im looking for a trailer for my investigator563

[Samantha Parr]

Lake Macquarie, NSW, area
I have just bought an investigator on a mooring, but want a trailer also.
I would really appreciate some recommendations on where to go to buy a trailer as im new to the area.
Samantha.

[Ozzie]

Hi Samantha , welcome to the forum . Im on LM too, eastern side.

I assume you may have bought the 563 over at Carey bay way that was moored and advertised for a while last year.

If you want a standard 563 trailer as per the pics of Ian Bs on other threads (and mine) it is a special build to suit and has a drop axle to clear the long keel. As such you would be looking at big money to have one constructed. Maybe $3000 plus. for regular launching they are the best type of unit as you dont have to submerge the trailer and car at times to float the boat . HOWEVER, if you are going to keep the boat moored and just want a trailer for annual retrieve and antifoul / maintenance which is what I do then modifying a suitable straight axle trailer would probably suite you and be much cheaper than a new trailer. There are boat trailers quite cheap on Gumtree and ebay for sale all the time. You would need to get keel rollers and keel guides welded to the centre of the trailer, but the boat will sit very high and require a steeper ramp to launch.

Sounds odd maybe, but the cheapest way to get a real investigator trailer is buy a old rundown investigator with a good trailer and sell it and keep the trailer.

I have had my 563 moored for seven years now and I find it gives me more use and in some ways less maintenance on some items . The boat is rarely subject to road shock and I have experienced none of the keel bolt or hull problems the regular trailer users do , but it is a personal preference and there are other regular cleaning issues ...such as the pelicans on LM are very "regular" and all eat All Bran

Anyway if i can be of any other help with your new purchase let me know.

[Yara50]

Sam,
If you are looking for a second hand trailer, keep in mind that the boat weighs something of the order of 1 tonne, and whilst the overall length is 5.63m, the keel length is much shorter. Are you going to keep the boat on a mooring?

[vfborg]

i just made one for mine built it of the old one cost about $1ooo if you know some one with a mig welder not that hard to do mine took 4 days

[Yara50]

HI VF,
Your trailer looks lovely, if a tad light.

In NSW they are full of ****** and the procedure to get a new trailer of home design registered is a lot of hassle. I used to wonder why beaten-up old box trailers were so expensive, until I tried to register a new one.

[vfborg]

No i don't thing its to light the tube i used was 75 x50 x4ml wall its a lot stronger than what i had the old trailer was made from c channel with 3 ml wall i think 75x50x4ml wall box section would b stronger the cross sections are 50x50x4ml

[Ozzie]

Yes its the 3mm c section in my original Investigator trailer that is rusting under the gal and needs attention. I had a non gal trailer for my fishing tinnie and it was quite old but had very thick square section . Surface rust was present but you could see it and treat it easily. Ive had rust "creeping under gal" issues in a couple of trailers over the years and so did my dad. I think a well maintained steel trailer is better than a gal one once it gets old. Also you gan weld bits on to your hearts content. Welding gal apparently has toxic byproduct problems so all the old gal needs to be ground away well back from the repair so you don't heat it up.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-r ... 1041311980

just noticed this one on gumtree while looking at boarding ladders . Cheap enough if it would handle the weight. Repairs are easier than a whole new trailer so long as the suspension is rated to the investigators weight. just an example.

[Ozzie]

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-r ... 1042393355

...another one for up to 6m boat..needs new springs , get new springs rated to 563 weight. They come up all the time.