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A friend of mine recently bought a 1970's 13' whaler and on the 70 mile trip home, the trailer blew a tire on the Maine Turnpike. As we all know this is everyone's worst nightmare. It was a nightmare for him, even with my phone support. 

For the record, the tire tread and sidewalls looked in good shape but the tire age was unknown. The tire completely disintegrated. 

  This event got me thinking about my trailer tires. The tires are 2003 and have low miles. Visually the tires look fine and hold pressure. 

Given that they are 8 yrs old, hold the boat 99% of the time and are dunked in salt water, how do you really know when they need to be replaced?  

While I currently don't have a spare, given my friend's experience, I will be getting one. 

I am pretty happy with the brand (Load Star) so I don't need help there.

What is the consensus for when to replace the tires? How old is too old?

Would you buy just the tires and remount them (jacking/blocking the trailer) or get new rims to save the hassle and potential mounting issues?