TOPIC:

Always had painted trailers and all sooner or later lost paint or did not get enough paint and oxidation started. Reconsidering a painted trailer for a galvanized one. I am looking for input from those who have/had them. Good points, bad points, and yes they are not much to look at. Are they worth the extra money?

Hey Don, on bigger boats aluminum trailors seem to look good through the years as most of the painted ones will rust as they get older. Aluminum might fade a little but my old boat that trailor looked like new and was stored outside. Mike

I have never owned a galvanized, and they are not the sexiest, but over time will likely hold up the best. Painted trailers take a beating, especially with the distance you drive Don. My trailer is painted, but is painted with a truck bed liner type of material - it has been tremendous thus far.

So not just talking about looks but let's get technical. I work in the steel industry and will break it down for you. The difference in painted and Galvanize is in the dipping process. Painted is just steel that has been primed and painted, subject to chipping and this will expose the steel to rust. If you don't keep up on maintenance, like inspections and touch-up painting yes rusting happens fast.

In the Galvanize process it is the same steel but is heated and run through a hot bath of zink which fuses with the base metal and creates a protective layer. It will still oxidize and eventually rust if it get chipped or after the zink oxidation reaches its end of life the steel properties will be subject to to rust.

Alumanize is a similar process to Galvanize except the bath has a much higher Aluminum content.

Aluminum is a total different base metal making it lighter and better rust resistants but not as strong which could be an issue with heavier boats and lots of trailer on rough pothole filled roads, Cline Ave, lol. Hope this helps clear things up.

My father, My brother, Myself all run galvanized due to us having a fishing house in Georgia near the coast. Total of 5 boats all the trailers all look great to date. Besides not being "pretty" I really don't have a negative thing to say about any of the trailers. The bunks will always go before the frame.

Another consideration is what geometry the trailer steel members are made of, such as square versus channel. I bought a new 20 foot boat and trailer in 1989. After 18 years I had the trailer sandblasted, painted and new springs added at the factory (near Elkhart). Essentially the trailer was brand new at about 25 % cost of a new trailer. The painters at the factory told me that because the trailer was made of channel, that it could be completely sandblasted and painted where as you cannot do this with steel members that are square. Also they said square members rust faster (from inside out).
I now have a 2005 24 foot galvanized trailer that I bought used; need to be careful when cleaning the bottom of the boat with a light acid as it reacts with the galvanizing. Biggest problem has been the retainers and bushings on the rollers which had to be replaced. The trailer ramps on the 20 foot trailer were repaired or replaced every 6 years.

Bruce