Trailer options for a GW 228 Seafarer

[Mustang65fbk]

Good afternoon. I’ve got a potential lead on purchasing a late 1990’s GW 228 Seafarer that doesn’t come with a trailer.... what does everyone recommend? Like like aluminum, most likely an I beam and with bunks. I saw another thread on here about previous members going with a Loadmaster brand 2224. Are those pretty good trailers? I found one brand new for around $4300, which I don’t mind spending that amount of money on. I’ve also heard of Load Rite or EZ Loader as well but believe those are more money? Would like a new trailer that’s a decent quality without breaking the bank. Hopefully everything goes through the the purchase of the boat and will keep everyone informed. I talked to a local GW dealer here in Edmonds called Jacobsen’s and they quoted me at $7,100 for an EZ Loader with bunks or $8,300 with rollers. And those have a 90 day lead time. That’s almost double what the Loadmaster costs and frankly money I’d rather spend on electronics, downriggers or a kicker motor. Thanks again!

 

[PointedRose]

Likely would want a dual axle trailer. Bunks should be fine if overall length of the trailer is long enough. There’s a lot of other threads on trailers here to check out. Trailer maintenance is often forgotten as I have learned the hard way. That said you will find them pop up on Craigslist every once in a while. Less than $1k are usually crap and can go up to $4-5k used - to your point, then you can just go new. Pacific is another brand. Shop around, they’re all probably a bit delayed. Ask around the marina - maybe you can just rent one from someone with a similar boat when you need it periodically if you get a berth at a marina. What part of the country are you in?

kicker motor you should be able to find a decent option used for $500-1000

 

[TommyGirl225]

Where are you located? There are ma and pa shop options I’m sure. It’s all about the main components being used not the trailer brand necessarily. I used a local shop in South Carolina that sourced a custom new Fastload trailer from Florida within 7 days for my quick purchase of a 225 Freedom that is likely the same trailer you would need. It has dual axel, 7000 lbs capacity and brakes on each axel. The axels are from Dexter and I understand that’s a good manufacturer. Asked for a spare tire and safety chain since those were not standard. Overall without tax it was $5730.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

I am about to take delivery of a custom Owens and Sons Trailer from St. Pete Florida . I live in Western NC. The base price was $4990 with aluminum welded construction ,tandem axles with stainless Kodiak brakes on one axle . I upgraded to both axles with stainless brakes , ( that's a must, both axles and stainless using Kodiak or Deesmax ), LED lighting, 15 inch aluminum wheels with Load Range E 10 ply Goodyear Endurance tires and spare and it's just over $6K. Don't trust me, Trust Parthery who has purchased 5 Owens trailers.

go for bunks over rollers as they offer better support. KY Grady has a good looking Loadmaster which is a good trailer as well.

A note on brakes , UFP and Tie Down brakes are junk. They will get hung up and if they get hung up in the closed position they will drag on the rotors and cause excess heat to the hubs ,grease and lead to bearing failure . Bearing failure will strand you. Ask me how I know about the beauty of UFP and Tie Down crap.

 

[Ky Grady]

Very happy with my Loadmaster for my 228. It does have brakes on both axles, stainless steel components, Kodiak brakes, Vortex hubs, LED lights, dual spares with spindles. Been pulling it for the past 4 years from Kentucky to Lake Erie in Ohio, Santee in South Carolina, and the gulf coast of Florida without any issues. Leaving in about 3 weeks for the Keys and trailering down. I did upgrade to the Goodyear Endurance tires which was a great upgrade. Highly recommend the Goodyear's.

 

[efx]

Continental is a good value. I’ve had good luck with them. This one just went from Jacksonville to Reno to LA.

 

[wrxhoon]

You want a 7000 lb trailer, I beam aluminum, preferably 6" I beams. Torsion V axles and crossmembers, the more the better ( stronger). Full Stainless steel brakes ( Kodiak or Deemax ) on both axles and electric over hydraulic actuator . Length has to be right for the boat, longer draw bar is better for towing and launching. Aluminum bunks with Slides, I have these : http://www.surfixinc.com/surfix_trailer_bunkslides.html , they work almost like rollers. Target bunks with slides, sealed LED lights with cables that go all the way to the coupling without any joins. All fasteners should be marine grade S/S and some joining paste like Duralac used . Bearings should be made in USA or Japan, not china, Bearing Buddies ( genuine BB brand not copies) seals should run on S/S sleeves . A trailer this size should have 15" rims with 205x70x15 8 ply radial tyres , not the crap trailer tyres that a lot of builders use
Anyone that will build a trailer with the above will be long lasting with little maintenance. Not a budget trailer but cheaper than a budget one in the long run.
My trailer is built like that and she is 10 years old now, boat always on the trailer and she goes every where in salt water, still on the same bearings, same brakes ( new pads, rotors a bit warn now, will have to change them next pad change).

