I have an older 1970’s? Shoreline trailer for my 19’ Seaway, apparently Shoreline is no longer in business and I cannot find any parts.
I had one of the old, rusted u-bolts fail while launching the boat and luckily i was able to recover the roller assembly but its clearly time to be proactive and replace the hardware…
I’m trying to find a trailer shop that can replace the rollers with bunks, and compare that price to replacing all of the existing hardware.
Would anyone have recommendations around the Mt. Pleasant area? I may also need to find a marina to store the boat at during the work.
I switched mine from the yoke style ez roller trailer design to bunks for my flats boat trailer. Most manufactures will tell you to stay away from these older fully roller trailers as the put too much weight on a small surface of the gel coat. With time they can cause delamination problems on the glass. Huge improvement for me, if you loose one of those rollers you can put a major scratch in the boat at the very least. I now have very little maintenance with the bunks. I was able to use the existing uprights and lay treated 4x4’s in place and bolt them on with galvanized hardware. Covered in carpet and project finished with little money out of pocket. It’s a light boat and launches and retrieves like a dream.
I was tempted to do myself, and still may depending on the quotes that I receive. I just don’t have any experience with setting the fitment and, since the trailer manufacturer is obsolete, I may end up needed to modify parts.
Not something I want to find out with my boat tied up at the launch…
Let me tell you what you need to do,get some old tires and put your boat on them ,then you’ll have plenty of time to work on your trailer. A cutting torch will come in handy.
Fairly easy job to do yourself and I would think save a bunch of money. But, as sman said, a torch will come in handy as well as a 4" side grinder and maybe a reciprocating saw.
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I have rebuilt many trailers, 4-inch angle grinder with abrasive cutting wheel should take care of any hardware that is rusted beyond the ability turn with a breaker ratchet or impact. Never had to use a torch. If you have some precise cuts like fitting a new crossmember a porta-band comes in handy but not absolutely necessary. Recip saw works great for tighter areas but takes longer to run through bolts than a 4-inch grinder. Fitting boat to trailer should not be too hard. Take measurements before removing roller assemblies like height from crossmembers, distance apart, etc. Set bunks similar to roller measurements. Launch boat, add bunks, reload extremely carefully with trailer deep, pull up ramp and evaluate, take wrench’s with you, if you need to relaunch and adjust, repeat till fit works best.
I have rebuilt many trailers, 4-inch angle grinder with abrasive cutting wheel should take care of any hardware that is rusted beyond the ability turn with a breaker ratchet or impact. Never had to use a torch. If you have some precise cuts like fitting a new crossmember a porta-band comes in handy but not absolutely necessary. Recip saw works great for tighter areas but takes longer to run through bolts than a 4-inch grinder. Fitting boat to trailer should not be too hard. Take measurements before removing roller assemblies like height from crossmembers, distance apart, etc. Set bunks similar to roller measurements. Launch boat, add bunks, reload extremely carefully with trailer deep, pull up ramp and evaluate, take wrench’s with you, if you need to relaunch and adjust, repeat till fit works best.
. No it’s not absolutely necessary to use a torch but I like to use what’s quickest and easiest.Going with your way of thinking,why use a grinder or impact,just use a hacksaw and a crescent.