Growing up in an exchange for an allowance my parents always gave me plenty of chores to do. My chores usually involved washing something around the house and my mother would always say, “Now Tim, remember to wash from the top down.” Now at thirty years old I still wash from the top down, when washing my house I start with the eaves and finish with the foundation, when I wash my truck I begin with the roof and finish with the tires, and when I wash my boat I start with the “T” top and finish with the hull. Wrong! When I wash my boat I start with the trailer, while it is still wet from the saltwater, then I go to the “T” top, work my way down, and then rinse the trailer again to remove all the salt I washed off the boat.
Through out the year I am blessed with the opportunity to fish with many of my friends, weather it be out of my boat or theirs. When fishing with a friend I always insist on going back to their house and assisting with the clean up, and the majority of them do the same when they fish out of my boat. It never ceases to amaze me how many of them wash the boat, but do not take the time to rinse the trailer. In addition to my mother teaching me to wash from the top down, my father taught me the boat is made of fiberglass, and though it may get dirty it will never rust away like the trailer.
Saltwater can really take a toll on your gear, and if you did not take the time to rinse your trailer after each trip last season then you may be in for some trouble this year. Nothing is worse than being broke down on the side of the road on a Sunday afternoon after a full days of fishing when you are tired and sunburned. If you try calling around to find a spare tire, or a trailer spring, or even worse an axle, you will find the majority of the places that carry these parts are not open on the weekend. Even though I rinse my trailer after every trip I usually spend a day this time of year while fishing is a little slow, and do nothing but preventative trailer maintenance. Provided herein are just a few bas