New Custom 26X Trailer

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vkmaynard
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New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by vkmaynard »

Commissioned a new custom trailer to replace my super rusted 26X trailer. Lots of mods from years worth of problems experienced with the original design including: 2" wider 5,000 lb axle to keep the the right tire from rubbing the hull and reduce blowouts, using earlier axle mod moved back 6" to reduce trailer sway, movable goal posts for the rear with vertical pads to keep the boat from moving sideways (right), adjustable bow stop with wider ladder (can adjust boat CG), 24" longer trailer, extra crossmember between the two existing rear ones, moving the forward crossmember 4" further forward to rest the centerboard during transport (avoiding rope breaks), small roller between front bunks to keep the bow from scraping during loading/unloading (bottom of V cut out 2" with roller exposed behind) , stainless surge disc brakes and LED lights. They are also redesigning some of the original trailer for durability.

Hot dipped galvanized!

They are keeping the low profile for launching in shallow water as requested.

Triad Trailers http://triadtrailers.com/ in Raleigh NC makes great custom boat trailers.

Most manufactures will not sell a single axle for a trailer that long. One of the requests was to keep the single axle for handling.

Billy Glover kindly brought his boat to the shop and helped with the new design. My boat is on a lift due to trailer failure.

Triad charged me $3K out the door. Much lower than others.

Not sure what future trailers may cost will be since they have not built the trailer to date.

Will be reproducible fort the next interested person(s) both 26X and 26M.

Victor
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vkmaynard
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by vkmaynard »

Image
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Last edited by vkmaynard on Sun Mar 04, 2018 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
whgoffrn
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by whgoffrn »

I personally like the single Axel trailers myself ....i tow with an f350 diesel so don't need brakes and prefer less tires and bearings to grease and maintain....will be looking at their trailers when the time comes
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sailboatmike
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by sailboatmike »

Gee I wish I lived in a country that wasn't anal retentive, that sort of trailer would cost us in excess of $12,000 but more like $15,000, of course we would have to have breakaway brakes because it would put the AGM over 4400lbs (2000kg), that on its own costs over $2000.

Not sure how they justify such stupid prices, but hey we are rich because we own a boat so a mere $15,000 is nothing (in their dreams).

I think this is one of the things that has killed trailer sailors here in Australia, a perfectly good boat can be scrapped because the cost of a replacement trailer is more than the value of the boat
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Tomfoolery
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by Tomfoolery »

vkmaynard wrote:Image
Can't see the photo. Can you post it with another host, like tinypic or ctrlq? I'm really interested to see what you did, including and especially in the bow roller area. With my super steep ramp, I really need to add a centering type roller to help the bow get onto the little vee bunks at the bow so I don't have to sink the trailer to where my very high goal posts are also submerged.
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Ixneigh
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by Ixneigh »

15000? For that cost they could make the trailer in stainless steel.

I have the aluminum trailer. Should I have someone go through it or buy new?

Ix
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vkmaynard
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by vkmaynard »

Tomfoolery wrote:
vkmaynard wrote: Can't see the photo. Can you post it with another host, like tinypic or ctrlq? I'm really interested to see what you did, including and especially in the bow roller area. With my super steep ramp, I really need to add a centering type roller to help the bow get onto the little vee bunks at the bow so I don't have to sink the trailer to where my very high goal posts are also submerged.
Updated links. Note the extra 24" under the stern.

The forward "V" roller worked fantastic. Tide was really low and Compromise rolled right up instead of digging in.

The LED lighting is awesome. They put an over 80" wide package on with small front mounted yellow and red rear mounted LEDs on the fender so the width is clearly marked.

Trailer tows like dream. NO sway (first time) even with the current East Coast Nor'easter at 65 mph road speed. They kept the move axle to the rear 6" mod I made on the old trailer. Also the entire winch tower is movable for further CG adjustment.

Still issues to fix. The fender are too narrow and the axle could probably be another 2"-4" wider. Also need to further modify the rear bunk to exact match the low large radius corners on the stern to exactly center Compromise. Headed back to the shop tomorrow to fix the few issues. When done will work for others.

Electric rear disc brake lockout. Auto locking hitch. Super high end compare to the old cheap trailer.

