Stainless Steel Trailer – Pricey Bling or Practical Pizazz?
Small boat skippers can be broken down to two types – Those that moor and those that launch and retrieve. Both systems have pros and cons and all skippers have an opinion as to which is the better system. I suppose nowadays we are seeing the rise of racked storage boats as well but that is closer to having a moored boat than a trailered one.
Most skippers first concerns are for the hull and engine. All others are secondary. Seen by many as a necessary evil, the humble boat tailer doesn’t get much of a look in other than some annual maintenance. As with all things boating there are constant changes and improvements in all areas of boating, trailers don’t escape that modernisation despite things having not changed rapidly in many years.
Having long moved on from bunks and break-backed units the modern roller trailer makes for easy launching and retrieving. Swinging rear cradles are the norm for angling dinghies. Largely gone, except for imported second hand trailers, the harsh multi-leaf spring is a thing of the past. Yes, independent rubber suspension systems are recognised as the most craft-friendly suspension system to tow your boat on. There are some trailing arm units in the marketplace but they tend to need shock absorbers to be effective so systems like Al-Ko’s Independent rubber suspension (IRS) reign supreme for simplicity and longevity.
What do we expect from our trailers?
I have had two trailers under my current Warrior 175. My first Indespension trailer, and I chose an Indespension trailer, started struggle at about five years. I did some wheeling and dealing and moved to a Roller-Coaster 10 and have had this trailer for about twelve years. At twelve there is more than the average maintenance to be done to keep the Indespension trailer in top order. The trailer would gladly work away for a good while longer if given some TLC and some new U-bolts and some roller pins and washers. But as ever, when you have notions for some towing it’s important to have the best under the boat; I decided to have a look-see.
A Competitive Market
In recent times there are a few more entrants to the market that was largely dominated by Indespension and Rapide. SBS trailers have made a decent chunk of market share for themselves and the new-kids-on the block , Extreme Trailers, are certainly causing a stir. There are a few smaller makers and a few Dutch makers like Brenderup that have a niche following.
In a world of boat package deals the trailer becomes the whipping boy. Boat manufacturers are usually looking for the cheapest trailer they can get in order to keep the package price down. The world is changing. Both buyers and manufacturers realise that the discerning boat angler that tows is looking for a trailer that is going to last a long time with minimum maintenance. Of course, the mooring skipper is looking with raised eyebrows and will want a trailer to “just do the job” for the couple of times a year the trailer will be used.
Let’s talk about Galvo!
The galvanised trailer was and still is the standard for all boat trailers. You can have different designs, but the basic galvanized steel frame has been the best, most long-lasting option for most boat trailers. You can expect them to last at least a decade without much other than routine maintenance, and you can overhaul it at that stage and get yourself back on the road after a bit of fresh galvo and new brake workings. Before that day comes you’ll probably have to do some work on pins, rollers and clips and maybe even changing a u-bolt or two along the way. We are not considering the “regular “servicing” that entails brake shoe replacement and wheel bearing replacement – These are just the price you must pay for not mooring your boat. I suppose an accountant would say that in costing terms that a trailered boat would still have lower standing costs than a moored vessel.
Time for a change
So, the matter at hand is one of changing my trailer. As usual I attacked the issue with the same methodology I use when replacing any major part of my fishing system: Gather information and make comparisons on price, quality, design and ease of use; ultimately arriving at a decision that should be the best for my system going forward. It’s meant to work that that way, hopefully!
In terms of trailers one of the greatest leaps forward is the arrival to the market of some stainless-steel units. Immediately your ears would have to prick up – A stainless trailer is somewhat the holy grail of boat trailers. The offerings I had seen were Dutch and were rather impressive specimens. At first glance I felt this was a light looking trailer for the 175. Whatever about motorways, we do have to tow into some more inhospitable areas so strength is an important trait in any trailer.
