Mid American Trailer

[LadyGT]

I went to exchange my Mid American trailer today because it was brand new to us and already showing rust (3x12" rectangle from moving a plate) on the center frame. While I was waiting I looked at as many trailers as I could that were sitting on the marine dealer's lot waiting to be sold. I was really surprised how many of them were already showing rust. I am not speaking a little bit here (speck) and there either. Mine was manufactured in November 2014 and delivered to us with my new boat March 28, 2015. I was surprised how quickly rust formed in such a short time. I thought powder coating was a superior finish on trailers. I also noticed nuts and bolts rusting as well. While I was chatting with the employee who was exchanging the trailers, I inquired about the cause of the rusting on the majority of trailers on the lot. He said it was acid rain. Really?

It is hot and humid here in GA 80% of the year so tomorrow, my husband and I are going to clean the trailer and apply a coat of wax to it. Oh joy.

[crookedlaker]

I looked at a local dealer that sold Wolvereen trailers and every trailer they had in stock was rusty, The galvanized trailers were the worst as not only the nuts and bolts were rusty but the welds were rusty, The painted ones were scratched up and also the nuts and bolts were rusty. You would not accept rust on a new car, boat or even a lawnmower, why on a trailer that cost over $2,000. They look like they have been sitting in the dealers lot for a long time.
I also have a Shorelander Jet ski trailer that is about 10 years old , I will have to do some touch up on it this year but not bad for a 10 year old trailer, I would buy a Shorelander trailer again but the local dealer is a pain.
I bought my trailer from Paul's Marine (trailersforPontoons.com) Part of delivery was a walk around inspection , not one scratch or rust mark. I am sure they touched it up with a spray bomb but that is better than nothing. I picked up the trailer in March and it was built in Feb. I will also either wax it or coat with some type of metal preservative on it.
is your new trailer a Mid American or other brand and does this one fit the boat better?

Mike

[ToonGuy]

I bought my trailer from Paul's Marine (trailersforPontoons.com) Part of delivery was a walk around inspection , not one scratch or rust mark. I am sure they touched it up with a spray bomb but that is better than nothing. I picked up the trailer in March and it was built in Feb. I will also either wax it or coat with some type of metal preservative on it.


Mike

THIS is the difference between a good dealer and a poor dealer. Let's face it...trailers are not cars. If they shipped everyone on a flat bed hauler set up from the factory for your specific boat and ready to go it would most likely arrive in perfect condition. And everyone would bitch about the price of shipping that gets passed along. Every new car gets tweaked at the dealer before it hits the lot, these trailers are no different. In order to keep prices down they have to be shipped stacked, which means some extra bolting / unbolting and moving of bolt on items. If your dealer doesn't go the extra mile to make sure you are happy, perhaps you might look for a different dealer.

[LadyGT]

I looked at a local dealer that sold Wolvereen trailers and every trailer they had in stock was rusty, The galvanized trailers were the worst as not only the nuts and bolts were rusty but the welds were rusty, The painted ones were scratched up and also the nuts and bolts were rusty. You would not accept rust on a new car, boat or even a lawnmower, why on a trailer that cost over $2,000. They look like they have been sitting in the dealers lot for a long time.
I also have a Shorelander Jet ski trailer that is about 10 years old , I will have to do some touch up on it this year but not bad for a 10 year old trailer, I would buy a Shorelander trailer again but the local dealer is a pain.
I bought my trailer from Paul's Marine (trailersforPontoons.com) Part of delivery was a walk around inspection , not one scratch or rust mark. I am sure they touched it up with a spray bomb but that is better than nothing. I picked up the trailer in March and it was built in Feb. I will also either wax it or coat with some type of metal preservative on it.
is your new trailer a Mid American or other brand and does this one fit the boat better?

Mike

My new trailer is the same make, but it was made in February and shipped within 2 weeks to the dealer. Not a speck of rust on it. I told my husband he was going to clean it up ASAP and put some wax on it before we hit the lake.