 

[Parthery]

As others have said, a 22-24 7K GVW will have around 5900 lbs of capacity. That’s what you need.

Trailers are inherently more expensive out west and it sounds like you are there. Florida and the SE is the cheapest place to find one.

Unless you want to have one built and shipped out, I’d find one with the following:

- 5.5” I beam - minimum. 6.5” is heavier and sturdier if you can get it.
- Torsion axles
- All SS hardware
- LED lights
- 2 speed winch
- Kodiak or Deemaxx brakes. Stay away from UFP, Tie Down, Dexter or Knott
- Radial Tires. As others have said, Goodyear Endurance are the gold standard.
-I’d add a spare and bracket, as well.

Good luck on the purchase.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Hello and thanks for the replies. Yes I do live in the Seattle area and it’s quite ridiculous the cost of boats, cars, trailers and just about everything else out here compared to other parts of the country. I’ll have to look into the above suggestions more and it sounds as though brakes should be installed on both axles? An electric winch and spare tire also sound like a great idea. I’m 35 years old and rather strong so it wasn’t hard to winch in my previous boat which as a 21’ Arima. But this boat is likely double the weight, or even slightly more. Thanks again for the replies.

 

[PointedRose]

Hello and thanks for the replies. Yes I do live in the Seattle area and it’s quite ridiculous the cost of boats, cars, trailers and just about everything else out here compared to other parts of the country. I’ll have to look into the above suggestions more and it sounds as though brakes should be installed on both axles? An electric winch and spare tire also sound like a great idea. I’m 35 years old and rather strong so it wasn’t hard to winch in my previous boat which as a 21’ Arima. But this boat is likely double the weight, or even slightly more. Thanks again for the replies.

Brakes on one axle should be fine if you aren’t hauling long distance.

 

[Parthery]

Brakes should follow the laws of the state. In many states here in the East, trailers over 3K GVW are required to have brakes on both axles.

Not sure why you need an electric winch. The 2 speed winch is a hand crank, but with a lower gear to make it easier to crank up.

 

[TommyGirl225]

I personally need to look at a two speed winch. The one I posted above is hard to get the boat that last few inches. Definitely no need for electric, agree with that statement.

I live in Texas and regulation is for just one Axel to have brakes for this size of trailer. After speaking with someone with a similar size boat that just added brakes to the other axel, I was convinced that is a must for this heavy rig. I tow with a Dodge Durango and barely feel the boat while braking with both axels having brakes.

 

[Ky Grady]

I pull with a F350 dually and I like having brakes on both axles, less pressure against the truck brakes to slow it down or emergency brake.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Brakes on both axles for the 228 is highly recommended. I wouldn't tow without both axles with brakes even to a nearby ramp.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Very happy with my Loadmaster for my 228. It does have brakes on both axles, stainless steel components, Kodiak brakes, Vortex hubs, LED lights, dual spares with spindles. Been pulling it for the past 4 years from Kentucky to Lake Erie in Ohio, Santee in South Carolina, and the gulf coast of Florida without any issues. Leaving in about 3 weeks for the Keys and trailering down. I did upgrade to the Goodyear Endurance tires which was a great upgrade. Highly recommend the Goodyear's.

View attachment 19942

Nice looking trailer. Do you remember how much extra it was for the upgrades on your trailer vs stock and what the total price was? It would be nice to keep it around $5k or less, especially if that could be done after tax. Thanks again for all of the replies.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Likely would want a dual axle trailer. Bunks should be fine if overall length of the trailer is long enough. There’s a lot of other threads on trailers here to check out. Trailer maintenance is often forgotten as I have learned the hard way. That said you will find them pop up on Craigslist every once in a while. Less than $1k are usually crap and can go up to $4-5k used - to your point, then you can just go new. Pacific is another brand. Shop around, they’re all probably a bit delayed. Ask around the marina - maybe you can just rent one from someone with a similar boat when you need it periodically if you get a berth at a marina. What part of the country are you in?

kicker motor you should be able to find a decent option used for $500-1000

I did a search on here as well as Google and only found one recent thread about trailers... seems like most of the rest of them are all 10+ years old. This is the most recent I've found and it had some rather good information on it but wanted to see if there were any other opinions as far as brands go.

226 / 228 Seafarer Trailer Size?

