So we're _nearly_ done with what has turned into a six week long odyssey around the U.S. with our MacGregor. We left home port San Diego to go to the MUCK-about sail, where we got in all of about 45 minutes of actual sailing for our 7,000 miles of towing
Firstly, we had a great time meeting people and putting names to faces. Everyone we met was just fantastic, and despite the fact that we didn't get much sailing done because of the weather we had a great time.
We also had a fantastic time on the trip there and back again, seeing old friends and new, and doing all kinds of things we never would have done had we not been driving past, like going to Niagara Falls, seeing a full-scale re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg on the 150th anniversary, watching fireworks from the boat in Hudson, visiting all the stuff in Manhattan, going to all the monuments and museums in D.C., stopping by Roswell NM and Carlsbad caverns--the list is too long to recount here. Suffice it to say that while the MUCK was our "goal", it was the journey that we really loved. A metaphor for life I'd say.
Anyway, I thought I'd post my thoughts about the quality and reliability of the stock trailer. Firstly, we have the "upgraded" factory trailer, which came with stainless steel brakes.
Tires:
It came from the factory improperly inflated to 32 pounds, and because I misunderstood the sidewall, I left it that way and trailered it over 3000 miles half-inflated. This resulted in the loss of all of the side-tread on the stock Carlisle bias-ply 225/75D15 tires.
Despite that loss, I trailered it another 3000 miles until in Albuquerque it became clear that I was pushing it way beyond reasonable. We were now missing chunks of tire and had exposed threads. The Discount tire guy said they were the worst tires he'd ever seen come in that were still inflated. No need for a chorus of how irresponsible/lucky I was with the tires, I already know
Replaced them with Radials, which are FAR smoother.
Despite the severe tire damage that was all my fault, we never had any trailer problems and were able to sustain 75MPH on the freeway reliably. 75MPH was our standard speed. With the radials it was even smoother.
I strongly recommend radials. They're way smoother, quieter, and they wear evenly (not in chunks). Also they're only about $10 more than bias ply. They'll likely last the life of the trailer.
Drawbar:
It's iron, it rusts. The rust converter I put on has worked well, except in the areas where I didn't spray it. It wasn't effective in the non-treated areas at all for some reason. In any case, the stock jack rusted to the point of uselessness, and I replaced it at a West Marine with a Fulton bolt-on for $150 that works way better. Otherwise, the trailer is in good shape, with the aluminum showing no problems after three years in Salt and with a neglectful owner. A fully aluminum trailer should have no issues.
Hubs:
I way over-greased when we started out. I still have grease squeezing out and getting all over everything. But a greasy hub is a happy hub, and we've had zero issues with hubs overheating the entire trip. Hubs have simply been about 50 degrees above ambient the entire time, and never too hot to hold a finger on, which is a good test for overheating if you don't mind burning yourself.
Lights:
Corroded through. When we lost a lightbulb, I wound up completely rewiring the trailer with a $40 set of "over 80"" submersible lights from O'Reilly auto-parts and a $20 7-way plug. It was easy, taking just three hours to replace every bit of wiring on the trailer. My plan is to just rewire the trailer whenever it's a problem, as getting three years out of a $40 investment is worth it IMHO.
Licence plate:
Lost at the Liberty Park launch ramp in New Jersey. Replaced with a printout of our license plate number stuck to the back of the boat with a FEDEX address envelope.
Surge brakes:
A bit "stuck" in that they go hard on and then release without a very smooth braking action. WD-40 on the piston seems to have fixed this. Otherwise working great, and I credit them with avoiding a jackknife in a hard-braking situation in D.C.
Summary:
We still haven't gotten home, but with the boat properly strapped to the trailer, we've had zero issues with the single-axle stock aluminum trailer that weren't ultimately my fault. Even with a lack of maintenance on my part, it has done just fine. The maneuverability of the single axle has been critical in getting around these east-coast cities: We dragged it all around downtown Philadelphia and parked it on the street there to visit the Liberty Bell, all with no issues. I won't be going to a dual axle because I value the extreme maneuverability of the single axle and now know it to be sufficient for the boat.
Roger certainly engineers to the limits, but not beyond them.
Matt
