Aluminum is the ideal material for boat trailers
There are a few different materials that can be used to build boat trailers, but time and time again aluminum is the material that we recommend to our clients. The metal is lightweight but very strong, with an excellent weight to strength coefficient that the alloy has. Most boat owners understand this wonderful fact and take full advantage of it when it comes to their trailer. From the perspective of the vehicle that tows the boat, it doesn’t need to be a super powerful truck, as even a compact car works just fine.
Aluminum boat trailers glide along safely and smoothly
Boat trailers that are constructed using aluminum, cruise extremely well along all sorts of roads and pride themselves on moving the boat from home to dock and back again. The durability of the trailer’s metal allows it to maneuver and navigate all kinds of terrain with a moderately powered vehicle, whether it’s up a steep grade, or having to come to a quick stop down a sloppy hill.
Boats tend to be quite heavy, even if they too are made with lightweight aluminum, but even when tacking on the additional weight of the trailer, the transportation vehicle’s engine can effectively harness that weight with relative ease. Inclines and declines, and twists and turns don’t play a big factor, as long as the vehicle has a responsive steering wheel, in combination with some power behind it.
A non-freshwater champ
Corrosion resistance is an attribute that every boat trailer needs to have. There are many metals other than aluminum in particular that are resistant to rust, but they aren’t necessarily reliable options for boat trailers. It’s true that modern aluminum boat trailers are rust resistant, and can be depended on to provide the high level of protection needed for many years.
Even when an average trailer is coated in aluminum oxide, it very effectively resists oxidization from water – further adding to the fact that aluminum as a material was meant for all types of water use. Briny salt water corrosion is extremely caustic, but when utilizing a high-quality aluminum trailer, it assures that the complete boating experience will maintain a rust free existence.
Beautiful looking mariner cradles
Even in situations where the thin aluminum oxide coating picks up scratches along its journeys, the metal only slightly scores and develops a light coating of white powder. This white powder interestingly acts as a healing mechanism, and a new aluminum oxide film takes its place as the trailer goes through its expected aging process.
The boat cradle always maintains its aesthetically pleasing state, thanks to its weight to strength balance and the protective coating collaboratively working together. Steel must be jealous of this fact as it unfortunately can’t say the same thing about itself. An alloy must be heavily zinc galvanized, otherwise the aging looks terrible with an unsightly yellowish-brown appearance that it takes on.
Galvanic corrosion is never a worry when a boat and its trailer both deploy aluminum as the base material. Steel and other ferrous rich materials can’t boast the same claim and should be avoided in most cases. While various plastics are also potential options, they can’t hold up to the wear and tear nearly as well as aluminum.
Modern aluminum alloys are more than solid enough to successfully serve as a tremendous option for boat trailer frames. On the road, or in saltwater, aluminum boat trailers can always hold their own, and anyone who owns one can proudly attest to that.
