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I used an old trailer this season...did not get the new one as planned.

I'm now shopping for a torsion axle model for the Outrage 18, and found these folks in Washington State. I'm curious if anyone has any experience with them?

They offer a 2600# model (too light), and this 4000# model (there is nothing in between): http://www.tufftrailer.com//index.php...cts_id=283

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Just a word of caution Mark. Years ago I bought an aluminum fishing boat on a nice trailer and though all was fine. The boat and trailer ended up being a complete mis match.
I think the axle was rated for 3500 pounds and the boat was only around 1000-1200 fully loaded. Every bump I hit was causing damage and severe vibration to the boat and all that was in it. Find a trailer that is closely matched to the weight of your set up so it won't rattle your boat to pieces.

Another note of caution to all is if you ever launch your boat and then have to drive any distance with an empty trailer be very careful. Boat trailers are meant to have a load on them and they bounce all over the highway without a load.

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Very well put Gamalot. I need a trailer with a 3750# torsion axle, nothing more. The choices in my area are Karavan aluminum, King galvanized, and EZ Loader in either material.

This Tuff Trailer may be a good option for a heavier Whaler.

Cheers

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Why do you feel the need for a 3750# torsion axle? I don't know the exact details of your boat but here is the info from here.
Length: 18' 6"
Beam: 7' 2"
Draft: 10"
Weight: 1250 lbs. (standard configuration)
Max HP: 150
Min HP: 75
Motor Shaft Length: 25" (single motor)
Internal Fuel Tank: 63 gallons

I would be surprised if your total package goes much over 2000 pounds.

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The published weight for the 18 outrage was for the balsa wood mock up!!

Actual hull weight is more like 1500-1600 lbs, plus 400 for engine, 400 for full fuel load, 100 for batteries, plus gear. When we trailer to the west coast of Vancouver island, we go with full fuel, and also add down riggers and a 100# kicker. I've weighed the setup, and am usually about 2800#, plus 10% safety margin, plus 700# for the trailer itself. 3800#.

With the above in mind, a 3750 axle is spot on. Locally, we are easily 500# lighter and making very short trips, but I need a trailer to do any trip.

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Interesting Mark. I never heard anything about a Balsa wood Mock up so I have to go with the weights you state for your particular set up. I don't know how these torsion axles come but I do have two trailers with them and both are rated at 3500 pounds which I believe is pretty standard for that size range. Finding one rated for just a few hundred pounds heavier might be the issue. In your above computations are you adding the trailer weight of 700 pounds twice? Was the 2800 pound weight with or without the trailer on the scale? I do like to have some extra capacity for safety but I doubt a 300 pound difference will make much difference at all.

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Sorry, the balsa comment was intended as humour. Most agree the Outrage 18 is a few hundred pounds heavier than Whaler specified in 1981.

I weighed the boat twice, once on each trailer. IIRC, it was 3900 on the tandem in my avatar, and about 3500 on the old 3475 gvw single axle we are currently using. Both weights were when pretty much fully loaded. +/-2800# is the net boat weight, full of fuel and loaded for a trip.

broken down:
1600 boat
400 V6 engine
400 63 gallons of fuel
100 kicker
100 batteries
200-400 for engine rigging and gear
2700-2900 lbs (thiis of course an inexact science)
+700-1000 for a trailer

There are several companies making torsion axles. I have seen them at 3500# rating, 3750#, 4500#, 5200#, 6000#.

King Trailers have been very helpful with answering my questions. Their 3100# capacity trailer uses a Tie Down Engineering 3750# torsion axle. I'm tempted to go up to their 3700# trailer, but they tell me it uses a 6000# axle, perhaps too stiff for the weight of our package.

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I like Wesco trailers.

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My dealer put a new Venture under my whaler when we purchased this summer..its excellent..its about a 3k weight rating and perfect for my rig..dont know if theyre out where you are..mfg in Maryland..good luck

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Marko888, Out my way the Pacific is a great trailer. I don't know if you want to travel this far to get one but... I'm getting close to ordering a trailer for my 1986 18'. They ar telling me to get a tandem axle? Not sure what I want to do, single or tandem. Why torsion axle? Are they really superior? Would you go with single axle, why?

http://www.pacifictrailers.com/

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I recently purchased a new trailer for my Outrage 18 from a manufacturer that custom built the trailer to the boat. It was built at Magnum here near Austin TX. I left my boat with them for one week on the old trailer, and when I got back, I had my boat sitting on the best fitting boat trailer I have ever owned with ANY boat. The manufacturer took care of weighing the boat and designing the custom trailer at 25% over actual weight of boat fully loaded and with kicker that wasn't on the boat calculated into design. I have never been more pleased.

I took the old rig to 3 other trailer dealers and one other trailer manufacturer locally asking them to modify my existing trailer by using keel rollers and adding length, they all said the same thing: I would not be happy modifying an existing trailer to fit the Outrage, I really needed to have a trailer custom built. I took this advice and now I can load and unload this boat at any ramp and from the bank or beach in many areas.

If there is a trailer manufacturer in your area of Canada or somewhere close enough to reasonably commute, I think you would be $$$ ahead as well as much happier with the results to go see them with your current rig and get a custom built trailer. You can spec ANY combination of GVW capacities you want and choose between all the different types of hubs, wheels, brakes, and materials of construction. My trailer pulls just as well without the boat on it as it does with the boat on it, it does not sway or hop when it is empty. A properly designed trailer is a rare thing indeed, but they don't actually cost any more than a good modified trailer that will be dangerous in my opinion under most conditions, and a custom built trailer will definitely last longer without damaging your boat at all. I have tried both routes, I will never have anything other than a trailer specifically built for my boat again.

To see what a custom built all-aluminum keel roller/bunk trailer looks like, check out my personal page here. The original modified to fit trailer appears in the first pics, just as I bought the boat and trailer. The last 2 pics show the boat on the new custom trailer.

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Salmonboy,

Our 18 was originally on a tandem, painted roller trailer. My first mission was to get the boat off of that roller trailer...but it did tow very nicely on that tandem for the 2000 mile trip home.
This being said, many agree that a single axle trailer is totally fine under an classic Outrage 18. Benefits are lighter weight, less maintenance (2 hubs instead of 4), greater maneuverability, and easier to move around by hand, such as when jockeying inside your garage. The downsides are perhaps slightly "busier" towing characteristics, and no redundancy if a tire blows out.
Only one vendor (a dealer, not a trailer builder) suggested I go to a tandem because we do trips over the mountains to the coast, but I'm going single axle.
Torsion axles have a ride quality advantage, being both quieter and providing independent suspension, as well as allowing everything to ride a bit lower for more confident handling. Their downside is that they are more expensive, and some designs require the entire axle to be replaced if any part of it gets damaged.

As for custom trailers, I don't think that is always necessary, provided ones local brands offer ideal sizing for your boat. I do think that Aluminium Magnum is a beauty though!