Image
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Tomfoolery
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by Tomfoolery »

vkmaynard wrote:The forward "V" roller worked fantastic. Tide was really low and Compromise rolled right up instead of digging in.
Thanks for updating those photos. That roller is exactly what I was considering doing, just aft of the little vee-bunk. I was thinking of trying a roller with the helical grooving, which is supposed to help steer the hull toward the center.
But same thing otherwise.
vkmaynard wrote:Trailer tows like dream. NO sway (first time) even with the current East Coast Nor'easter at 65 mph road speed. They kept the move axle to the rear 6" mod I made on the old trailer. Also the entire winch tower is movable for further CG adjustment.
Another nice touch. I still have the stock OEM steel trailer, and it seems to be a common issue with those to get adequate tongue load, especially with loaded fuel tanks.
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sailboatmike
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by sailboatmike »

Ixneigh wrote:15000? For that cost they could make the trailer in stainless steel.

I have the aluminum trailer. Should I have someone go through it or buy new?

Ix
Yes "SAD" isn't it, but it does have the magic word in the title "BOAT" trailer.

I do appreciate that in Australia we have higher labour rates (minimum wage is $18.70 p/hour) , but really building a boat trailer isn't brain surgery.

If I lived in the USA I would be getting a new trailer sooner than later, now that they want to start a trade war in Steel and Aluminium, but thats politics and I'm not going to enter into that. However I can see prices jumping considerably in the near future
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vkmaynard
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by vkmaynard »

The cross-bracing they added seem to help the stability.

Victor
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Russ
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by Russ »

Why didn't you want dual axles? I get that you upgraded the rating of single.
I like knowing that my dual axle is redundant and can run with a bad tire for a bit. Dual seems plenty smooth for turning also.

--Russ
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1st Sail
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by 1st Sail »

I'm calling on Monday. can you move the ladder closer to the bow for easy boarding? Definitely a fair price. Any in the midwest interested? We can stack them up a tow them home.
Nauti Nell
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by Nauti Nell »

Is the boat sitting on the forward V or on the roller? In the pics it looks like the roller is higher than the V. If the roller is higher would that damage the hull when hitting any bumps in the road due the small footprint of support for the bow? Nice trailer!
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vkmaynard
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by vkmaynard »

Nauti Nell wrote:Is the boat sitting on the forward V or on the roller? In the pics it looks like the roller is higher than the V. If the roller is higher would that damage the hull when hitting any bumps in the road due the small footprint of support for the bow? Nice trailer!
Sitting on the forward bunks. We designed it to roll on then rest on the bunks. The roller is adjustable like most everything on this trailer. Triad is putting backward tilt on the forward bunks to match the hull angle.

It would be nice to move the ladder a little closer. I was able to use it yesterday while taking measurements for my new custom designed Precision Sails (another thread in two months).

Took the trailer back to Tirad this AM for the final mods. Great customer service is an understatement! Both the owner and head designer/welder met with me and went over all the issues. We figured out how to make the turn-ups in the back steeper for better centering with additional adjustable bunk brackets, which the designer cut and tack welded while there for a prototype. Crazy for sure!.

Triad is ordering an additional 4" longer custom axle today to replace the already longer axle due to too close to boat (very, very light scrub on the way home). Reason for the touch is how low the trailer is vs the higher wheel and outward slope of the hull. The axle manufacturer said that will drop the weight capacity to 4,440 which is not a problem. The boat fully loaded weight is under 3,500 lbs (boat 2550 + motor 350 + 2 batteries + 25 gal water + 18 gal gas + stuff). They absolutely did not recommend longer rear shackles. Good because the lower CG, stiffer springs/axle, rearward axle position and cross bracing and made this like towing candy! They are redesigning the fenders to move them further out. They are also relocating the license plate with light due to low ground clearance.

Triad is moving the jack to the center of the trailer since they know the clearance with the boat on the trailer is ok. Simple bolt on swivel up unit. Can you say "replaceable".

The owner whats to follow me to Jordan Lake (local) to watch how the launch and retrieval works. Wow!

He said he has had a number of calls to make trailers for us but could not do it long distance. Too many crazy dimensions. Good thing Billy and I are in the same town with the same trailer issues.

Over all they did a great job without a boat on a trailer to stare at and so many improvements.

I believe I heard Tirad Trailers has made over 10,000 trailers. Super high quality work and super nice people.

I'll post when the next round of mods are finish and tested. When done should be a great replacement trailer for any Mac 26 owner. He will need to see a 26M on this trailer to figure out the minor differences if anyone is interested.

Victor
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sailboatmike
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Re: New Custom 26X Trailer

Post by sailboatmike »

Wow, you have certainly picked a winner with this company, seems like awesome service, a great price and some real thinking going into this.

I hope this company is taking dimensions as they go, I think they may get a flood of orders from Mac owners to make them.

I'm with you and just about to put a roller just before the bow bunk, most trailer boats I know sit on a bow roller and dont have the bow bunks, this would make getting on and off the trailer so much easier
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