Boat Trailer question

[JohnD]

I have heard of guys taking their boat trailers to the places that do spray-in bed liners for pickups, and having their trailers coated in that. I live on a gravel road, and after having my new boat for only a year, I have several rock chips on the bottom support bars, and it's only a matter of time before it starts to rust from the paint chipping, has anyone tried that? If so, how did it work, and how much did it cost?

[Steve Bakken]

We actually started providing that service about a year ago and we've been very happy with the results. No unhappy customers. The material we use is just a little but more rubbery than the spray-on bedliners, which provides a little more protection for the trailers because the rocks "bounce off" the material with less likelyhood of chipping through it. It is also tintable with any color so that we can formulate it to match the boat or the existing color of the trailer. With the boat removed, the price typically has been running between 400 and 500 dollars.

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Steve @ Bakken's Boat Shop www.bakkensboatshop.com

[LwnmwnMan2]

I've got a 16' dump trailer that I did this to, living on a gravel road and hauling firewood in the winter, figured my paint would be all rust in the first 2 years. The only problem with this is, when I ordered the trailer, they didn't paint or primer the metal before the rubbery material was put on, and the material, when cold, gets kinda brittle. I've got just as much rust problem now as I would have without the coating, seeing as before I could have just sanded down the spots that were rusting and repainted over them. If you get it done, hopefully you can get the trailer at least primered first.

Lwn

[Steve Bakken]

Lwn has a very good point here. That stuff, whichever variant one uses, was NEVER designed to go over bare metal. There's no chemical adhesion there. If we have a brand new trailer, a 180 grit scuff over the factory paint is all that should be done, otherwise your removing the factory rust inhibitor. If the trailer is already rusty, a good sanding or sandblasting followed by a zinc-phosphate primer and then a good epoxy sealer prior to application of the texture is the only way to go.

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Steve @ Bakken's Boat Shop www.bakkensboatshop.com

[cd3]

i take it once the rust has already set in on my trailor, its too late to consider this now isnt it,, that trip to lake oahe really chipped up my trailor and of course its starting to rust,,had to detour on a gravel road for 30 miles,,,,my oh so not new anymore boat and trailor,, oh well,

[Steve Bakken]

Not really a problem. A good job of sandblasting will usually take care of even the toughest rust cases.

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Steve @ Bakken's Boat Shop www.bakkensboatshop.com

[cd3]

interesting,, ill keep your # if i decide to do something like that, seems that it would be decent to walk on also,,weve all been there trying to hook up the boat walking the slippery rail on the trailor.

[Norsky]

I put the Herculiner product on my truck last summer. I bought one gallon and it was more than enough for my full size chevy. I will defineately put it on my boat trailer in the near future also. The stuff is easy to use and extremely durable. You could easily do a boat trailer for $50. The sprayed on liners may look a little nicer and be a little thicker, but I have abused the Herculiner stuff I put in and have yet to scratch it or anything.

[Bob/Mn]

It sure works well on my trucks receiver hitch. No more sanding and painting after a winter of exposure to road salt.
It should work well on a trailer.

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