MacGregorSailors.com

I'm due for springs and an axle. God knows what they'll find when I dump the boat off and bring in the trailer. I'm afraid to torque the lug nuts for fear the studs will burst.

Can anyone discuss aluminum and galvanized?

Hi John B.

Here"s a Pic of my alum trl it came with the boat it's a 2002yr trl it was only 1yr old when I bought the boat I'm pulling the boat out today so I'll post more pic's if you want ok

John

I’ve been thinking about this thread through the night. 5,000 X’s out there. The guys on freshwater probably don’t need an aluminum trailer.

From the board, there seems to be a large population in California, Florida, and the entire East Coast. Maybe a few survivors in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Some guys have had trailers built, but I don’t recall anyone being satisfied.

I think MacGregor actually manufacturers the trailers with Titan parts.

The X trailer will have the more shallow bunks for its flat bottom. Thing is, how to stack them in a container and get them to distribution points. Would the ladder/winch post and guide posts be a problem with shipping? Sure, unless they’re bolted or welded on later.

The springs, axle, and wheels can be procured anywhere. Take a look at Champion Trailer’s (Slidell LA) catalog. All our parts are in there. The critical need is for the frame and bunks.

I mentioned just above about taking my trailer over to a welding shop. I was passing by on the way home with the boat loaded. He said the springs were shot and the axle looked bad. Wait till he sees the bunks. My fenders are like burnt toast. I can grip the edge and snap it off. I feel like I’m throwing good money after bad trying to maintain the thing.

I knew I had big problem a couple months ago when I walked out back and thought, “Who the hull stole my license plate?”

I wonder how many M’s are out there with the rust buckets

If Roger recognizes a demand/market for these, and figures out a way to get them to his dealers we might be in luck. Maybe guys like Bill 4boats can feel out Bill S on the idea..

There is some info on the new aluminum trailer on the Mac factory site www.macgregor26.com
They will be making two models
"The standard trailer has an aluminum frame, painted torsion bar axle, fiberglass fenders and a bow stand with no boarding ladder."
"The deluxe trailer is similar to the standard trailer, except that it has surge brakes, a galvanized torsion bar axle, aluminum brake caliper holders, zinc plated disc brake rotors, and a boarding ladder near the trailer hitch."
"The frame is bolted together, rather than welded. This makes it possible to build a disassembled kit that is a lot easier to ship than a totally assembled trailer. We have not done much work on this shipping package, but it might make it a lot easier to sell replacement trailers to customers who want to upgrade trailers for older boats."
"The standard trailer will be part of the price of the basic boat, and the price of the deluxe (surge brake) trailer will be $584."
I don't yet know what the price of the "disassembled kit" trailer will be. I think shipping will be expensive unless you can get one from a Mac dealer who can probably have them brought in with a shipment of boats.
I'll also ask if a second axle will be available.
Any other questions I should ask, or suggestions?

Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL wrote:Any other questions I should ask, or suggestions?

Will they make them for the X boats?

Rich

In modifying the new trailer for the X, the bunks might have to be flattened out a bit. I wonder how hard that is?

Has anyone seen the X and M trailer side by side?

If you follow the link to the factory website, there are several pictures of the new trailer. I like the idea that it doesn't have the metal bars on each side of the bow stop. Can't tell you how many black paint marks I got on my bow.

It shows the bunk layout and clearly not suitable for the X. I can't tell if you could shorten the bunks a little to lay flatter within the trailer frame or not. I guess you could always shim the inside to be flatter.

Here is a shot of The Yam as I dropped it off at the factory to get the bow guides welded onto my trailer and to get the bow damage repaired. This damage occured during a MacBump in the parking lot. My advice is to either order the guides added or to get a welder to add them before your first launch. The black marks on your hull can be removed with baking soda paste. The damage to your gel coat takes a lot more effort. The factory did try making trailers without the guides last year, mine was delivered in April 2006. They did the repairs for free and they did a nice job too.

Hi Bill, I presume that the $584 price is an upgrade over the basic trailer which is already priced in with the new boat. Do we know what the price of the deluxe model is if you don't buy a new boat with it? Personally, I would guess that most people (me included) who want to replace their old rust buckets are interested in the deluxe model...and like John said, there probably are a lot of buyers out there. Thanks for the info.

David, I'm surprised you got a trailer without the bow guides. I always thought that was a standard part of the MAC trailer. When I got mine, I immediately put pipe insulation (the kind you use near your water heater which HD sells) on the metal and then fastened it on with electrical tape. This makes for a much smoother landing. Of course, if you don't even have the guides, then I can see how the winch might scrape your boat.

Also strange that it happened on a mac bump unless the boat was loaded slightly crooked. Btw, I don't recommend the Mac bump at all. I think its an urban legend that you have to do this. You can get the boat quite snug by doing incremental winching (2 or 3 times) while you get the boat up the ramp. I know that this is a bit of a PITA when there are other people waiting at a crowded ramp..but who cares, you have the ramp until you get completely off of it. Would be much worse if someone runs into the back of your boat cause they are not expecting you to do a Mac bump.

From what I understand, there were about twenty trailers shipped without the guides. I also heard a rumor that other boats were damaged. The damage to my hull was from the bolt that held the yellow roller in place. I now have a black V chock there which I do prefer. I find it works to do the incremental winching <I prefer wenching> if the ramp isn't too steep. The ramp at Santa Barbara is very steep and that method just didn't work. The PVC extensions for the rear guides I copied from this site worked wonders at the SB ramp.

Interesting that the standard trailer no longer comes with the bow ladder, and that you can only get that when you upgrade to the deluxe trailer. This feature was, IMHO, a really useful one... shame to see it go.

I think you are also going to find the surge brakes mandatory in pretty much any of the 50 states and 13 provinces/territories (hope I got that right - or did I leave out PEI??) for a trailer/boat combination of this weight.

I cant imagine trailering it without surge brakes unless you have a Peterbilt with the Ukulele option

I cant imagine trailering it without surge brakes

I thought you always needed them towing ANYTHING over 2000lbs.

Anywhere, anytime.

G

Varies by state down here...

On edit - see state by state regs here will also post this in Trailers and Towing for reference

Synopsis - most states require surge brakes once you exceed 1500, 3000, or 4000 pounds

The following states do not have surge brake requirements as of 2004

Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon, Wyoming

The following states have a 4000 pound minimum surge brake requirement Delaware, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, Massachusetts (actually has a 10,000 pound limit??

I note 4000 pounds is the lowest one could realistically hope to reach for a Mac and trailer with no motor.

All of the above states would be good ones to avoid travelling in front of anyone with a trailer imho.....