Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Anyone considering buying a trailer with drum brakes that boats in saltwater, DON'T DO IT

My trailer is not quite 3 years old. Last year I replaced the brakes, and here it is 8 months later and they have locked up again. Obviously the problem is that the salt rusts them to hell. I had a flush kit installed when I bought the trailer, but it just doesn't get the job done. I flush the brakes every time I use the trailer, but not until I get the boat home. It seems no matter how good I think I flush the brakes, the drums just make it hard for all the saltwater to escape.

Anyway, just had new 10inch Kodiak stainless steel disk brakes and new master cylinder installed (900 dollars later - B.O.A.T.) I hope they hold up better.

Yep, I can attest to that. I just took the whole backing plate and brakes off. I will leave them off. I use the trailer two three times a year and the truck handles the boat and trailer fine without them. The guy took great care of the boat, just the trailer was a bit neglected. In salt water that does not take much.

Good to know, I am going to get a new aluminum trailer for my new build and I have been curious how the brakes do in saltwater... I use my boat 2 times a week in saltwater but always go to the lake afterwards for a good flush plus giving it a complete top to bottom washing at home!

Mrtoler wrote:Good to know, I am going to get a new aluminum trailer for my new build and I have been curious how the brakes do in saltwater... I use my boat 2 times a week in saltwater but always go to the lake afterwards for a good flush plus giving it a complete top to bottom washing at home!

Definitely go with disc brakes. Now that I see them installed, what a difference. The brakes are completely exposed so you can easily rinse them. Brakes better as well. I spent the extra $$ and got the stainless disc with aluminum caliper. Should last much better than the drum and perform better as well.

What really pisses me off is that the original price to get a trailer with drum versus disc was about the same. I was told the trailer I bought was better than the other, but now I have bought about 1/2 of another trailer

Yeah drums = bad, even in water with low salt content like the Upper Chesapeake. No one selling trailers here offers drum brakes.

rbiederwolf wrote: Anyway, just had new 10inch Kodiak stainless steel disk brakes and new master cylinder installed (900 dollars later - B.O.A.T.) I hope they hold up better.

Seems like a great solution to the problem. Suspect I will eventually have to do the same thing. Do they offer the disc brakes in both hydraulic surge and electric? My tow vehicle (2013 GMC Yukon) already has a built in electric controller for brakes.