Trailer rusting

[Steve M]

My trailer is about 14 months old and is rusting all over even though I rinse it every time I take it out of the water.
What can be done.? What is the right paint to use for a re-paint?
I bought some stuff that is supposed to neutralize the rust prior to painting

Thanks for any help.

Steve

[Paul S]

My trailer is about 14 months old and is rusting all over even though I rinse it every time I take it out of the water.
What can be done.? What is the right paint to use for a re-paint?
I bought some stuff that is supposed to neutralize the rust prior to painting

Thanks for any help.

Steve

What I want to do, but probably won't do because of my already long to-do list....is to paint the entire friggin trailer with POR-15. Our trailer had significant surface rust upon delivery.

I would like to remove all the boards, etc, lightly sand it. Clean, etch, and coat with POR15 then topcoat it with their topcoat paint. Super hard. works great. Hard as, if not harder than, powder coating.

Been using it on my MG and it is a wonderful product. Just don't get any on you, it will be on you for at least a week.

http://www.por15.com

I probably won't get around to it for a year or so, but it is still in the back of my mind to do

Paul

[GBroga]

Steve I feel your pain. I have an 02' X and the trailer sucks in the salt water! I built a rinsing rig I can back up over and do a great job or rinsing and washing the trailer. still the fenders look like crap, the clips that hold the trialer wires turned to dust and the cross beams are looking worse every month. I have tried a lot of rust inhibitors, rust paints, finally I came to realize that painted steel will not last in FL. I sarted looking for a replacement trailer some time ago as I would rather change it while this one still moves than have a broken one on the road somewhere.. I wish Macgregor quit making trailers and just added the cost of an alum tandem with guides to the price--Get me Rogers home address so I can send him the trailer back piece by piece...

[greybird-M]

I see myself having the same problem. My trailer has only been used for a 250 mile or so pull up from Cape Coral to Merritt Island, Florida. The trailer suffered from many dings apparently caused by rocks/stones hitting the trailer during the road trip. These dings are rusting. This Labor Day I will have had boat/trailer for one year and I don't really trust the trailer for anything like frequent use. I do NOT use the trailer-my boat is stored on a cradle, but even so, I don't see it lasting long without rusting out. Mine is the only trailer in my marina that is painted-all others seem to be galvanized aluminum and I would assume yours is also. I plan to obtain a two axle trailer similar to what I have now but NOT painted. So, I have no advice for you and just aim to let you know that you are not alone with the rusty trailer syndrome. Wish it were otherwise .

-Walt

[Jim/OUR PET]

similar situation here... 02X trailer paint is peeling and metal is rusting in a lot of places. i also noticed the Mac bump (to seat the boat into the pad eye) has tweaked the winch support beam and ladder. no structural damage, but it looks like heck.

[Paul S]

They really should offer an optional upgraded trailer (extra cost). Overall

I have no issue with the trailer, performance wise. Pulls well, brakes well (04 has disc brakes), loads great, boat centers fine. But the rust just gets to me.

I would like it to be a boxed design like most other trailers, and galvanized.

Paul

[Jesse Days Pacific Star 2]

We must be lucky. Our 02 trailer looks new still. We're putting around a 1000 miles a year on it and it gets dunked in salt water each time. When we get home I rinse it first then waash it with soap and water. It's still shiny.

Cheers,
Jesse

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I think it's the Northwest air. My '96 trailer is in remarkably good shape. There are just a few rust spots and it still shines. I keep thinking I should touch it up, but it hasn't even gotten to the point where it seems worth the trouble.

The last year I have been rinsing with Salt Away. I use it on the trailer and the boat, particularly the stainless. I also flush the motor with it. It seems to make quite a difference. Without it any risidual salt attracts moisture out of the air and holds it on the surface. I put on the salt away and leave it without further rinsing. This gives it a protective coat.

I also make sure that our last trip of the year is in the lake so everything is dunked and well rinsed in fresh water before being stored. My boat is stored covered in a 20'x30' tarp which also helps although the trailer is exposed below the bottom of the tarp.

[greybird-M]

concerning the Salt Away product:
I MAY BE WRONG BUT!, when I had my trailer hitch installed, the mechanic who did the work got to talking about flushing away salt on marine equipment. He said that he sent a sample of either Salt Away OR a similar product to (I believe) his sister who either worked in or had contacts with a chemical testing laboratory. He said that the result of the tests were that the product(s) were mainly fabric softener. I can't verify the info at all as I don't use either product-just food for thought. I DO know that fabric softener is cheaper than marine salt flushing liquids.

-Walt

[Terry Chiccino]

I hate to say it guys but, Florida is the national proving ground for rust preventatives. Coupled with the salt water good ole' Fla has the complementing humidity. Don't get me wrong, I love the place, my parents live down there in Safety Harbor and all my dad's power equipment is battling the rust, I try to get down there a couple of times a year.
When you guys come up with solutions for corrosion, people listen!