I have had different boats all my life and I know the weak link in trailable boats is the trailer. I would gladly have paid the extra money to have a true salt water trailer. Maybe the boat dealers should explain better to the consumer. I guess reputation in the trailer business is not as important as a boat manufacturer's reputation. My trailer repair shop knows how to repair the trailer correctly so why shouldn't a manufacture? Bottom line is they want to make the trailer inexpensive to be competitive and not worry about what happens after the sale a few years down the road. I bet 90% of your BR 230's are salt water boats so why not make the trailer as salt water proof as possible. Tom, mostly agree with you but Magic Tilt builds a trailer specifically for the BR 230. I have asked the same question, "Why build an aluminum trailer and use all those galvanized parts?" I have dealt with thousands of trailers in my life, and different brands. Mar 31, 2020I am not in the trailer building business, thankfully. I urge anyone using their boat in salt to opt for this package. Most of the builders now have a stainless package or salt water option. I know the trailer business is a tough one. Only so much that can be done with brakes, but there are upgrades there too. It's a nice option and really helps to keep the trailer looking and working better long term. That consists of SS fasteners throughout. For salt water use they have a "Salt Water" package option. Same as the other mentioned parts, some fasteners just need the strength of steel, so it's common to see cadmium plated fasteners on trailers. They stepped up and filled his shoes without missing a beat. He retired and sold the company to a couple of Canadian guys. I consequently sent a ton of business his way. But how about those fasteners? I have used Wesco trailers for years now, mostly because the owner was a really great guy who gave me the best service you could expect from any company. I have seen aluminum used, but not at all common. A winch stand another high stress example, and these parts are commonly not aluminum. For instance, the tongue of an aluminum trailer is generally galv steel instead of aluminum because it is a high stress area. In some areas you need the strength of steel in a smaller part. People I would consider honest hard working people in general. I have had some good friends in the trailer business. I am not in the trailer building business, thankfully. ![]() To me, the use of galvanized components is normal and you will see that on every off-the-shelf aluminum trailer. If your Magic Tilt didn't have these pads, that is almost surely the cause of problems. As required, they use polymer pads and shims between dissimilar metals, which is a must to ward off galvanic corrosion. The main beams are aluminum, but almost everything else is galvanized steel or stainless steel. My current trailer is a Venture, very nice trailer. There are only 1-2 trailer component suppliers in the US that I know of and all their brackets and attachment parts are galvanized steel. Trailer components tend to be generic and used across different trailer brands. But I have owned several aluminum trailers from different brands and they all have galvanized pieces and brackets. I don't think you can buy an off-the-shelf aluminum trailer that doesn't have at least some galvanized components - many trailer parts are only made with galvanized steel, whether because of commodity or structural reasons I can't say. I left the brakes off because I only tow the boat 1 mile to a ramp. I ended up spending $1400 to bring the trailer up to good condition and this is not even fixing the brakes. I think it is just a poor decision by Magic Tilt. My point is why build an aluminum trailer and use galvanized components which will not last. Lug nuts were plain steel not Stainless.There were other issues like the brakes not working but this is pretty common for salt water trailers. The bolts supporting the bunks were steel not aluminum and nearly disintegrated, the guide post were galvanized and one had fallen off last year from corrosion I have now replaced both with aluminum. The repair shop I went to was excellent and showed me the problems with this trailer. ![]() Since I only use the trailer to travel about 1 mile to the ramp I have not had my trailer serviced until this year. I use the trailer about 5 times per year and have always washed off trailer after using in salt water. I have a BR 230 with the custom Magic Tilt trailer. Just wanted to give purchasers or owners of Magic Tilt trailers a heads up or warning.
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