| Another project was adding the keel rollers. I wanted one at the
rear although I don't think it is really necessary. I never plan
on loading it that shallow a situation where I will need to pull the Cabin
Skiff over the rear cross support (the exception maybe loading it on the
trailer the first time at the shop). But you often see these on "factory
trailers" and it will serve as the lower mounting bracket for the "transom
saver" I plan to use on the outboard.
I am also going to add a roller on the next cross member aft of this one. I don't plan on it supporting the hull as the bunks should have it there but I want it to protect the bow from hitting the cross member when loading. I am not sure if this is needed but I do not want to take a chance of scraping the keel on the metal frame.
Besides the holes I wanted something to support the wires between the cross members. I decided to weld lock washers under the top flange of the 3" channel. I chose lock washers because they tend to have rounded edges. Flat washers are usually stamped out and are sharp enough to eventually damage the wire. I had considered using short sections of steel tubing welded in place but decided against it because it would be difficult to get paint behind them.
Finally, I drilled all the mounting holes for the lights. If you aren't sure what lights are required you might want to look at this site - Click Here. It list the Federal Lighting Requirements for different types of trailers. With this done I am now ready to prep for painting. I will
need to remove the slight surface rust and wipe the whole thing down.
I am going to wait until the weather is a little warmer and do this right
before I paint. Hopefully I will catch a nice weekend in the
next few weeks.
|
Beside
the rear roller I wanted on at the front to support the bow of the boat.
The 2x4 bunks will not go all the way forward and the roller will carry
the weight of the forward section of the boat. As it worked out forming
the "V" with the front cross member really was not necessary and in fact
worked against me. As you can see in the photo I had to raise the
roller about 7" to meet the keel at this point. I think the height
is accurate but I have only tacked the brackets in place just in case I
am off and need to adjust this. This roller needs to be at the correct
height but I didn't want to go to the trouble of making it adjustable.
If it is wrong I will grind it off and reposition it and re-weld.
With
these in place the final project before paint preparation was to prepare
for the lights and wiring. I plan on running the wires down both sides
so I needed to drill holes in the cross supports for them to pass through.
This job would have been much easier if I had drilled these with the drill
press BEFORE I welded them in place. After drilling the 3/8" hole I beveled
the edges on both sides with a 1/2" drill bit to prevent the sharp edged
from cutting into the insulation.
I
used my magnetic welding blocks to hold the washer in place so I could
tack them to the frame. If you don't have a set of these it is something
you should consider. They are about $10 a piece and are extremely
handy when welding.