In my search for a Seafarer, I'm finding a few that don't have trailers. What size trailer would I need? Probably will not buy a new one just borrow or buy a used one. 23 ? 24? Thanks.

www.greatgrady.com

 

[PointedRose]

I did a search on here as well as Google and only found one recent thread about trailers... seems like most of the rest of them are all 10+ years old. This is the most recent I've found and it had some rather good information on it but wanted to see if there were any other opinions as far as brands go.

226 / 228 Seafarer Trailer Size?

In my search for a Seafarer, I'm finding a few that don't have trailers. What size trailer would I need? Probably will not buy a new one just borrow or buy a used one. 23 ? 24? Thanks.

www.greatgrady.com

Here’s a couple threads that should help you

Trailer

Looking for recommendation for a boat trailer I have a 2002 18’ sportsman Hoping to go single axle

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Question on tongue weight - for my 232 Gulfstream my tongue weight is low, about 350lbs. I am looking to double that for more stability and less sway. Does anyone have experience with how far to move my stanchion forward to gain the weight? I can go about 6 inches forward, but not sure if that...

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Ordered my dream trailer

Not meaning to side track here Smokey. Parthery, what is the advantage of a welded aluminium trailer? Mine is an i beam bolted aluminium trailer by Road King, with no issues, apart from brakes 2 or 3 times and springs changed out after 14 years, and of course bearings as needed. All seems as...

www.greatgrady.com

Best boat trailering stories

In honor of St Patrick’s day I have to share this story. Back in the early 90s on St Patrick’s day my dad was bringing his 22’ Boston whaler outrage up from ocean city Maryland back to Pennsylvania to trade it in on a 25 whaler. Halfway up the road north of Dover Delaware he got hit by a drunk...

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cost of trailer

I am looking at trailers for a 257 Advance with twin 150's. I want something substantial and durable as we trailer a lot. I am looking at aluminum with stainless hardware and disc brakes. I have 2 quotes for two brands at $5,900 and $7,000. This is more than I expected. Are these numbers...

www.greatgrady.com

 

[wrxhoon]

Hello and thanks for the replies. Yes I do live in the Seattle area and it’s quite ridiculous the cost of boats, cars, trailers and just about everything else out here compared to other parts of the country. I’ll have to look into the above suggestions more and it sounds as though brakes should be installed on both axles? An electric winch and spare tire also sound like a great idea. I’m 35 years old and rather strong so it wasn’t hard to winch in my previous boat which as a 21’ Arima. But this boat is likely double the weight, or even slightly more. Thanks again for the replies.

It is more expensive where you are but you have great king salmon fishing there , you can't have them all!!
Electric winch not required if you use the slides . Many years ago I had one, actually I still have it in the garage ( powerwinch 912). I drive the boat on and my buddy winches a few inches. You need a good two speed winch.
Spend the money you save on BRAKES . Think about it this way my tow vehicle weighs about 2 3/4 Ton unloaded ( Toyota LC 200 series TT Diesel) The brakes are much bigger that the trailer brakes , boat and trailer weigh a bit over 3T. Trailer rotors are 10" all four of them and about 1" thick with single pot 2" calipers. Compare that to the tow vehicles 13.5" and 1 3/8" thick with 4 pot calipers at the front .
Most of the time you can go even without trailer brakes at all but at least one time you will need them.
In Australia you need brakes on all axles and EOH actuator on any trailer/load combo aver 2 t.

 

[SeanC]

I went with aluminium Loadrite bunk trailer. Kodiak s/s brakes on both axles. Torsion axles. Vortex hubs. Radial tyres. Alloy rims. Led lights. Dual spares. Made the mistake of not going s/s hardware. Here in Australia galvanised hardware is standard which is fine. My trailer has a random mix of galvanised, s/s and zinc coated hardware. Don’t know about other brands but my trailer is a “float on” trailer. Not designed for dry loading So a power winch isn’t needed. I can launch and retrieve solo. Only use the winch for a turn or two to snug the bow up. I had to move the fenders up as the tyres were rubbing. You can see in the photo that they are quite close to the tyres. Get the best trailer that you can afford maintain it and you should have many years of trouble free towing. One thing I have added are tyre pressure sensors. Already had them on my tow vehicle. Great insurance. Warns you of a flat so you can stop before you destroy the tyre.

 

[Ky Grady]

Nice looking trailer. Do you remember how much extra it was for the upgrades on your trailer vs stock and what the total price was? It would be nice to keep it around $5k or less, especially if that could be done after tax. Thanks again for all of the replies.

Let me look when I get home. I had a trade involved but can figure it out without trade. Keep in mind this was in 2017 when I purchased the trailer.