Association Forum - Where to find U-bolts for our trailers?

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

Where to find U-bolts for our trailers?

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Member Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/14/2010 : 09:26:12

While trying to remove the keel guides so I can finish soda blasting the keel, I snapped the head off of the first U-bolt I tried to remove. Where can I find replacement U-bolts? The bolts that are on there are galvanized, but the nuts they used aren't, so even with good penetrating oil, they're difficult at best to remove. Do I just need to find a trailer place & they'll have them?

I'm borrowing an air gun from work to get the rest of them off with, my wrists are aching from last night's work. Does anyone know if the bolts on the guide boards are carriage bolts, or do they have nuts on the other side. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut them all off to get the keel guides off, re-carpet the guides (or replace & re-carpet depending on how they look) and reattach them (with good bolts).

Anyone done this, advice is eagerly sought, I just want to be done with this project, hopefully this weekend.

David
C-250 Mainsheet Editor

Sirius Lepak
1997 C-250 WK TR #271 --Seattle area Port Captain --

Edited by - on

bear
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2010 : 10:25:42

I would think a well stocked hardware store. I take my keel guides off each fall and put them on in the spring,facilitates washing the bottom. On my trailrite there are nuts on the end of the bolts. They are carriage bolts and will turn on you if the wood around them is rotted. Can you wait until boat is off trailer, much easier job. The ones I couldn't remove I just ripped the boards off and replaced, no big deal, once boards are off.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2010 : 11:02:26

Thanks, I'll probably look into just replacing the guide boards, I think I already have enough outdoor carpet to wrap new ones with. That way I can just Sawzall the boards off, or at least the bolts so I can use the boards as templates for new ones.

Fortunately we've got a really good hardware store just a couple of miles away from where I work so I'll stop by there on my way home to look for the U-bolts I need.

Does anyone have their trailer handy and could tell me their dimensions? (length of bolt, width between heads, and bolt diameter)

Thanks!

Edited by - on

bear
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2010 : 11:26:04

David, As I did I measured everything I could, take an old bolt with you. I think I did this with the boat off the trailer and just clamped the new boards on and picked up the holes, you will have to countersink the new bolt holes where the head goes in. I think I launched "Brandy" one year with out the keel boards even installed.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2010 : 12:11:53

Yeah, I tried last night to get one off, but gave up after my wrists started complaining (and they're still complaining, carpal tunnel sucks), so I've borrowed that impact wrench from work to get them off with. I was just hoping I could find the U-bolts & nuts over lunch.

Edited by - on

Tradewind
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
531 Posts

Response Posted - 05/14/2010 : 19:50:21

There is a trailer shop less than 5 miles from me, they build new trailers and repair old, I saw a stack of U bolts there 2 days ago, different sizes, post the size you need and I'll check.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2010 : 16:54:48

Steve,
I may have to take you up on that. I tried half a dozen places today, and the closest I got was Napa Auto Parts.

The good news is, with the impact wrench, I had all of the rest of the bolts off in less than 10 minutes. One of those is in my future, my wrists didn't even cringe, incredible.

I bought some composite decking 2x6's to replace the keel guides with, figure if I'm going to replace the, might as well make it so I never have to again.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/15/2010 : 21:31:51

OK, now I'm officially irritated with Trailrite, or whoever put the keel guides on. They used carriage bolts hammered into the boards, that just spin when you try to undo them. Since they're rusted to the nuts, I have no choice but to cut them off. Hopefully it'll be easy to get behind them with my Sawzall.

At least I was able to get the guides away from the keel so I could get behind them to soda blast the last bits of paint off, so that's done. I also picked up two 5/4x6x12' Trex boards to replace the guides with.

I'm down to the last three pads, and beneath the keel, which I'm pretty sure simply isn't going to get cleaned or painted, at least not this year. I should get that done tomorrow.

Edited by - on

Ed Cassidy
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
365 Posts

Response Posted - 05/16/2010 : 08:23:12

You might try a truck suspension shop for the 'U' bolts. I was out looking for a specific size and none of the trailer shops had them. The last place pointed me to a local truck shop and he took my rusted one and came back in 10 minutes with 4 new ones, made to order. And it only cost $9 each (in Stainless).

Edited by - on

Tradewind
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
531 Posts

Response Posted - 05/16/2010 : 08:45:43

I also found large U bolts at a Tractor supply store.

Edited by - on

jbkayaker
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
299 Posts

Response Posted - 05/16/2010 : 10:20:09

Here's a source for a couple of sizes:
http://www.pacifictrailers.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.catalog&catId=1766

Edited by - jbkayaker on 05/16/2010 10:23:22

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/16/2010 : 12:14:08

Pacific Trailer looked like a winner until their cheapest shipping was twice the price of a single bolt.

I think I've found a resource locally, but they're not open on the weekends.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I appreciate it.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.