Keel Roller trailer

deafwish · **Posted:** Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:13 pm

Hi Folks,

I have a friend who's trailer got stolen & he now required a new one.
He owns a 2012 Horizon 180 LE (Mercruiser 3.0L) and I'm wondering whether a keel roller style trailer is ok for these hulls?

http://www.huntsmanproducts.com.au/boat ... ted-1.html

Almost all trailers I've seen for these hulls are either bunked or side rollers...

Cheers.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 11, 2015 5:49 pm

$4000 for an 18ft boat trailer?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!??

When I purchased a new galvanized trailer for my H180 I paid $900 after tax.

deafwish · **Posted:** Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:25 pm

...and that's the cheapest available!
Funny thing is - the iron ore is mined here in Oz, shipped to China for processing, made in to steel & then exported back to Oz...

I paid over AUD5k for mine...

http://www.dunbier.com/trailers/trailer ... 5-3m-13tb/

JohnnyMarlin · **Posted:** Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:40 pm

ric wrote:

$4000 for an 18ft boat trailer?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!??

When I purchased a new galvanized trailer for my H180 I paid $900 after tax.

Wait til you see the price of a new ALUMINUM trailer :shock:

...........I paid $5500+ for my 2013 Magic Tilt.........

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:58 pm

I guess that's the difference living in a geographical area that boats 365 days a year and every 1mi there's a boat shop compared to elsewhere in the world. I thought 900 was expensive for a new galvanized single axle for my 2000 h180, but I needed it cause the original steel four winns trailer rusted and broke.

deafwish · **Posted:** Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:54 pm

...aaa nnn ddd...

Back to the question!

meinmelb · **Posted:** Wed Mar 11, 2015 10:22 pm

The trailer on my Sea Ray 180 with a 3.0L rusted out and I custom made a new trailer using skids and 3 x self centring keel rollers.

I removed the keel rollers because they ended up punching holes in the keel as the surface area was just too small for the weight on the keel. I started with Blue rollers like in the photo, and changed to the softer black rubber but it still cracked the gell coat and eventually the fibreglass underneath. The flex in the skids meant that pressure was not consistent on the keel ie it bounced and hammered onto the keel rollers. It might be different if the trailer had zero flex, and was set up perfectly with little weight on the keel.

I know most people think the keel is the strongest part of the bottom of the hull but in my opinion fibreglass has a breaking point and the keel rollers on my last trailer cracked the fibreglass on the keel.

The Dunbier trailer I now have on the FW is a roller style and does not have keel rollers, if it did I would have removed them ( or not bought the boat).

PS: AU$4000 is a good price. My Ski Club has just had a quote for an aluminium trailer for the clubs Nautique - $14 000, double axil, hydraulic brakes on front axil, skids and LED lights so pretty basic and reasonable quality.

deafwish · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2015 1:21 am

Good advice Mark, cheers.

278TheNiseeII · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:05 am

I would not want a roller trailer. The rollers create load points that can warp the hull if the boat sets on the trailer a lot.
For an 18' boat there is no reason to go with tandem axle trailer. Single axle will hold the load fine. Easier to maneuver by hand, cheaper to purchase and maintain.
If your using in salt water, I would recommend aluminum instead of galvanized. Galvanized will not hold up as well over time.
If your getting brakes, make sure they are disk brakes and not drum. Again, for maintenance purposes.

Good luck.

LouC · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:54 am

Bunks vs rollers is a regional thing. In areas with little tidal depth change and steep ramps bunks work well. In coastal regions with wide swings in water depth from high to low tide they will severely limit when and where you can launch the boat. Here we have 6-7 feet changes in water depth from high to low and my local ramp is shallow not steep. So most people here use roller galvanized trailers. I'd say it's 85% roller 15% bunk.
We are in salt and a good quality galvanized trailer will last here.
I have been able to make drum brakes last in salt by using zinc plated drums and slightly modified wheel cylinders. Disc brakes are easier to service but unless you get stainless rotors they rust heavily.

ric · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:03 am

Why not just bolt some zinc anodes to your trailer?

LouC · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2015 5:06 pm

The trailer is not in the water long enough for a zinc to do anything.

ardy · **Posted:** Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:16 am

Go with some nice full length bunks. It will support the boat the best and float on float off to launch and retrieve. Just my 2 cents worth

LouC · **Posted:** Sat Mar 14, 2015 10:06 am

If your conditions will allow it to work I agree the bunk trailer will provide the best support but it all depends on if you have tides or not and steep ramps or not. Even at high tide it's difficult to float a boat off a bunk trailer at our local ramp.
With the roller, due to the shallow angle it will not roll right off but it is easily driven off.
I have not seen any hull damage on this boat due to the rollers and it's been on it over 15 years.

Haddock_ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:22 pm

Granted I have a larger Vista, but it sits on my roller trailer from Sept to May. No issues at all.

I wouldn't be able to get it onto a bunk trailer, the ramp is too steep and dont want my my SUV tires in the wet as that reduces the friction - afraid the total weight is more than the tires static friction in that case and it all just drags in...with this, i just drive the boat on, quickly climb over down the bow ladder and hook it up then winch the final three or four feet.

Not mine but this is what I have:

www.iFourWinns.com

Keel Roller trailer

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