Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Preventing rust in trailer


EricLsv

Recommended Posts

next week i am picking up a malibu, cant wait. I will be using the boat in salt water pretty frequently, the trailer is im assuming steel and i wonder if the inside of it  could be filled with a hydrophobic expanding foam which would not get waterlogged but would prevent water intrusion into the trailer. from what i gather this internal rusting is what damages the trailers the most and im not sure how i would clean the inside. so preventing water from getting in woould seem like the obvious solution. any thoughts?

Link to comment
7 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

 Foam will just  exacerbate the problem.

could you expound upon that more? why would the foam make the problem worse? are you assuming the foam will become waterlogged?

Link to comment

Maybe if the foam sealed off the inside of the box beams it would help, seems like the water would enter voids around the foam and the beams would stay wet longer.

There is a rust inhibitor spray for inside of the beams, not sure what that’s called

Link to comment
1 hour ago, EricLsv said:

could you expound upon that more? why would the foam make the problem worse? are you assuming the foam will become waterlogged?

If the foam is not a 100% sealed all it will do is trap salt water and further compound the problem.

Link to comment

Consider buying a galvanized or aluminum trailer and selling your OEM trailer while it is still decent.  Otherwise, expect the trailer to last five or six years if you flush it well after each use.

The primary thing you want is open construction, such as I beam or C rail. 

Just as importantly, does your engine have closed cooling?  The same thing will happen to the inside of your block without it.

Link to comment
On 4/15/2021 at 6:42 PM, Eagleboy99 said:

Aluminum or galvanized would have the play here.  Failing that, constant regular flushing with fresh water.  Foam will just  exacerbate the problem.

Correct, getting the water out is more important. A good dip in fresh water every now and then will help too. Double the size of your drain holes and even add a few. I'm a lifetime salt water operator and can honestly say no failure I had was ever related to salt. My boat and trailer are starting their 52nd season in the bay and ocean.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
On 4/15/2021 at 7:49 PM, Bozboat said:

 

There is a rust inhibitor spray for inside of the beams, not sure what that’s called

  

In NJ we call it kerosene or diesel fuel mixed with used motor oil.

Edited by electricjohn
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...