Just bought an old sail box from Pete Begle, which I am giving some TLC. The problem I have is that the crossmembers on my trailer are far enough apart that there is no support where the middle of the box would be. I can buy some square tubing and have it welded to the trailer, but I thought I'd see if any of the creative folks here might have a cheaper or easier suggestion to accomplish this. It's a sail box, so there's not gonna be a ton of weight inside, but the box won't last long even empty, with no center support.


thanks
-Matt

How about some pressure treated wood 2x2s? My entire box is 2x2s and plywood.

Locate a local steel supplier and get a galvanized 1-1/2" x 3/16" angle iron. Drill your trailer and bolt it in. Not all steel suppliers sell to the public so call first. Welding would be great but it will burn off the galvanizing on the trailer more than its worth.

A treated 2x6 would be a slightly easier option, then you could stand on it when pulling a boat up on the ramp. Either bolt it thru the rail or use u-bolts to hold it down.

My box was lashed down for the first 3 years. I finally bolted it down when I was happy with the placement and drilled even more holes in the bottom.

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FYC, Nacra 5.2 "Chris's Flyer" & Nacra Playcat
Previously owned: Trac 14, H14, H16, H18, N5.0, G-cat 5.0
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Cut some schedule 40 PVC to the space needed and then just through bolt through with the spacer you made between the bottom of the box and the crossmember.

Angle iron and 2x4’s. Make some simple L brackets from the angle iron and use them to bolt the 2x4’s to the trailer frame. Thru bolt with 1/4” or 5/16” bolts. Bolt through the web of the trailer’s C channel, not through the flange. This way you won’t weaken the trailer.

You will want to make sure you have a nice sharp drill bit and use a center punch to locate the holes. It also helps to use a fairly powerful drill for drilling holes in steel. A corded 1/2 drill would be preferred and should go pretty quick. Use nyloc nuts on the bolts so they don’t loosen up.

sm

Had a similar situation that I cured with some 5/4" X 3" redwood boards and stainless fasteners. It also added some rigidity to the trailer..

Just make sure you're going to have the clearance to get your boat on and off the trailer.

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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Thanks all for your suggestions - I considered the virtues of all of them and how they'd work for me.

I think I am going to get a piece of galvanized strut, run it the length of the box (attached with angle brackets to the trailer frame), and then mount short pieces of strut (or wood) every 18" or 2', perpendicular to the long axis of the box and flush with the top of the trailer crossmembers, so it's supported all along its length. Cost-wise this looks to be the cheapest option in my area.

I knew this crowd would come up with some good ideas - thank you all!

-Matt

JohnES

Just make sure you're going to have the clearance to get your boat on and off the trailer.

Great point. You want to have good access into the box with large clumsy objects like rudders and sails when the boat is on the trailer.

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Sheet In!
Bob
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Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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