Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by Nick168 on 07/13/16 - 3:42 PM

I have a old fresh water bass trailer that I want to some how make rust proof on a budget .. Can the 95% zinc spray work if I prep and spray the entire trailer

Posted by Finnegan on 07/13/16 - 10:42 PM

Based on my experience with cold galvanizing compound spray paint, I would say no. It is a soft, not very durable and not very long lasting material, with minimal rust protection. If you will notice, no trailer manufacturer offers a trailer with such a final coating. They always use paint. CGC paint is most recommended for touching up old galvanized surfaces that are begininng to show early rusting and wear.

You would be wise to either use a good quality paint or consider a new/used trailer.

Posted by bradsc on 07/14/16 - 4:42 AM

Unfortunately no. We did some welding on a buddies trailer and used the cold galv spray and it did not protect it. I had my Sport 15's trailer hot dipped by a local galvanizer. That is the best way to help protect a metal trailer from salt water.

If you go the used way, look for an aluminum trailer. If you are going to trailer a good bit and frequent salt water, there will not be a "budget" method. Even on an aluminum trailer in salt water, you will have to replace springs and axles eventually.

Posted by mtown on 07/14/16 - 6:05 AM

Look into Aluthane at Progressive epoxy .com $100/gallon.
The zinc paint is a waste of time. I bought a new galv. trailer years ago and sprayed every nut and bolt with an industrial zinc paint. Less than a year later it looked as if I had done nothing.
for little money, I have not used Aluthane but it seems like a good alternative

I agree with others that an aluminum or galvanized trailer should be in your future plans.

Posted by butchdavis on 07/14/16 - 6:55 AM

No, it just wont work. Get another trailer for salt water use. If you try to use the old one it will soon let you down at the worst possible time.

The only way I can imagine rust proofing a painted trailer would be to COMPLETELY disassemble, acid dip the pieces to remove all paint, completely rinse and hot dip galvanize all pieces. Then reassemble using only stainless steel hardware. Even then I'm not sure I would entirely trust the result.

Posted by tedious on 07/14/16 - 7:32 AM

I used a cold galvanize spray to cover the bare metal when I installed a swing tongue a few years ago. It has been in a saltwater environment ever since, but I confess I have not knelt down and looked inside the tongue with a flashlight. I will do so this weekend and bring back a report.

Tim

Posted by bradsc on 07/14/16 - 8:06 AM

Tedious.......I hope you are not dipping your trailer tongue in saltwater every time you launch and retrieve. The OP is talking about doing his entire trailer.

Posted by tedious on 07/14/16 - 9:03 AM

No Brad, of course not - in fact I "dip" the trailer as little as possible, unlike many others who seem determined to launch the car and boat at the same time!

However, the salt fogs on the Maine coast are incredibly destructive to metals - really tough environment even without any submergence going on.

Tim

Posted by bradsc on 07/14/16 - 9:36 AM

Tim, I know you don't! Also I know what you mean about launching the boat along with the car. On another web site there is a thread about launching your entire rig. Some people think it is funny, but it is really sad. I lived in Newport RI in the 70's and remember a lot of fog. Never thought about it having salt in it!

Tim, Happy boating and be careful up there!