The chances of a good catch increase many times over if the fisherman has a boat in his arsenal. If you have vehicles, you can solve the problem of transporting and placing a large watercraft using a special trailer. You can purchase it or make it yourself, here the choice remains free.
Among the finished products there are different models, differing in technical parameters and sizes. This assortment will allow you to find the ideal option for a specific boat or a universal trailer, which can subsequently be used to transport other cargo.
Purchase or self-production
Of course, you can purchase a ready-made boat trailer, but, as an option, you can take a drawing of a boat trailer and make a boat trailer with your own hands, which will save a lot of money. Therefore, today we will look at how to make a boat trailer yourself, and we will provide practical recommendations and tips regarding its creation.
But before you make a boat trailer, it is necessary to mention that in the future you will need to formalize and register a homemade boat trailer with the traffic police in order to be able to operate it freely without breaking the law.
In addition, it is necessary to understand that such a device for transporting water transport must be reliable, and most importantly safe, which will eliminate the likelihood of emergency situations during movement.
Product cost
Before you make a trailer for transporting a boat or boat with your own hands, you need to evaluate the financial benefits for which you have to refuse to buy a ready-made device. A market review showed that you can buy a ready-made trailer for 50-60 thousand rubles. There are, of course, more expensive examples, but it makes no sense to take them into account. Cheaper trailers will be less functional or of lower quality.
When making it yourself, you can’t do without buying materials. But even if we take into account all the costs, they will amount to about 15-20 thousand rubles, which gives a savings of almost 4 times. The most expensive component is the chassis. But if the craftsman has the components in stock, then the cost of the product can be reduced to a minimum.
What will you need to build a travel trailer?
Before you start making a homemade boat trailer, you need to prepare the following blanks and parts:
- Metal profile size 60×40, and thickness 4 mm.
- Painting material and mixture that prevents corrosion;
- Electrical wiring and lighting elements (headlights, brake lights, etc.);
- Keelblocks;
- Wings and channel 12;
- Wheels;
- Metal sheet 2 mm, and a leg for parking.
When purchasing the necessary materials to create a boat trailer with your own hands, be extremely careful. You should not buy pipes, metal sheets and channels that are too thick, as they will only make the structure heavier. Moreover, the car will consume more fuel and maneuverability will decrease.
The modern market offers customers a wide variety of trailer models, both for inflatable and motor boats with various dimensions.
Manufacturing instructions
A drawing drawn up with calculated data regarding the parameters of the materials used will be a good help in installation work, so you shouldn’t do without it. For convenience, several drawing plans are being developed, reflecting different connection nodes and mechanisms. This will make it faster to assemble parts, not forgetting about small parts.
The trailer manufacturing process consists of the following stages:
- The design of the trailer in winter requires control balancing, replacement of rubber when the old one wears out, lubrication of the connecting elements of the chassis
The frame is assembled first. In order for the structure to be strong enough, you need to connect the metal pipes and the profile with a welding machine. You shouldn’t grab the chassis and axle to the frame, but strengthening the joints in the form of gussets made of thin sheet metal won’t hurt.
Boat trailer assembly
It is worth mentioning that boat trailer plans should contain clear dimensions that will suit your individual application.
Try to make a design that will be suitable specifically for you, since in the future there may be problems with fixing the boat. Carefully measure the dimensions of the boat or boat, and only then begin work.
As experts advise, all elements of a boat trailer should be connected by hand by welding. You can use bolts, but not rivets. For greater reliability, additional gussets must be welded to the joints of the structure.
Next, you need to drill holes for the M12 bolts and connect the hitch to the axle. Immediately before assembly, carefully check how the frame is balanced, and also pay attention to the bearing ratio of the axle structure to the beam.
Deciding on the sizes
The parameters of the trailer are determined before the design planning stage. There are strict rules that are provided by law and it is not recommended to violate them.
Before you build a drawing, you need to take measurements from the boat:
- A large assortment will allow you to find the ideal option for a specific boat or a universal trailer, which can subsequently be used to transport other cargo
length;
- side height;
- the length and width of the narrowest and widest sections of the structure.
If the floating craft is large, then the length of the tractor is also measured (from the front bumper to the end of the fastener at the rear).
According to the standards developed at the legislative level, the standard parameters of a trailer for transporting boats are defined:
- structure length – no more than 20 m;
- width – no more than 2.2 m;
- height – no more than 3.8 m.
Moreover, the restrictions apply not only to the trailer, but also to the floating craft itself. This data allows you to navigate highways without causing inconvenience to both the car owner and other road users.
Registration with the traffic police
Even before starting to develop a trailer hitch for boats, you need to prepare a special project, in other words, a drawing. You should strictly adhere to the dimensions and other important nuances, as this directly affects the further registration of such transport equipment.
In accordance with the law, the maximum height of such a tow hitch should not exceed 3800 cm and the width 2200 cm. Before the registration procedure, contact the service to confirm the appropriate quality of the device.
This organization will conduct a series of activities that include various tests and trials. If everything is fine, you will be given a document confirming the suitability of the device for use. Be sure to save the drawings used to create the trailer and make sure that all dimensions are correct.
