Magic Tilt Trailer FAIL Rust caused trailer tongue to separate from Trailer Body

[spritemann]

Has this happened to anyone else?  My Magic Tilt trailer separated at the tilting pivot point due to rust.  I'll admit, this is ENTIRELY MY FAULT as I didn't inspect the trailer carefully when I inherited my CP-16 last year.

As I looked at the design, I realize that the ENTIRE load of the trailer and the boat are dependent on a 1/4" thick sliver of galvanized steel on the trailer tongue at the pivot point.  Please take some time to inspect this point on your trailer with a flashlight and a mirror.  Thank goodness this didn't happen on the highway. 

I was very lucky that I had just floated my CP-16 and was pulling the trailer up off off the launching ramp when it folded.  Additionally, the square box trailer tongue jammed into the U-Channel trailer section so it still held together (somewhat) until I got up off the ramp.





I cut off the end of the box tongue, and re-drilled a new pivot hole and reassembled the trailer. 





I didn't have my right-angle drill but I intend to drill a new hole here and insert a safety pin here so the tongue pulls on something more substantial than just the 1/4" tip end of the box tongue.

[Keith]

Wow!  Thanks for the head's-up...something to add to my "to do" list.  That's exactly the reason trailering is one of the most stressful parts of this whole hobby...so many potential catastrophes.

Cheers,

Keith

[spritemann]

@keith.  You ain't kiddin'  I knelt down and did a Tim Tebow when I thought  of what would happen if this would have happened on the road.  Safety chains would be of no use in this type of failure.  Happy Sailing!

[Smier]

Wow, thanks for the tip, I will definitely be checking my recently acquired trailer out!  It was certainly neglected for almost a decade...

[deisher6]

Hey Spritemann; Thanks!
Our C-16 is an '89 and we drug it up from Florida to Montana last summer.  With your post in mind I checked out the pivot pin and right in front of the pin where there is a "Y" in the frame I noticed that I could see through the channel iron.  I am guessing that our boat was kept at a dock year around, that the trailer was stored on its side and that water gathered at that juncture.  It was a eye opener!

Shortly after I discovered this .....  noticed a strip of tread missing from a tire while recovering the boat... so had my friend with the fork lift unload the boat and had a local shop weld plates on the frame and weld the tongue to the frame (no more magic tilt).
 
While the boat was off I thought that I would go to 10 inch tires.  Ordered 205/65-10 E 10 ply tires from Northeast Marine Industries.  Big OOPs, have to pay attention to all those numbers.  With the fenders off, and the tires mounted backwards, the tires cleared the frame by 1/4 inch.  Since I really liked the tires and the heftier load limit, went for broke and bought an axle (since a couple of them were reported breaking this summer) fenders U-bolts bearings and seals.  Just bought one fender, cut it in half and used the original brackets.  When the charge card settled down the total cost was about $525, and about a 1/2 sqin of skin shaved off from using a 3/8 in socket instead of 1/2 in *(*&%*&$.

$300 for three tires and rims, the rest for the stuff above, winch strap and bow roller.

Since the boat was down for a while, replaced the bowsprit with 1/2 inch of teak laminated onto 3/4 oak.  The original had split.

For those of us in WA, MT, OR, CA, AK, Highly recommend SIX ROBLEES.  I found them in Billings after going to 5 trailer places in Helena and Billings.  They carry everything for all types of trailers, good advice, stock, price.  I had never heard of them before, but recommend them, at least the one in Billings.

Again thanks for the heads up, Spritemann.

regards charlie

[HillnTX]

It never ceases to amaze me that a CP16 can sit on its keel un braced without falling over.

[Bob23]

Charlie: You got a train running through your yard? And what is that behind the fence- some kind of top secret military communications site?
bob23

[Smier]

I'll be interested on how the 10" tires and wheels perform, my skinny little 8" tires make me nervous.  They were too hot for my liking on our 330 mile trip to Canada last month.  I too am amazed that the 16 can stand on its keel
Like that!

[MacGyver]

    <What I looked like when I noticed that in the picture, then checked it again and again for 2 days.

Want to do it with my 19, but probably will just lift her in a lift at work instead...     .. much easier.

Just ordered the new 10 inch tires for my trailer for the 19, really happy with the 1650 load rating on each tire.... 

Mac

[deisher6]

Hey
Thanks for your comments.

There are actually two 1X3's supporting the boat.  The slope of the sidewalk is to much for it to stay upright unsupported

The BMSF railroad has tracks 30 yards in front of our house.  However, the switch was a present from my father in law, the last Milwaukee agent in Prairie county to the admiral.  It sits on our driveway and since it is set to show red, no trains have turned into our driveway.  A couple of years ago I suspect that a couple of my larger maths students were going to move it somewhere.... They got it moved less than a foot and gave up!

The antennas are from our neighbor Midrivers Telephone.  We are lucky to have two optical cables in the alley behind our house.

Put 180 miles on the tires this weekend and am very pleased with their performance.  The ramp that we use  is fairly steep and there were no problems launching or recovering.  I recommend the tires, een with the $500+ cost.

Bought the two yellow towing straps that you can see rigged around the boat at our local ACE.  They are rated for 2000lbs and just fit around fore and aft of the keel.  Linked together with chain with about 2-3 foot of slack, the boat seems to balance well when lifted with one fork.  If by buddy didn't have a fork lift handy think that I would see if I could borrow a farm hand to do the lifting.  Boat lifts are few and very far between here.

regards charlie