Changing your trailer is not sexy – Changing your motor is sexy. Changing your electronics is sexy. Hell, changing anything is sexy but changing trailer can be considered a necessary evil. When I started my search I decided from the outset to change from Indespension. Rapide never entered the equation – maybe they have improved over the years. SBS would be worth a look and of course I’d take a look see at the Extreme Trailers unit that was being put under most Warrior boats coming out of the factory. Of course I had a chat with Phil in Warrior boats to see what was happening in the world of trailers. I had seen him supply stainless trailers to more and more customers and so I was also looking for the benefit of his experience in this area too.
So why would you buy a stainless steel trailer? Let’s just say that if you want the best and then we work from there? It’s really is as simple as that. You hope that a stainless trailer is going to last longer that it’s gavlo cousin. There’s no doubt that stainless should look better as it gets older. There should be less maintenance on the rollers and fittings. After that, the maintenance is going to be similar.
A stainless trailer does not have a stainless axle. No, the axle is the standard trailer axle as is the hitch assembly and jockey. Apart from plastic mudwings, the rest should be 316 marine grade stainless.
The Extreme EXT1800SS
Ok, we know that the Dutch Vanclaes company were, as far as I am aware, the first to offer a stainless marine trailer in Europe. Their trailers look very well and many have a typically Dutch roller system, with many using wheels rather than rollers. I’m sure the system is incredible, but I really want the weight distribution that rollers offer. Also, I have seen a few older VC trailers and some of the plastic fittings were fading from the striking orange and didn’t look too great. Warrior didn’t have the greatest experience from this first entry into the stainless market.
I had seen a good few Warriors leaving the factory with Extreme trailers, both galvo and stainless. When I spoke with Warrior I became more interested in the Extreme trailer. What I like to see is that Extreme have taken feedback from users like Warrior and have modified their trailer to suit our needs better. It’s relatively easy for them as they cut their own steel and fabricate all parts in their factory in Southampton. This is a really big thing for the UK market – It’s a UK Built (and designed) stainless trailer!
So what struck me? At first glance the finish is nothing short of superb. Then, as you begin to look more closely you begin to see an attention to detail that is almost OCD. I’m talking small things here- rubber coating items that can rub, fitting anodes where stainless meets mild steel. Say nothing about the lashing points and the side steps that are all movable. The movable steps are a great idea.
The EXT1800SS has an Al-Ko axle fitted. The axle is powder coated black rather than galvanised. A big change to me will be the sealed for life bearings. I must say I am used to tapered rollers and like the comfort of greasing them regularly. I spoke with a few users of the sealed-for-life units and the feedback is good. I suppose I must move with the times. The 13 inch alloys are snazzy and again, a first for me. The17mm wheel nuts are small compared to the 27mm I used have. I did spray these up with a lanoguard to hopefully banish rust here. The tyres are the usual chunky “Savero” type. Lovely tyres. The Al-ko Hitch is a bit more fiddly than the one I’m used to but I think that is more down to me. After a few runs I am pleased with the simplicity of operation. The Jockey wheel is superb. It is heavy duty and lifts very high. We seem to be getting more jockey hammering sadistic speed bumps every year.
The roller system is the familiar swinging cradle at the rear, a Warrior specified middle bank of rollers and all ending at the twin roller snubber at the head stock. The rollers are made in-house by Extreme and are of the non-marking variety. Red rollers are standard with EXT1800SS but really you can have whatever colour suits you. The red looks particularly attractive. The roller axles are now tubular stainless and of course there are stainless pins and washers as you’d expect. The pins and rollers eventually were a pain on my Indespension, only on the swinging arm, where they would be dipped in salty water. The headstock on the EXT1800SS is a thing of beauty. Extreme fit a modified pillar when the owner is going to fit an electric winch. There is a space for a battery box and the top plate is elongated so the manual winch can be fitted as well as the electric. It really is a thing of beauty.