How to make a boat trailer with your own hands
The chances of a good catch increase many times over if the fisherman has a boat in his arsenal. If you have vehicles, you can solve the problem of transporting and placing a large watercraft using a special trailer. You can purchase it or make it yourself, here the choice remains free.
Among the finished products there are different models, differing in technical parameters and sizes. This assortment will allow you to find the ideal option for a specific boat or a universal trailer, which can subsequently be used to transport other cargo.
How much does a DIY boat trailer cost?
The approximate cost of a factory trailer in specialized showrooms is from 1000 USD. On the market you can find a cheaper option (not used) from 800 USD, but it will be either of low quality or a fake. If you do it yourself, then the materials (if you buy new ones) will cost from 200 +/- dollars and more.
The main cost is the chassis, since wheels for a car, moped or motorcycle are now not cheap, and with other types of wheels (from a garden wheelbarrow thirty years ago), the trailer will not be “passed through” during registration.
Registration
In order for the trailer to be registered, you need to obtain a conclusion from an organization that has a license to test and test vehicles (some driving schools, MREO, sometimes even private organizations with a license). To conduct the test, the organization that will be engaged in this good cause must provide drawings of the trailer, which must be completed properly (a high-quality drawing indicating all dimensions and parameters).
If the drawing is not made professionally, you should not even try to register. They will refuse you even when submitting documents, you will just waste your time.
If everything is fine with the original drawings and the vehicle passes the safety test, then it will be assigned a registration number and given a maintenance (technical inspection) coupon, which you must have with you every time you use the trailer (stick it on the windshield of the car so that the traffic police can clearly see even from behind the bushes).
Preparing to make a boat trailer
To create a means of transporting boats, we will need the following components (dimensions are not indicated since the parameters of each boat are individual):
- metal profile or pipe with a wall thickness of 4-5mm. or aluminum profile 12-15mm thick. (suitable for light boats);
- pipe 60x40x2;
- piece of channel 12;
- iron sheet thickness 2mm;
- facing fenders and mudguards (at your discretion what to cover with - light plastic or tin);
- wires to wiring;
- two side lights with turning signals (tail lights) for any type of vehicle;
- manual winch with cable;
- support leg;
- keel blocks or material for them (polyurethane);
- primer and paint (optional).
For manufacturing it is necessary to select durable and lightweight materials. The heavy weight of a trailer made of heavy, thick components with a boat on board significantly increases the vehicle's fuel consumption and increases wear on the tires, engine and transmission.
You should also take into account factors such as:
- dimensions and possibilities of access to the boat storage area;
- maximum towing weight of your car (tractor);
- ease of use of the trailer separately from the vehicle (stands, legs, handles for moving).
Do-it-yourself homemade trailer for launching a Kazanka Yuzhanka motor boat onto the water
I decided to weld a boat cart with my own hands, one that could be handled by one person and at minimal cost. Since my friend was using the eight, I decided to ask him for a rear beam for a boat trailer. What was available?! Yes, in general, nothing except that almost everyone has it in their garage. Since the beam was nearby, I dragged myself there with a cutter.
This is the state she was in when I arrived.
Inspect where and how to cut. It turned out to be simple. Still, it’s not easy with a cutter.
But what came out of it, see the photo of my homemade boat cart.
There were pipes in stock, it seems, with a diameter of 80mm. Once there were radiators for heating, but I didn’t notice and they were torn apart in the cold.
Initially I wanted to buy a small winch, but after consulting with friends I realized that you don’t need it for money when you can make it yourself. Now I have tested it and with enough force it can break the cable that I screwed there. Let's look at the photo of the winch for lifting the boat.
In order not to scratch the bottom of the boat, we used a polypropylene pipe from which heating is made. I think 25mm I don’t remember exactly. Leftovers from home heating after welding. There were pieces of smooth reinforcement and we put polypropylene on it, but before putting it on we cut it lengthwise. Well, what else can you think of, we used everything that was at hand.
They wanted to make the starting lift of the boat smooth, but the first attempt was unsuccessful and I cut it off completely. At first the photo is complete crap, but then I made it normal. Let's look at the photo.
- On the plus side: the boat will be lifted from both land and water. One person can handle it.
- Of the minuses: Raise it high, but nothing can be done; the wheelbase of this beam is the same.
The trailer is almost completed, field tests are left. I attached small rear wheels and placed them on the running board. Now everything is free and easy.
And so it happened.
Welded a footrest with a wheel.
The work is clumsy, but the main thing is that all you need to do is launch the boat.
Boat trailer photo of the back of the truck.
All work seems to be completed. I secured the folding seats in the boat. I applied sealant where necessary. Field tests remain.
I finished all the work, but still I’m not sure that this is all because in field tests all the shortcomings will come out.
As a result, about two years have passed since then. In fact, she proved to be quite comfortable. Of the minuses, I will note that if I had found rollers instead of polypropylene, then everything would have been ok. I grab onto the UAZ that was digesting and drag it to the shore. In the summer I lower the cart directly into the water because it’s not too bad. Lifting is carried out by one person. It is better to use a stainless steel cable with a diameter of 4 or 5 millimeters for the winch. I hook it to the bow with a regular carabiner, then twist the winch all the way and secure it with a chain to the bow of the boat with another carabiner. I'll add more photos in the spring.
And here are some more photos. You can borrow some nodes.
