Sold the Boat, Bought a Trailer

I bought a boat somewhere around early July.  If you don't remember the post about it, just click here.

I sold a boat somewhere around early August.  In short, it wasn't for me and it actually gave me anxiety.  I hated tending to the batteries, getting everything plugged in, and backing it down the boat ramp.  I got nervous pulling the boat out, attaching it to the trailer, and worrying about the bearings being greased on the trailer.  I worried about hitting things with the prop, not pulling up the trolling motor prior to firing up the outboard, and constantly checking to make sure the drain plug was doing it's job.  I had to put the tarp on before it would rain, get the water off the tarp when it would rain, and air out the inside of the boat after a rain.  I could go on, but I think you get my point.  It just wasn't for me.

I was fortunate to sell the boat to a very nice gentleman that knew his way around a boat better than me and equally fortunate that I sold it fast.  That put me back at square one, which is why I bought the boat in the first place...I have five butts and two seats...sort of.

I own two, two-man boats and a kayak.  I could only haul one boat at a time in the back of my truck, which meant that I could only go fishing with one other person and everyone else would have to fish from the bank.  That's when I enacted Plan B.  I bought a 5' X 8' trailer!

I looked at several different makes and models but settled on a wood-floor trailer from Tractor Supply Company.  It was $850 and here's a link to all the information and specs.  I settled on this one after looking at pretty much everywhere that sells trailers in the Kansas City area.  The price was in the middle of the options and I liked the wood floor over the mesh option.  The mesh had a little give to it when I would walk on it but the wood floor was solid.  I also liked the black wheels, tongue length, and detachable gate. 

I had a plan and (this is rare) I am proud to say that it worked to perfection.  I am now able to stack two boats (one on top of the other) on the trailer and the kayak can fit in the back of the truck. 

I have also incurred a few other costs that I thought I would pass along in case you are considering a trailer purchase.  I spent about $30 on trailer security.  I dropped $10 on a locking pin that fits through the eye of the locking lever so it cannot be detached from the ball.  I also spent $20 on a locking hitch pin so thieves couldn't detach the ball mount from the truck and steal it that way.  I did this because I don't want to worry about my trailer walking off when I am hundreds of yards away on a lake.

I also dropped about $150 dollars at the license office.  This paid for sales tax, some nonsense fees, and a "Permanent" classification on my license plate.  I also need to buy a spare tire and mount for the trailer which is going to run me around $150. 

If you're doing the math, this thing is going to run me over $1000 which I do not take lightly.  I don't spend that kind of money without weighing my options and taking time to decide if the benefit outweighs the cost.  In this case it does for me.  I can take four other people out on the water.  That means I can take my sons and my parents or my sons, girlfriend, and her son.  I can take my girlfriend and her parents or I can take four buddies.  I am also able to store the trailer in my garage, out of the weather, and with the boats loaded on it and ready to go at a moment's notice.  There is very little maintenance to be done and I can use the trailer to haul brush, deer blinds, and help folks move.  I am extremely happy with my purchase and it was a fraction of the cost of a boat and little to no anxiety.  Life just got a little simpler and cheaper and I like both of those things!