Boat Trailer Repair: Bearings, Bunks, Lights and Frames

Boat trailers fail differently from horse or utility trailers, because they go under water at every launch. Bearings, brakes, lights and steel frames all pay for it. Typical prices around Ocala: bearing service $150 to $250 per axle (bearings and races $150 to $360 when they are wet inside), bunk boards $200 to $450 a pair installed, a lighting fault $100 to $200. We do boat trailer work where the trailer sits.

Where Ocala boat trailers go in the water

Marion County gives a boat trailer a lot of launching to do. The county’s visitor bureau lists ramps on Lake Weir, more than 5,600 acres near Belleview and Weirsdale, at Hope Boat Ramp (park pass holders) and Carney Island; on the Rainbow River at the US 41 bridge and KP Hole Park in Dunnellon; on the Ocklawaha River at Ray Wayside Park, Gore’s Landing, Moss Bluff and Eureka; and at Orange Springs on Rodman Reservoir. Fresh water or not, water in a hub is water in a hub. See Dunnellon, Belleview and Fort McCoy.

Bearings: the first thing to fail

Every manual we checked treats immersion as a special case:

• Featherlite: if an unsealed bearing has been immersed in water, replace the bearing before next use.
• 4-Star: replace bearings promptly if immersed in water.
• Dexter: boat trailer axles see repeated immersion, so before storage remove the drums, clean, dry and relubricate the brake parts, and inspect, clean and relubricate the bearings. Dexter also says its E-Z Lube feature is designed to allow immersion, axles without it are not, and their bearings should be repacked after each immersion. Its sealed Nev-R-Lube bearings are not designed for immersion.

So on a boat trailer that launches often, plan on bearing service more often than the 12 months or 12,000 miles Dexter gives for a dry trailer. See wheel bearing service and hub hot or wheel noise.

Common boat trailer jobs

Full ranges are on the pricing page.

Bunks and rollers

Bunks are treated boards wrapped in carpet that the hull sits on. When the carpet wears through or the board rots, the hull rides on bare wood or a bolt head. Replacement carpeted boards run about $54 to $109 a pair by length; we replace boards and brackets and set the bunks to the hull. Rollers get replaced when they flatten, crack or seize.

Lights at the ramp

Trailer lights on a boat trailer get dunked every launch. Sockets corrode, splices go green, and grounds rust. Florida still wants two red taillamps visible from 1,000 feet and stop lamps visible from 300 feet (s. 316.221, s. 316.234). See trailer wiring and lights and trailer lights not working or flickering.

Brakes on boat trailers

A boat trailer over 3,000 lb gross needs brakes on all wheels and a breakaway system that stays applied at least 15 minutes (s. 316.261). Dexter’s advice for boat trailer brakes is the same as for the bearings: pull the drums before storage, clean, dry and relubricate. See trailer brake repair.

Tires that sit

Boat trailers often sit for months between trips, and sitting is hard on tires: age matters more than tread. The last four digits of the DOT code on the sidewall are the week and year the tire was made. See tires and wheels.