The HideAway has four, along with the attendant axles, springs, and rust.
Driven by a nonresident wet slip rate of close to $265 per month (just
over $3100 per year) the HideAways were motivated to sprout wheels regardless
of additional maintenance worries.
The Florida sun has an insatiable appetite for trailer tires.
It’s sneaky too. A tire with plenty of tread can look
perfectly fine with no observable spider web wall cracks, yet fail without warning, or
a tire can have all the warning signs no tread and still hold air. I
should mention that the HideAway has only left the left the marina once and
that on good wheels.
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| I LIKED THIS TIRE BECAUSE IT SLID EASILY |
A Maintenance Library
The rebuilt junk yard trailer
of unknown lineage has kept the hull off the asphalt for a solid decade and
provided a library of trailer maintenance experience.
The most important lesson I've
learned is constant vigilance
I do a thorough inspection
every month and always before the trailer moves. That way in all likelihood, I'll trip over a tie down line, discover a wheel chock still doing its job, or my 8
foot ladder bumming a ride to the ramp before I start the truck. All these
annoyances have occurred, mercifully not at the same launching.
With these thoughts in mind I noticed this boat in the marina.
At first glance the tire looks fine. In fact it made the journey from the far north
just last spring.
No cracks - Nice deep tread
As I walked by something didn’t look right. Upon inspection --
If That Weren't Enough
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| About a foot off the ground |
The cock pit was nearly full of water and the boat was sitting on its rudder.
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| Cockpit bath tubs are over rated |
I called the owner who sent someone to make emergency repairs.
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| SOME WATER LEAKED INTO THE HULL |
As a sailor you have to be creatively resourceful –
As bad as this looks they relieved the rudder stress and prevented more damage
But Wait There's More!
Sometimes the universe just does not like you that much.
Glad it’s not my turn
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