trailer help

prev1 · Joined: 06 Jul 2000 Posts: 66

I was interested in buying or making a windsurfing trailer. Who sells them and any pointers on advantages/disadvantages of different types?

Windlover · Joined: 06 Oct 2015 Posts: 623

Hey Christmas,

Ive seen trailers in all types of sizes, styles, materials, and who knows what. Key thing to customizing a trailer to fit your needs, is to decide how much you want to carry each time you go out. If you want to take every piece of gear youve ever owned, go big. If it is a day/weekend use, make it just big enough. Mast and board racks are pretty straight forward. If you want to be able to lock your masts, get a piece of 6 PVC, glue a cap on one end and a screw on cap for the other end. You can attach a lock on this end. Some people want to put booms in a box but this requires a bigger box. The plastic car top carriers work well because all you have to build are racks. Place a couple carriers on for sails/booms/gear and your set. If the budget calls for homemade, build the top of your box to overlap and keep water out. Be sure to drill vent holes in the box and take out the wet stuff when you get home. One thing to look for is the balance once you have the trailer loaded. You should be able to move it by hand in case you get in a tight spot or need to park it out of the way. Also think about the height of your top racks. Will you need a pack a ladder to access your boards? Building a trailer is not difficult if you have a base to work from. I suggest you find a used utility trailer. To build from scratch, the key thing is getting everything square. That way the trailer follows you instead of trying to go a different direction.
Be creative and look at other trailers wherever you are sailing at.
Best of luck,
Windlover

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Full-sized tires are mandatory! Those little 10-12 toy tires are a disaster waitin to happen on the highway. The 12-13 60 psi tires are OK until their pressure drops to a measly 40-50 psi, at which time they can pop at any moment. You want at least 14-inchers or regular-pressure 13-inchers.

If you drive hard or spend a lot of time on twisty and/or rough roads, shock absorbers are a great touch. They help trailers track much better on bumpy curves or rough dirt roads.

The rest is up to your imagination.

Mike \m/