MAKING WAVES ///
#SOMEWHEREONASOUTHPORT
For more information, contact your local dealer
or visit southportboats.com to learn more.
We kept the uncompromising ride, quality,
and fishing heritage of a Southport.
We doubled down on
comfort and style.
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- What are ways you should
check your trailer for road
worthiness?
A. Visual inspection of the
frame, axle and springs
for excessive rust, dam-
age and stress bending.
B. Check tires for excessive
and/or abnormal wear
patterns.
C. Check coupler and
safety chains for proper
operation, rust and
binding.
D. Check wheel bearings
for slop, wobble and
grinding noises as you
spin each wheel over.
E. All of the above
- Are hull tie-downs
necessary?
A. Only for long trips; if
you’re just towing a few
miles to the local ramp,
they’re not necessary.
B. Always; the hull should
be secured to the trailer
not only with the winch
strap and a safety chain
to the bow eye, but also
always with tie-downs at
the transom.
C. Not if you have a bunk
trailer.
D. Not if your trailer has
side bunk guides to keep
the hull centered on the
trailer.
- Your trailer lights operate
intermittently. What can
you do to troubleshoot?
A. Check the ground for all
trailer lights first; this is
a very common trouble
spot.
B. Install a ground wire
(white wire in the trailer
harness) directly to
the trailer frame with
a small screw, locknut
and washers. Often this
is not connected at all,
and the trailer hitch ball
is used as the ground
connection to the tow
vehicle. This causes an
intermittent and poor
connection.
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 24)
It’s the time of year once again where boats come out of hibernation and trailers get
towed down the road to the ramp. It seems that over the winter, many basics of trailer
maintenance and repairs are often forgotten. It’s always wise to review them before
the boating season really gets underway. Here are some trailer-repair basics you don’t
want to forget. —John Tiger (Answers on page 26)
TRAILER
REPAIR