Welds breaking on trailer tongue

[rtsimmons]

I have an 06 24 SSV and discovered, luckily, that welds around the swing-away tongue are breaking. The first weld broke while backing the boat into a test tank so we did not lose the boat the way we would have on the road. We had it welded and today as I inspected those welds I found that two more have cracked about 1/4 of their length. Has there been a recall I missed? Has anyone else had this problem? The real problem is that these welds are behind the safety chains so if the welds broke on the highway the boast would come completely free.

[klewis]

After reading this post I checked my 08 trailer. I found a crack in the powder coat on one of the welds that is located behind the swing away. It is one of the welds that holds the angled piece to the trailer that the swing away pin goes through. If this fails I would lose the whole boat, safety chains wont save it.

My question is this a sign the weld is also cracked or starting to crack and the powder coat is the first to show any signs. I was planning to take my boat in for warranty work once the season ends here at the end of the month, but should I be so concerned as to stop trailering it until I take it in?

[jsantos615]

...should I be so concerned as to stop trailering it until I take it in?

I would. But that's just me; I hate to tempt fate.

[DKJBama92Mariah]

If it was my $50k+ boat, I wouldn't tempt fate. You need to check those welds where the paint is cracked. A wire wheel on a drill should do the trick. Does anyone still have a drill with a cord? That powdercoat is pretty tough. A quality cordless drill with a higher voltage battery can probably get it done just as welll; cheapo weinie drills need not apply.

Here is what I would do if it was MY boat and trailer without a dealer closeby. I would just take it to a welding shop or trailer shop and pay out of pocket to get it welded back up. It shouldn't cost too awful much. You might even ask them to beef it up somehow. Then repaint with rattle-can primer and color and call it a day. Send a copy of the bill to SC with a letter explaining the circumstances. They may pass the buck to the trailer manufacturer. If they do, send the same to the trailer co. If they pay it, great. If not, just chalk it up to the routine cost of boating. Just get it fixed NOW.

Helluva lot cheaper and much less traumatizing than scraping what's left of your pretty new boat out of the highway median while your buddy runs a quarter-mile back up the highway to get your wakeboards, prop, and driveshaft. Am I being too graphic? Maybe a little melodramatic though.

[FoiltechLaunch21V]

DKJbama we love your post they are always worth reading. Black and White no gray with you. Keep up the good work.

Keith

[DKJBama92Mariah]

Thanks for the kind words Keith. I do what I can because I like these boats and enjoy helping you guys out.

[klewis]

Ya thanks a lot DKJ, I couldnt sleep last night after I read your post and once I did all I had were nightmares about my brand new boat splattering across the interstate!! :) But fun to read posts as usual, thanks!

I'm going to call the dealership and get an appointment to take her in. Hopefully they can turn it around quickly so the last three weeks of my season arent ruined.

I'll post the results. This will also be my first experience with the service dept at my dealership. Crossing my fingers.

[jsantos615]

Ya thanks a lot DKJ, I couldnt sleep last night after I read your post and once I did all I had were nightmares about my brand new boat splattering across the interstate!! :) But fun to read posts as usual, thanks!

I'm going to call the dealership and get an appointment to take her in. Hopefully they can turn it around quickly so the last three weeks of my season arent ruined.

I'll post the results. This will also be my first experience with the service dept at my dealership. Crossing my fingers.

I'll second the appreciation for DKJBama92Mariah's posts!

As for the welds, please do keep us posted, as that may help some of us in the future.

My personal experience with Boatmate leaves more to be desired. My trailer was delivered with rust on the rims and on the "stainless steel" fenders, but they refuse to honor the MANY claims that my dealer has submitted.

However, my issues are cosmetic. A broken weld could result in a HUGE liability on the part of the trailer manufacturer. Bringing that up could get their attention.

Good Luck!

[klewis]

Well I called the dealer yesterday to set up an appointment to take it in. They said just bring it in whenever and they would take a look. I explained what I was seeing on two different welds and asked the guy what he thought.

He said it was probably no big deal, the paint was just chipping as trailers flex. I explained it was not chipping away, but a very precise crack in the paint all the way down the weld. The same on the other weld too. He didn't seem too concerned about it and told me to just bring it in and they would take a look. I asked if there was any issue with me taking a wire brush to remove the paint and check the weld before I drag it all the way in now before I was planning to have the boat in at the end of the season. He said that was fine if I wanted to do that, he said he probably had some touch up paint around they could repaint it with.

So I think I will be inspecting it myself and hope its nothing so that I dont have to rush the boat in now. I'll keep you posted on what I find, unfortunately I am flying out of town today for the weekend, so I wont have any news until next week.