Aluminum or Steel?

[Hagar17]

I know there's some strong opinions out there. I want to hear them all.

I want a nice-looking new trailer for my '86 18' Exciter. The aluminum ones look great, but how do they hold up? Galvanized? Stainless?Painted? Powdercoated? Rent a slip?

Looking forward to all of the opinions.

Russ

[JW]

Aluminum is nice, but some owners complain of too much 'flex' in the frame when going down the road. Aluminum doesn't have the torsional rigidity of steel. Fiberglass boats need good support. Galvanized steel is ugly, but looks the same after 15 years as the day you bought it. Painted steel looks the best, but after 10 years looks like crap.

I have one painted steel trailer and one galvanized. Since I live on a lake, I'd rather they were both galvanized since all they do is spend half a year in the weeds and half a year in storage holding up my boats.

[BOB'S 283]

russ , assuming you're not in salt and light weight is not a major concern ,i would go with a custom steel trailer . i have an aluminum trailer under my convincor and have hated it since i bought it. i bought it because of weight considerations at the time .i've owned rollers , generic bunks and custom . custom always make you look like you know what you are doing , not to mention offering the best support for the boat . my.02

[Enforcer 24]

Russ, it dependes on what you are doing. Trailer a lot, leave boat at marina on trailer, or just for winter storage. I have had 2 painted steel trailers and they hold up well for all of the above but, RUST IS A PROBLEM. My "Mate sits on a Galvanixed trailer. Lighter than steel by a bit and a bit more rigid than aluminum. With a 18' boat like you have, any will work fine. Galvanized is ugly but look around your local marinas, see what others are using for their boats. Then compare what you want in a trailer and most importantly, shop around to find a deal with good features and load ratings.

[dlcss396]

All of the above posts are correct- just an idea but i would look for a steel trailer and either have it powder coated or look into that sprayed on bedliner stuff- we use it on snowplows here in lovely buffalo, ny- it is somewhat costly though- but it lasts forever!!
We have a guy who does it not the jc whitney stuff although i have never tried thier stuff. good luck!!