Thread: Boat/Camp trailer

Did u hit the search function? Type in boat camper if interested.

Will have to forgive my mixture of imperial and mtric.

Yes I do work for a canvas business that makes canper tents.

I make bed bases for the place I work at. Mine are 1710 x 2200. This will happily fit an off the shelf 6 inch queen sized mattress.

Posted a couple of fotos there of the boat camper I built a little while ago. (Aug 08)

1. Used 75 x 50 (2.0 wall from memory) but I recon I could have gotten away with 50 x 50 for everything except for the a frame. Thinkin about the weight factor. Ideally if the whole thing is under 750 Kg, then there is no need for brakes.

Used gussets on the uprights. A 50 x 50 frame under the bed base is sufficient. Run another piece (50 x 25 should be enuf) to support the join if u are gunna use 8 x 4 sheet.

2. Went 5 leaf for springs. 50 x 50 x 4 mm for axle, cause I dont like to see em bend.


3. 15 inch Ford or Holden rims would be my pic. Recon holden stuff might come in cheaper. Thinking the extra height created by using 4wd rims would be a bugger when it comes to launching the boat. Gotta take trailer in deeper. If u are towing trailer with a 4wd this might not be a problem. Only my opinion.

Pay attention to clearance around and above the boat. Remember you do have to launch and retrieve it in the water.

Whatever u do, pay close attention to the camp tent u put on top. Remember u have to live in it. The girls in the shop do repairs to other breeds of camper quite regularly and there are some, in my opinion, no so good designs out there.

Last of all BEWARE of the cheap Chinese stuff. I have yet to see one that is made from decent quality canvas/PVC.

I will watch your progess with interest. Lots of fotos

Oops almost forgot. You will have to pay close attention to the floor drop, as in the height from the top of the bed base to the ground. If both confurations; ute back and above boat arent the same then I see problems.

Did a ute top recently. The floor drop was 1600 off the ground. Of course the higher one goes the more fun it is to get into bed. Other issues come about too if u wanna attach an awning roof. Ours zip on following the contour of the roof. Not sure what your setup is like, but in the above mentioned case the peak of the roof obviously was higher than off a conventional box trailer. The tradeoff of course then is allowing enuf fall in the roof for water drainage, without making it harder to attach the awning.

Axle placement on the trailer of course is important. Personnally recon closer to the back is better for launching/retrieval, however the tradeoff is the increased weght on the tow hitch. If I was going to build the trailer again I would bring the axle foward a bit from what I have done.

I'm sure there is other stuff to consider that eludes my memory at present, but if u have more questions feel free to ask. Will do my best to answer them.

I have a cousin in Kallangur that is contemplating the same exercise but he intends to back it into the water and launch the boat without removing the camper. At the moment he is towing a boat and either makes a second trip or finds someone else to tow the camper. His is not a tent it is more like a type of pop top camper.

He runs his own aliminium welding business from home and I could put you in touch with him if you liked.

Cheers

Hi All

Thanks for the replies.

I will not be using a chinese version of a camp tent. A mate has had one for approx 2 years now and it is falling apart. I will have one made locally. I had considered the height issue. I will make it to suit the height on the boat. Then i will adapt it to suit the height on the back of the ute. The back of the ute will have a box on it with storage and the tent will sit on top of it. The height of the box will be dictated by the height it is on the boat trailer.

WHat type of springs are better, slipper or Eye to eye.

I was talking to a trailer builder today about launching the boat while the camper was still on top. He said it was possible but it would mean raising the height of the tent a bit more. Not sure if i want it to be any higher. It will be around 1600 to 1650 as it is. I asked if it would be possible to make the trailer a tilt one. He said that it could work but said the trailer would have to be further in the water. I like to keep the axle/bearings out of the water if possible.

I'm sure there is a way it can be done. Will have to give it some more thought. I have been making a list of all the little things that i want to incorporate into the trailer and the tent.

Thanks for the offer Calm. I might take you up on the offer when i make the Box for the back of the ute. I want it made from Ali to keep wait down.

I have almost finished a CAD Plan of the trailer. Will post it when it is complete.

Cheers

Michael.

