What trailer would you pick?

Offramp

New Member
I might need to buy a trailer for a Sunfish in order to get it from SE Michigan up to northern Michigan. After it gets to NMI, the trailer will be used more like a dolly getting the boat from our garage to the lake in our front yard and then out of the lake in the fall, back to the garage.

Any suggextions on what make and model I should consider?

Surfing the web the past few days i see that the Trailex SUT200 seems to pop up as the most common hit. I am not for sure it is the best choice. I've got no clue what the Trailex is like.

I called the local sailboat sales center and they sell a "Caravan" trailer slightly modified. It's a galvanized trailer.

What do you recommend?
 
If you're going to use the trailer as a dolly as well, then I think your best bet would be the Trailex. It only weighs about 90 pounds so it's light enough to be used as a dolly. A galvanized steel trailer for a Sunfish would weigh around 200 - 250 pounds making it too heavy to be used as a dolly.
 
I like and bought a Trailex after much researching trailers. It's about the only one that dosn't use the keel chine on a Sunfish to support the boat. You'd think a keel would be the strongest area, but in a fish it's one of the weakest. None of the support blocks reinforce the keel.
I've seen WAY to many damaged keels from those small v block front supports most small trailers use.
 
You could consider a trailer dolly. Harbor Freight has them for around $50, even less on sale. The nice one has all-terrain wheels. Great for saving your back no matter what trailer you end up with. Don't worry too much about what guides a trailer comes with. Take a look in the Class FAQ for ideas on how to devise bunks that give better support than all that stock stuff meant for motor boats.
 
I might need to buy a trailer for a Sunfish in order to get it from SE Michigan up to northern Michigan. After it gets to NMI, the trailer will be used more like a dolly getting the boat from our garage to the lake in our front yard and then out of the lake in the fall, back to the garage.

Any suggextions on what make and model I should consider?

Surfing the web the past few days i see that the Trailex SUT200 seems to pop up as the most common hit. I am not for sure it is the best choice. I've got no clue what the Trailex is like.

What do you recommend?

I have been happy with my Trailex Sunfish trailer. However, your proposed use is different from mine. It appears that you barely need a trailer once you get your fish to Northern Michigan. A dolly would do just fine for (far) less money to get your boat into, and out of, the garage. Couldn't you transport the fish on top of your car (or with a pickup truck) for that one trip?
 
I have been happy with my Trailex Sunfish trailer. However, your proposed use is different from mine. It appears that you barely need a trailer once you get your fish to Northern Michigan. A dolly would do just fine for (far) less money to get your boat into, and out of, the garage. Couldn't you transport the fish on top of your car (or with a pickup truck) for that one trip?


Excellent point. I'm thinking about trailering the Sunfish on my neighbor's utility flatbed trailer rather than place it on top of our short Jeep Liberty.

I am open to suggestions from all about how to place the Sunfish on a flat bottom trailer floor. I am guessing on using some "eggcrate" padding and /or furniture pads but should I place the Sunfish on it hull or on it's top?
 
I've done it both ways. It's a little more stable upside down unless you can form the cushioning to the V shape of the hull. Just make sure what ever you use for padding is thick enough to not compress totally when you strap/tie the boat down.
 

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