Mobile boat trailer servicing for owners across Sydney. Marine-grade bearings, brake corrosion management, rollers and winches, sealed lighting, hot-dip galvanising touch-up. We come to your home, marina or storage yard. From $320.
Most trailer service principles apply equally to boat trailers. The difference is saltwater. Every component on a boat trailer is in a slow-motion fight with corrosion, and the parts most exposed are the ones that matter most: bearings, brakes, lights, the chassis itself.
A boat trailer that gets launched weekly in Sydney waters has a wildly different service life from a freshwater-only or rarely-used trailer. The right service interval and the right products matter more on a boat trailer than on any other type.
The single most common failure mode on Sydney boat trailers. The bearing housing heats up during a tow to the boat ramp. The trailer gets backed into the water. The bearing housing cools rapidly, contracting. Water is drawn past the seal. Inside the hub, salt water meets bearings designed for grease, not brine.
Three ways to manage this:
Override and hydraulic boat trailer brakes are routinely submerged. The same corrosion processes apply. Drum-style brakes are particularly affected because the brake shoes can corrode together with the drum.
Many newer high-end boat trailers use stainless steel disc brakes specifically because they resist corrosion better. Conversion from drum to stainless disc is a real upgrade for a boat trailer that gets used frequently.
Trailer lights designed for road use are not designed for submersion. Some owners disconnect the lights before launching, which is correct. Others do not, which is why so many boat trailers have failed lights.
Three options for boat trailer lighting:
We fit all three depending on owner preference and budget.
Rollers wear out. The boat sits on them under load for years, and the rubber compounds degrade in UV and saltwater. Worn rollers damage the boat hull during launch and retrieval.
Skid pads (the carpet-covered runners on some trailers) wear differently but need attention. The carpet wears through and the underlying timber rots if it gets wet.
The strap or cable wears, the gear seizes, the ratchet fails. Replacement winch units are cheap and a fundamental safety item: a failed winch on a launching ramp with a boat half-loaded is a bad situation.
Boat trailer chassis are hot-dip galvanised because that is the only finish that survives. Eventually, even galvanising fails at weld points, ladder rungs, and anywhere there is a mechanical interface. Surface rust on a galvanised trailer is normal. Structural rust (you can put a screwdriver through it) is a write-off signal.
We can do touch-up galvanising treatment on small areas of breakdown. Major chassis replacement requires a specialist trailer manufacturer.
Two reasons. First, boat trailers need marine-specific grease and replacement seals that cost more than standard. Second, the service is more thorough because the consequences of failure are higher (a brake or bearing failure on the F3 highway with a boat in tow is a serious event).
Yes for most services (bearings, brakes, lights, winch). For roller and skid replacement we need the boat off because the rollers are under load. For a full chassis inspection it helps to have the boat off but is not strictly required.
Yes. Almost every used boat trailer we see has been under-serviced. Spend $320-$480 now and find out what you have actually bought before you discover it on a boat ramp.
We can do a written mechanical inspection report for insurance purposes. Useful after a road incident where the trailer needs an assessment. Quoted separately depending on what the insurer needs.
Yes. Many of our boat trailer services happen at private and public marinas where the trailer is stored. We just need access, mains power, and water.
We service the trailer, not the boat. For boat engine servicing, fuel system flushing, hull maintenance, you need a marine mechanic. We can recommend one in your area.