Hi All,

Here is a drawing of the boat part of the trailer so far.

Let me know if there are any glowing errors like drawbar to long etc.

Cheers

Michael

I put gas struts on the bed base. Helps when packing the boat with gear and makes it a bit easier wrt handling it in the water. Have to be careful tho with strut placement. Remember nothing is perfect. It still beats taking 2 vehicles.

Yeah wouldn't advise going too much over 1600.

Struts are easy to remove for when u put the camper onto the ute. Best to take the pressure off em first ie have them in the extended position before removal.

Springs: just used slipper myself. Seems to work fine.

Assuming u are using bows to support the canvas tent bit. Best to make them adjustable as canvas does shrink a bit over time. Little things like taking the sharp edges off the bow pivet points can make a big difference to how well your canvas work survives.

Hi Jatt,

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking about putting struts on the camper. I will investigate further. Good tip about filing rivet heads back as well.

I guess my next big question is "Where to position the axle". Do the same rules apply for a Boat/Camp trailer as they do for a box trailer. I was thinking of making the axle/spring assembly on a sliding chassis so it will be adjustable. It will be made from 50x50x5 angle. Makes it easier adjust loading on the ball and weight distribution.

Is this the way to go. I should i look at making it a permanent placement.

Cheers

Michael.

someone told me that on a car float the axle position is 25mm back for every 600 m of deck to half way.... don't know if that helps or is confusing.

i think your idea of making a carriage for springs and axle is a great idea. just in case you change boats, motor or even the canvas section.

look like a fantastic set up...good luck with it.

Its a bit hard to make out detail of the complete boat camper in the pic, but from what I can see it looks like a close fit with the boat. Does this unit have a name? Get enquires from folks about this kind of setup, so am always on the lookout for inspiration.

Biggest headache I see for u is doing the framework along where the centre roller sits, as in the V bit. Someone has posted their boat trailer build previously with a similar set up.

I guess my next big question is "Where to position the axle". Do the same rules apply for a Boat/Camp trailer as they do for a box trailer. I was thinking of making the axle/spring assembly on a sliding chassis so it will be adjustable. It will be made from 50x50x5 angle. Makes it easier adjust loading on the ball and weight distribution.

Cant see why not. It seems to be quite common on conventional boat trailers.

To help with guard to boat clearance I would suggest u get the boat mocked up on the trailer frame at the earliest possible opportunity, ie before u make up the axles. I had to make up spacers to fit between the chassis and guards for support on another trailer I worked on.

Hi Michael

Slipper springs are fine.

I like to match the wheels to the tow vehicle (what are you towing with?).

Also weld on electric brake plates so you can add brakes later if need be.

Hi Dazzler,

Current tow vehicle is a rodeo 4x4, but will be upgrading in the next 12 months(maybe). The trailer will also towed by a mazda cx7 when not camping. So I will probably have to have room for a spare on the trailer somewhere. I will probably go with a 15 inch rim. Not sure what size tyre.

Good tip about welding brake plates on in preparation for brakes another tip to add to the list of things to add to the setup.

cheers

Michael

Hi All,

Couple of different views of the boat/camp trailer so far.

Cheers

Michael.

For what my opinion is worth, I'll put forward a few comments.

Electric drum Brakes and salt water do not go together. If you're going to put this boat anywhere near salt water, then there are a couple of other options. While not cheap to begin with, you'll be thankful in the long run.

Slipper springs will be much less maintenance hassle. Only 1 moving part.

While Glen is correct with his axle location calculation, this is usually not correct for boat trailers. The amount of overhang the boat has past the rear of the boat trailer, combined with the weight of the outboard, usually requires the axle to be set much further back than on a normal trailer. The way to get this right is to attach your spring hangers to a piece of angle iron, with a 2 holed plate welded at each end to allow the angle to be 'U'bolted under your chassis. This allows you to slide the axle position up and down the trailer to get the correct towball weight. You also attach your guards to this angle so that they move too. (having a re-read looks like you might have that under control. But NO, don't make it permanent.)

Oh, and why not use the rims you have on your existing boat trailer? Unless you intend selling the current trailer to partly fund the new one.