Trailer Transformation

[cj222]

Just finished this highly modified and refurbished Competitive trailer. Here are some pictures I'd like to share.

 

[RitcheyRch]

Wow, looks great.

 

[cj222]

Thank you!

 

[poncho]

Looks fantastic.

 

[cj222]

@Rich

Looks fantastic.

Thank you!

 

[DLC]

What an Awesome transformation !

Excellent JOB !

 

[cj222]

What an Awesome transformation !

Excellent JOB !

Thank you!!

 

[Jay Dub]

damn, that looks great

 

[renodaytona]

Brand new...

 

[oldman]

Trailer looks great, By adding a third axle do you think it's going to help it be more rigid? Being a trailer for a V bottom those tend to be much more rigid anyways.

 

[FENDERFAB]

Trailer is beautiful!!

 

[cj222]

damn, that looks great

Thank you!

 

[cj222]

Trailer is beautiful!!

Thank you!

 

[cj222]

Trailer looks great, By adding a third axle do you think it's going to help it be more rigid? Being a trailer for a V bottom those tend to be much more rigid anyways.

Thank you! These old Competitive channel trailers are flimsy for sure. The third axle makes it a little more rigid in the rear but the front bow rest and keel pad are what makes it solid .

 

[oldman]

Thank you! These old Competitive channel trailers are flimsy for sure. The third axle makes it a little more rigid in the rear but the front bow rest and keel pad are what makes it solid .

I have an '05 Competitive under a 22' deck and it kills me to tow it any distance, naturally the nose is not fully supported, and the axles are pretty far back, I thought adding a third and splitting the distance might help, and seeing this looks great.

Doing it for stiffness, not really boat weight. Again, great makeover ! ! !

 

[Havasu blue label]

Nice work

 

[cj222]

I have an '05 Competitive under a 22' deck and it kills me to tow it any distance, naturally the nose is not fully supported, and the axles are pretty far back, I thought adding a third and splitting the distance might help, and seeing this looks great.

Doing it for stiffness, not really boat weight. Again, great makeover ! ! !

Thank you! You would be much better off adding support bunks under the center keel and /or under the front sponsoons if there is enough room. My 26ft deck boat is on a Competitive C channel trailer and it has both of those supports I mentioned. It is a tandem axle trailer and it is solid , no flex.

 

[cj222]

Nice work

Thank you!

 

[oldman]

Thank you! You would be much better off adding support bunks under the center keel and /or under the front sponsoons if there is enough room. My 26ft deck boat is on a Competitive C channel trailer and it has both of those supports I mentioned. It is a tandem axle trailer and it is solid , no flex.

Thanks for the advice, I'll take a step back and re-evaluate, the back half is supported pretty well, 22' Placecraft. but trailer has so much flex in the front half, and I'm afraid to pin the nose down to use the boat itself to make the trailer more rigid.

I will just say that trailer was never up to what I thought it should be. From day one it was a problem, and conversations when they were in Bellflower never really satisfied my issues. I personally have nothing good to say. I'll leave it at that.

 

[cj222]

Thanks for the advice, I'll take a step back and re-evaluate, the back half is supported pretty well, 22' Placecraft. but trailer has so much flex in the front half, and I'm afraid to pin the nose down to use the boat itself to make the trailer more rigid.

I will just say that trailer was never up to what I thought it should be. From day one it was a problem, and conversations when they were in Bellflower never really satisfied my issues. I personally have nothing good to say. I'll leave it at that.

I hear ya. They flex a lot at the bend just in front of that first crossmember because they are a flat trailer and nothing there to support it from the bunks forward. What I have done and would do in your situation to fix that flex problem is jack up the trailer from underneath the first crossmember that the center beam ties into until the trailer jack just comes off the ground. That takes all the load and stress off the front section of the trailer. From there I would build a support up front for the sponsoons and or the center keel depending on how far forward it comes. Doing that will make a day and night difference on how the boat rides and trailer tows behind your vehicle. It will also help prevent the cracking in the frame at the bend point over time.

 

[oldman]

I hear ya. They flex a lot at the bend just in front of that first crossmember because they are a flat trailer and nothing there to support it from the bunks forward. What I have done and would do in your situation to fix that flex problem is jack up the trailer from underneath the first crossmember that the center beam ties into until the trailer jack just comes off the ground. That takes all the load and stress off the front section of the trailer. From there I would build a support up front for the sponsoons and or the center keel depending on how far forward it comes. Doing that will make a day and night difference on how the boat rides and trailer tows behind your vehicle. It will also help prevent the cracking in the frame at the bend point over time.

Damn, That is a finesse fix. and helps use the boats own rigidity to help the trailer.
My approach was a sledgehammer, either add the third axle
(thinking if I built the axles on a separate carriage and mounted that to the frame it would add rigidity),
or cut the center beam out of the trailer from the tongue back to the axles and install a 3X3 .240 wall Spine making the front section more rigid. leaving the front sponsons unsupported but trying to tie the long sides that flex into the center section.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[DB / HAV]

Wow! Absolutely beautiful!!