The employee who made the switch for us agreed with me how the boat should sit as well as the possibility of the transducer being damaged if the boat swayed a bit too much. I wanted to give the guy a hug because I didn't have even have to say a word while he said the exact same things that I told my husband for 2 days. I had to fight with my husband to do what I wanted because I wanted to protect our investment. He thought I was being too picky and the dealership knew what they were doing.

I think somebody was in a hurry initially and did not care how the boat sat on the trailer. The whole purchase experience could have been handled better. It seems as if the objective was get the customer to quickly sign the paperwork and get them out quicker because they had phones ringing and other people lined up to pick up their boats. Honestly, I came to a breaking point and told my husband I wish I had not bought the boat there. The boat has not lived up to my expectations due to shoddy craftsmanship.

[LadyGT]

I bought my trailer from Paul's Marine (trailersforPontoons.com) Part of delivery was a walk around inspection , not one scratch or rust mark. I am sure they touched it up with a spray bomb but that is better than nothing. I picked up the trailer in March and it was built in Feb. I will also either wax it or coat with some type of metal preservative on it.


Mike

THIS is the difference between a good dealer and a poor dealer. Let's face it...trailers are not cars. If they shipped everyone on a flat bed hauler set up from the factory for your specific boat and ready to go it would most likely arrive in perfect condition. And everyone would bitch about the price of shipping that gets passed along. Every new car gets tweaked at the dealer before it hits the lot, these trailers are no different. In order to keep prices down they have to be shipped stacked, which means some extra bolting / unbolting and moving of bolt on items. If your dealer doesn't go the extra mile to make sure you are happy, perhaps you might look for a different dealer.

Now I wish I had. The sales folks were friendly enough prior to the sale. Who is to know what will happen when your boat is delivered. If you change your mind after putting a deposit down and delivery, the deposit on the boat is non-refundable. I sure didn't want to lose $1k.

Bolts rusting is one thing because that is a quick fix, but rust on the frame is another. It makes me wonder about the quality of the paint if it rusts within 4 months. The manufacturer states it's powder coated. How will it look after the 1st year when the warranty expires? I fussed about the paint because I have a table and 4 chairs on the back patio that have been painted numerous times since moving to GA. I even sandblasted it to strip to the bare metal. It was primed and repainted with Rustoleum. Every year it rusts, sanded down, and repainted. Do I want to do this with a boat trailer? NO!

[GXPWeasel]

No doubt, most people don't care nearly as much for their trailer as they do their boats, or their cars. However, one would still expect that if you purchased a quality trailer, that you should receive a quality paint job / powdercoating on it as well.

The tralier that came on our Beachomber was made here in KS, just down the road from me about 20 miles. It's now 10 years old, and has just a little bit of surface rust on the edges like where the fender meets the frame, etc. My trailer is powder coated, but my guess is that it's not quite as thick on the edge of the metal, as it is in the middle of a fender or the frame. I'm happy with our trailer for sure, and it's a very high quality built trailer. I do make sure to put at least 2 coats of wax on the majority of the trailer. Once before the season, and once after every season. Other than that, it gets washed when we dip it in the lake.

No reason for a trailer to rust within a couple of years, unless it was scratched up badly, or not prepped for paint / powdercoat properly. IMO, preparation makes the paint job. Laziness makes for terrible preparation. AKA, a terrible paint job.

[LadyGT]

I really wish I had taken my camera to take pictures so you all could see how badly these trailers rusted on the dealer's lot.

[tms0425]

I really wish I had taken my camera to take pictures so you all could see how badly these trailers rusted on the dealer's lot.

Very sorry to hear this and that you had a bad experience with your dealer/boat. My Mid-America (from Paul and Rob) is going on 3 years and I don't have any rust at all. The frame is coated with Sharkhide and I also use some CorrosionX on axles and suspension parts.