Plan B: Rust Mitigation on Ram-Lin

Sorry man, brain cramp.

I was thinking the normal plywood size was 8x10 instead of the standard 4x8.

You are correct, the area is just over 9ft long.

Sorry for the confusion. I'm removing my earlier post to get rid of bad info on the site.

deleted.

Sean,

Thanks for the compliment.

I had the fenders custom made from Ram-Lin. The came already painted and with new carpet covered interior wood sides.

I did not have to use any POR-15 and and therefore not familiar with the product. Many others on here have though and I'm sure will chime in with an answer.

Good luck with your project!

When I purchased my boat from the previous owner, it came with very meticulous/detailed notes regarding every maintenance item ever performed. Below are the notes I wrote for the file regarding the trailer restoration. Perhaps this might help someone else considering a similar project.

1993 Correct Craft / Ski Nautique Trailer
Restoration Project- Summer 2010


Step 1 – Tear Down
•*Original wooden step sides and carpet had already been removed by P.O..
•Removed and discarded original carpet from bunk boards.
•Removed original bunk boards, inspected for rot, removed all    old staples. Boards in great condition.
•Removed and discarded all original trailer lights.
•Removed and discarded all original wiring and clips.
•Removed and discarded original plastic trailer guides/sleeves.
•Removed steel trailer guides.
•Removed and discarded original fenders.
•Removed and discarded original actuator and damaged front hydraulic brake line.

Step 2 – Rust Mitigation / Re-Paint
•Ground off all rusty spots on trailer which was primarily existent under the bunk boards at lag bolt attachment spots, and the framework support underneath the carpeted step sides. Some rust areas at tongue as well.
•Re-painted all ground areas by priming and painting with Rustoleum primer and paint.
•Primed and painted new actuator.
•Primed and painted bow stop frame.
•Removed all old bumper stickers using heat/torch approach and removed glue residue with “Goof Off”.
•Waxed entire trailer with McGuires automotive wax.
•Applied new “Ski Nautique” decals to side of trailer as existed on original trailer of this year.

Step 3 – Bunk Boards
•Drilled 2 new holes into trailer channel frame for lag bolt connections of bunk boards. These were the two single front holes for each bunk board which were rusted beyond use.
•Drilled and countersunk new holes into bunk boards to line up with new holes.
•Reattached bunk boards.
•Re-carpeted bunk boards with new, OEM black carpet from Ram-Lin. Installed using original method of attaching double layer of carpet strip on top of boards to give extra protection and “rounded” look.

Step 4 – Fenders
•Removed wheels.
•Installed new OEM custom order fenders from Ram-Lin.
•Attached new carpeted fender side protectors.
•Applied new anti-slip tread material to top of fenders.

Step 5 – Brake Assembly
•Installed new Dico 60 actuator.
•Installed new front hydraulic brake line (connects to actuator).
•Replaced entire drum brake system with brand new, TITAN PREMIER™ Marine Brake assembly featuring the Galphorite™ corrosion-resistant finish.
•Adjusted brakes by tightening adjustment wheel until drum would not turn, then backed off wheel 11 clicks.
•Added new brake fluid, bled hydraulic braking system.
•Hydraulic brakes tested and functioning properly.

Step 6 – Lights / Wiring
•Installed all new OEM lights from Peterson Mfg. (4 amber side markers, 2 red side markers, 2 red tail lights, 1 3-light center marker, license plate frame and light).
•Rewired trailer with new, 25 foot 4-way split harness. All connections soldered together and double wrapped with electrical tape and properly ground.
•All wiring re-connected to trailer with OEM clips and zip ties at fenders.
•All lights tested and functioning properly.

Step 7 – Carpeted Step Sides
•Measured and fabricated, 2 new side step panels using ¾” marine grade Douglas Fir.
•Sanded all edges and corners, aligned and drilled attachment holes.
•Applied 4 coats of Rustoleum marine spar varnish to wood step sides panels for waterproof protection.
•Attached new OEM black carpet to step panels from Ram-Lin.
•Attached step side panels to trailer frame.

Step 8 – Trailer Guides
•Created 2 new plastic trailer guide covers from 2” PVC piping and caps.
•Installed new trailer guide pads.
•Re-attached trailer guides to trailer frame.