 

[cj222]

Damn, That is a finesse fix. and helps use the boats own rigidity to help the trailer.
My approach was a sledgehammer, either add the third axle
(thinking if I built the axles on a separate carriage and mounted that to the frame it would add rigidity),
or cut the center beam out of the trailer from the tongue back to the axles and install a 3X3 .240 wall Spine making the front section more rigid. leaving the front sponsons unsupported but trying to tie the long sides that flex into the center section.

Thanks for the advice.

Not sure exactly how your trailer is constructed but if you were to attach a bar a couple of inches below the bunks starting from the rear bunk upright all the way to the front bunk upright tieing in all the middle uprights, and then dive down in the front and tie it into the front section of the A-frame, it will also stiffen the trailer. That is what they do on the bigger tunnel hulls. That creates a truss in the trailer frame and makes a huge difference.

 

[cj222]

Like this @oldman
Doing a triple axle, weather you do it on a sub chassis or attach it directly to the frame, will not make as much of a difference on the flex in the front as this would.

 

[cj222]

@oldman A triple axle trailer would look killer under that deck boat though

 

[oldman]

@oldman A triple axle trailer would look killer under that deck boat though

I see structurally how that ties all of the bunk uprights creating a box tying the long nose or "V" that is basically an unsupported section. And in my situation that's where all the flex is. From the bend in the frame rails forward.

Thanks for taking the time and walking me through this.

And I'm with you, a triple under that would be sexy

 

[Backlash]

@cj222 you need to upload some of your recent work to this thread. Some of these Old Geezers don't do IG and your work is amazing!

 

[cj222]

Here is a couple pictures of the boat back onto this trailer.

 

[cj222]

Here is a Schiada 21rc trailer I turned into a triple axle

 

[cj222]

Here is a brand new trailer I built for a Schiada 21rc

 

[cj222]

Here is a brand new build for a Hallett Vector.

 

[cj222]

Here is a new build for a Blown Flat.

 

[Kachina26]

@cj222 you need to upload some of your recent work to this thread. Some of these Old Geezers don't do IG and your work is amazing!

Who you callin' old?

 

[cj222]

Here is one I'm doing for another Schiada 21rc.

 

[cj222]

And here is one I'm doing for my Howard.

 

[Backlash]

Who you callin' old?

Obviously not you and me!

I follow him on the Gram and when I saw his posts there but not here, I thought I'd bump the thread. His work is too nice not to be seen by the masses!

 

[cj222]

Kyndl's trailer transformation is complete.

 

[cj222]

 

[cj222]

Took in this 21RC little while ago for a trailer refurbishment. Added the front walk on section to it, had the fender re-polished, did a disc brake conversion with new actuator, made some new step plates and had everything powdercoated gloss black. Almost done with it, just need to finish the wiring and bleed the brake system.

 

[hallett21]

Took in this 21RC little while ago for a trailer refurbishment. Added the front walk on section to it, had the fender re-polished, did a disc brake conversion with new actuator, made some new step plates and had everything powdercoated gloss black. Almost done with it, just need to finish the wiring and bleed the brake system. View attachment 1479624 View attachment 1479625 View attachment 1479626 View attachment 1479628 View attachment 1479629 View attachment 1479630 View attachment 1479632 View attachment 1479633 View attachment 1479634 View attachment 1479635 View attachment 1479636

@River Dave old boat?

 

[cj222]

@River Dave old boat?

I believe it is.

 

[cj222]

While the boat was here in the shop I also made an aluminum vent panel to fill in the big opening in the hatch.

 

[4Waters]

I believe it is.

At least the water got drained out of it. Wonder how much they paid for it

 

[NicPaus]

Would the hatch be that tall with a small block?

I can't recall. Last time I saw Dave's old boat was 25 years ago when it was brought home the first day.

 

[Backlash]

RD has to be happy knowing someone is finally looking after it. Nicely done Sir, it turned out beautiful!!

 

[cj222]

Would the hatch be that tall with a small block?

I can't recall. Last time I saw Dave's old boat was 25 years ago when it was brought home the first day.

This has a small block in it

 

[cj222]

#madskillzfabrication #msfcustomtrailers #schiada21rc

Nick Valore on Instagram: "#madskillzfabrication #msfcustomtrailers #schiada21rc"

22 likes, 0 comments - madskillzfab on February 27, 2025: "#madskillzfabrication #msfcustomtrailers #schiada21rc".

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[cj222]

 

[Backlash]

@cj222 can you post up some pics of the Cole and the work you're doing for that client??

 

[cj222]

@cj222 can you post up some pics of the Cole and the work you're doing for that client??

It's gone already. Just cut off the old trailer coupler and welded on a new one. Also replaced the 2" square tube that the keel roller was attached to because it was rusted out.