonds, Mukilteo, Everett, Marysville and so forth... all of which are located oh probably less than 20 miles apart from one another. I guess long story short, plan according to the tides and conditions, of which if you do then you shouldn't have any issues. If you do for some reason have an issue, then perhaps try an alternative ramp, though in my 30 years or more of boating I can't say I've ever had to use another launch when it was high tide. If you are launching at high tide, are still struggling to do so, you need to try multiple ramps and are still getting stuck or having issues... then I'm not sure any advice would help you out in that situation.

 

[glacierbaze]

High or low tide has no effect on the steepness of a ramp, only on the length, before you drop off the end.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I can't imagine that many, if hardly any ramps at all would give the competent boater any issues while launching at high tide. If they did, I'd say there's either something massively wrong with the design of the ramp and/or the boater themselves, of which at that point maybe they should try a different hobby besides boating?

 

[Salmon_Slayer]

I purchased a new to me 228 and put a brand new trailer under it to transport it from FL to OR. Its been great! I went with a 7K trailer and I think that's the minimum I would go. Ive upgraded the tires to goodyear endurance D1 load rating and its great. I went with surge brakes, but I tow with a 6spd cummins with an exhaust brake

I bought my trailer in Ft. Myers direct from a manufacturer: Bluefin trailers (239) 265-1515 they set up the trailer perfectly and it was a great deal!

 

[BRO-CAL]

I have this exact trailer for my 2007 228 and it has been flawless. Came with hydraulic disc brakes on front axle. https://www.loadrite.com/spec-sheet-generation/?sheet_id=2854&sheet_model=5S-AC25T6300102LTB1 Trailer was built in 2018.

 

[luckydude]

I have this exact trailer for my 2007 228 and it has been flawless. Came with hydraulic disc brakes on front axle. https://www.loadrite.com/spec-sheet-generation/?sheet_id=2854&sheet_model=5S-AC25T6300102LTB1 Trailer was built in 2018.

My Pacific trailer came with disc brakes on both axles and where I am, you absolutely want that. I go from 1300 feet above sea level to 1800 feet to sea level. I dumped the surge for electric over hydraulic and could not be happier with the result.

The other upgrade that you might consider on the west coast, is guide on bunks. Those have been a game changer for me, no more hand lining the boat on, I drive it on like a boss

 

[Mustang65fbk]

My trailer I believe has the surge brakes up front and with disc brakes only on one of the axles, but I drove the boat across country from Deale, MD to just north of Seattle where I live for a total of 3,009 miles. During that time, I went through multiple different elevation changes of anything from being at sea level to a place called Homestake Pass in Montana, which has an elevation of 6,329 ft and is on I-90. The boat and trailer never had any issues throughout the trek, though if you have the option of building or speccing out a trailer, I'd err on the side of caution and go a little bit bigger if you can. One of those areas where it definitely doesn't seem to hurt with being a bit overkill.