Step 9 – Hub Assembly / Bearings
•Removed and inspected hubs and bearings. Right side seal was blown and had leaked grease into hub and drum brakes.
•Cleaned both hubs.
•Replaced all bearings, races, and seals.
•Repacked bearings with Lucas brand X-tra heavy duty grease.
•Reinstalled hubs. Cranked down daisy nut while rotating hub to seat bearings, then backed off until hair amount of play in hub. Locked daisy nut.

Step 10 - Tires
•Installed new Goodyear Marathon tires – 225 X 75 R15
•Cleaned out rust from rims and reinstalled wheels to trailer

Guys, really appreciate the positive comments, especially from such talented craftsmen as yourselves.

You guys should know that I lurk here alot and your skills, knowledge, and most importantly, steadfast commitment to original restoration had an impact on me throughout this project. In a very strange way, I found myself feeling obligated to do this the right way, knowing I had to answer to the experts here. I gotta believe others feel held to some higher standard as well because of this group.

Keep it up guys, it's really an invaluable source of research.

Tim - My trailer never had pin stripes. My boat's a 92' and the original owner upgraded to the 93' trailer for some reason. Not sure if other 93's came without stripes or if mine is unique in that regard. I prefer it without though.

Doug,
Fantastic job!

Very Nice Job.

These pictures are long overdue. In short, I ripped everything down to the frame, ground away all rust and re-primed and paointed, then replaced everything on this 1993 trailer with all OEM parts.

Lights, wiring, tires, fenders (re-fabricated by Ram-Lin), carpet, brakes, repacked hubs with new bearings and races, actuator, turnbuckle, fabricated new wooden steps sides from 3/4 doug fir with 5 coats spar varnish.

Could not have done this without this site and all the fantastic info and support. Apologies for not getting many shots of the "before" condition however the other pictures in this thread pretty much sum it up.

I'm very pleased with how this tunred out and can now sleep good at night knowing my mint condition 92SN has a worthy cradle for her winter's nap.

Port side inside rail on the tongue. Silver Foil decal, that had the VIN # typed into or printed on. So it faded within 2 years probably, but with a flourescent light in hand, held at a certain angle ,your #'s, or at least mine, just popped right out. Luckily ,my bill of sale had the VIN # on it.

My decal had Correct Craft stamped on it. I couldn't make out if that yellom NMMA part was on it.
I hope she can figure it out, and get me another one.



EDIT: # was at the bottom of that decal, towards the middle

Hey guys, I'm waiting to hear back from Ramlin about a 'NEW' NMMA Spec decal with all info weights, and VIN #. I've been corresponding with Heather Hutchins and she's seeing what she can do about making me another one.
She said my CC Trailer was made by CC and they (Ramlin) didn't start taking them over until late 1995, early 1996.

Looks great!

Update with pics?

That certainly looks familiar. I bought a quart of POR-15 (50.00!) and hardly used any of it, relatively. I only put it on the rusted areas of the frame and side fairings, etc., basically wherever there was rust. The rest of the trailer got plain ol' spray paint. I'd say my trailer was worse than yours, so you'll probably be fine with a pint of POR-15. The stuff is THICK and coats very well.

You guys spurred me into tackling the rust on my Ramlin. Altho, I guess I'm doing it backwards as I did the carpeted steps last summer.

The big issue was getting the boat off the trailer. I sucked it up and propped it up on blocks. Might try and rub out where it contacts the bunks.

Anyway, ordered some POR 15 from the recommendations on this thread. Now that I've gotten the bunks off and taken an initial whack at grinding off the rust I'm pretty certain the PINT of POR 15 isn't going to be near enough! Will another pint get me there, or am I going to need a quart?

The wood was actually in better condition than I thought it would be, even though I already have 14' pieces of yellow pine waiting for me at the lumber yard. I'll probably replace the wood anyway, for good measure.

A couple of the lag bolts broke loose and will need new holes drilled. I figure I'll replace the whole lot of them.

My other concern is how to attach the bunk carpet. I know I'd like the appearance of the "factory staple-under-then-flap-over technique" but I don't think mine actually came that way, plus it seems I end up replacing the carpet every other year and that would be a pain. Any opinions on this?

M3fan, If you havent redone the carpet on your the sides of your trailer, try 3/4 plywood with Rino Coat applied to them. It looks nice and wont hold water like the carpet does.. Most auto part stores carry the Herculiner which is bascily the same thing..