Drift boat trailer (linex or ????)

[Dean Edwards]

My drift boat trailer is looking pretty beat up, and I am wondering what to do. I have repainted al the leading edges on the trailer, only to be chipped up again. I went to the automotive paint shop, and bought some high tech rock chip guard paint, and it did not work very well. I followed all their directions, but it was no match for that gravel road.

I am concidering my options and this is what I have come up with

1. Linex the leading edges or

2. Repaint it and put some clear rock guard film on the leading edges

3. Reppaint it and have some aluminum plates made for the leading
edges ( so the aluminum will look like crap after the first trip)

4. Just let it go and when it becomes too bad, buy a new galvanized trailer.

I am thinking that #4 is the best option, and the easiest. What are your thoughts on what you have done, or what would you do? I just like my stuff to look nice, and operate well.

[Bryan Williamson]

Had the same problem with two previous trailers. I simply let them go, then made sure I purchased a galvanized trailer with my 3rd boat/trailer. I guess any of the above 3 will work as a stop gap...if you have the inclination.

[EasyE]

I am facing the same decision Fllyfishy. I have been thinking about going with linex. I have a friend that went this route with his trailer a few years ago and it has worked out great. Someone else suggested painting it with hammerite but I haven't been able to find anyone else who has done this to get an educated opinion from. Still not sure what to do. I have called the local linex shop for a quote but they of course want me to bring it in for a quote and I haven't gotten around to doing that yet. They didn't seem terribly thrilled about the idea of doing a trailer which leads me to believe it will be costly.

[Ryan Buccola]

if any one wants to sell one of those trailers I am interested!

[Dean Edwards]

not ready to sell it just yet Ryan. The damage at this point is only cosmetic.

Easy, if you do get a quote, please let me know what they want to shoot it.

[Jon Borcherding]

My wife and I own a spray-on bedliner business. The material we use beats our competitors in tensile strength and elongation tolerance and several other categories. We have sprayed our coating on thousands of projects from trucks to boats to trailers and a host of other applications.

I can tell you that it would almost certainly NOT be worth the money to spray a boat trailer.

Polyurethanes and polyureas do not stick to rusty steel. The metal would need to be sandblasted and primed or the application would fail.
Also, the spray pattern is much wider than the typical 3 or 4 inch square tube used to build trailers so there is a lot of wasted material. Our spray gun can be "chambered down" to produce a smaller pattern but, it's not economically feasible for a small project. A boat trailer is difficult to spray because it needs to be turned over to reach all surfaces. In addition, every part of the trailer that is not to be sprayed must be removed or masked off.

I think option #4 would be best, combined with some occasional rattle can painting to keep the rust under control.

JonB

[Dean Edwards]

Thanks for the reply Jon. The metal on the trailer is not rusting yet, I just have a ton of rock chips in the paint, after I repainted it. I am thinking more and more of just as you say, keep the rust under control, when it appears, and just use it. Damn, it is just a trailer. :D

[Drewski]

My wife and I own a spray-on bedliner business. The material we use beats our competitors in tensile strength and elongation tolerance and several other categories. We have sprayed our coating on thousands of projects from trucks to boats to trailers and a host of other applications.

I can tell you that it would almost certainly NOT be worth the money to spray a boat trailer.

Polyurethanes and polyureas do not stick to rusty steel. The metal would need to be sandblasted and primed or the application would fail.
Also, the spray pattern is much wider than the typical 3 or 4 inch square tube used to build trailers so there is a lot of wasted material. Our spray gun can be "chambered down" to produce a smaller pattern but, it's not economically feasible for a small project. A boat trailer is difficult to spray because it needs to be turned over to reach all surfaces. In addition, every part of the trailer that is not to be sprayed must be removed or masked off.

I think option #4 would be best, combined with some occasional rattle can painting to keep the rust under control.

JonB

Hey Jon,

Do you suppose you could pm a some more info for a spray on liner for my 07 ram 1500? I'm in Puyallup and looking to get my truck bed sprayed. Sorry for the thread hijack:pptyd

Thanks,
Drew

[bfic]

Duplicolor truck bed coating in the rattle can is one of my favorites on small projects. It is easy to apply, looks good and is fairly durable. You can get it at some the box stores but NAPA is the easiest, about $10.00 per can.