There are movable lashing eyes fitted. Very handy. I did have to raise the spare wheel carrier as it rode a bit low, it would be fine on a bigger 4×4. I just drilled out the beautifully made spare wheel carrier and fitted to the upper chassis rail rather than the lower. Job sorted.
As per regulations there is a plethora of marker lamps fitted to the trailer. These are LED and hopefully will last the pace. I’ve never had side lights so I’m looking at them as another job in the future! I do find them tricky reversing in the dark as they are quite bright. I’ve had to disconnect them occasionally. There’s an LED lightboard supplied and this sits perfectly on the stainless extensions at the back. I did give these a spray of grease to ensure they slide perfectly. They were very smooth to begin with.
What’s it like on the road?
What can I say? It’s a dream to tow. It’s fairly silent and the weight distribution is fine out from the shop. I will have to do a bit of adjusting to the head-stock height but I’m happy to be able to do that myself.
Launching is effortless. The rollers are superb. They may even be too good on very steep slips. I have had to hold the boat with my painter (Short rope off the bow) in order to get the winch strap off, as the boat just wants to roll! Just be careful out there.
Retrieving is equally easy. You can feel the winch is under less strain as before because of the rollers being so good. As you can imagine it’s a sheer delight not having the black roller streaks at my bow. The keel rollers are only used as touch points on the Warrior but are hard enough that you’ll not need nylon rollers here.
I’ve had lots of admirers at the slipway. People that know-know what they are looking at. Other than that it’s a seriously flashy trailer. People are always amazed at my launch and retrieve, which is basically single handed and rather effortless.
Expectations
What do I hope to get from my EXT1800SS? I would hope to achieve many years of trouble-free towing. I would hope it will look as good in five years’ time as it does now. Will it get there on it’s own? I wouldn’t think so. It’s stainless steel and in my experience all stainless needs a bit of cleaning and minding. In recent times I’ve used Super Stainless as a cleaner on the boat (It’s from the same stable that makes Grunt (fibreglass stain remover). It’s a cleaner that leaves a film on the stainless to protect it and prevent stains. Extreme also gave the trailer a LanoShield/Lanoguard coating to help it along. I’ll guess that I’ll clean my chassis in the springtime when I’m dealing with the boat at that time after whatever fishing we’ll get for the winter.
We’ll update further as we go…..
Importing a trailer from the UK to Ireland
- I am not a customs expert. I do import from the UK on a regular basis.
- For an end-user/retail customer:
- When you buy a trailer from the UK you are importing it into the EU Single Market from a third Country (That’s customs speak for anything outside the EU).
- The UK seller will not charge you UK VAT so the list price will be reduced by the VAT Rate (Currently 20%)
- To get Customs clearance; that’s clearance paperwork-wise and cleared to physically move the item into the country you will have to employ a customs agent. You cannot clear it yourself. (I used TransLand in Dublin. Expect to pay €80-100)
- They will want details from you including your ferry tickets and the purchase invoice for the trailer.. The UK seller may want a copy of your tickets as well. To clear Irish Customs you will be charged Irish VAT – (currently 23%)
- Import duty – Duty depends on the declared country of origin of the item. UK origin goods do not attract duty due to the Brexit free trade agreement (The Extreme trailer is made in the Uk so has UK origin status. An Item from outside the UK in origin will attract duty. Goods from the EU being exported through the Uk may attract duty depending how the item have been treated when it was first imported from the EU. Simply put – Make sure the UK item is declared UK origin. If the item is say, Dutch; you’d want to check to see if there’s duty due. Duty is generally 5-10% but some items from some countries can attract much higher rates.
- The customs agent will take of everything and you can arrive at the ferry port in Dublin or Rosslare without any fear or hassle.
- Many would say – Move the item from the UK through NI. The UK seller is now not exporting the item so must now charge UK VAT. You can still be stopped by Irish Customs and be charged 23%.
- Another option is to buy from the Sellers Agent in Ireland if the seller has one.
Useful links:
Revenue Commissioners – Importing from GB
