1977 v20 and ez load trailer repair

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by Lance Pearson

It already has four holes drilled through the center of the section...two hold the license bracket on and the cross brace, two more spaced about 18" apart moving forward on the trailer. I'll fill the section but look for the kind of u shaped brackets and bolt it in place with that given your advice.

The last section really does not carry a ton of the weight but I want it to be as good as I can make it. If need be I'll have a u shaped section welded to it.

We will see what I can make work out without drilling more holes and using the holes that are there. I can shape a 4 x 4 to fit inside it with my bench saw and fill the cavity then drill the holes in the wood for the existing holes which should be enough to hold it in place and it will stiffen them up very considerably.. I was just going to use 1/4" bolts but want to be conservative so will go this way. I might also use squared off U bolts but I much prefer through bolts.. Will measure and look. If I remove the back bolts the spreader bar between the rails, last one is affixed to them so I will have to put the stern of the boat on 6 x 6 wood blocks to get the weight off it so the rails can't spread while I do it. Fortunately with two vintage corvettes I also have heavy duty jack stands and can block the back up to relieve the weight while I work quickly.

Seriously... Don't be fooled. Your engine sits at the back of your boat and there's also the weight of the fuel tank and batteries. Don't be fooled by thinking that the rear of the trailer has little weight. If anything it carries more weight than any other section of the boat. I just scrapped a boat last month where the weight of the engine cracked the transom while trailering. (That's why they sell transom savers for trailering). Sometimes trailer manufacturers will put holes in trailers to mount keel rollers and other items, but they usually make those parts stronger to account for the added stress. And, like Phatdaddy said, tube's rot from the inside out, so any water that goes into the tube thru the holes from launching and retrieving the boat stays inside and over time destroys the structural integrity of the part. I'm ex-Navy and can attest to the power of oxygen and salt water to quickly wreck havoc on any metal.