What the Boat Dealer Forgot to Tell You About The Trailer

With tough competition in a crowded market, it's easy to understand why Boat Dealers sometimes forget to tell new boat buyers crucial things about trailers.

Often to meet a package price point, trailers are underspecified and inappropriately matched to the customer's boat, vehicle or application. Trailers must provide absolute safety on the road, comply with regulations, as well as make for a fun boating experience. They also need to go the distance in harsh conditions over a long period of time. Of course, despite everyone's efforts, sometimes things go wrong.

Key questions the boat buyer should ask include:

What is the intended use of the boat and trailer? Will it spend a majority of the time at the holiday house only a few kilometers from the water? Or will it frequently travel long distances? Will the boat be heavily loaded with holiday gear, or will it be empty? This is the key to happy boating and trailering, so be honest with yourself.

What is the gross weight of the of the boat and trailer rig? The majority of people underestimate the maximum gross load and this leads to purchase of the wrong trailer (albeit cheaper). Factors must include the boat dry weight, motor/s, fuel and water, boat accessories such as anchor, safety equipment etc; as well as the tare weight of the trailer weights itself, not to mention any additional items. The total estimated gross weight of these items all added up need to be less than the GVM stamped on the trailers compliance plate.

Other key questions relate to tyres (what speed are they rated to?), grease seals (are they a 2 part marine grease seal?), jockey wheels, hubs, springs and U-bolts (are they galvanized?), Does the trailer have sufficient rollers to support the boat and are electrical connections soldered and heat shrunk?

With 30 years of experience, Mackay Trailers (www.mackaymultilink.com.au) can provide you with the expertise to select the right trailers for every application.

Based in Melbourne and having recently established a distribution centre in Mandurah, Western Australia, Mackay trailers are sold nationally through selected marine dealerships.

To locate your nearest Mackay Multi-Link dealer contact 03 9772 6166 Or visit www.mackaymultilink.com.au