See full version: Galvanized Boat Trailers
Boasting an all welded frame and undercarriage held together with stainless steel U-bolts, this timeless classic design is still very popular with today’s saltwater crowd. It is the preferred format for venturing to more remote destinations as it will handle all the road can dish out. here
The greatest generation. The workhorse and foundation of trailers for the last 40 years is the galvanized C-channel trailer. [links]
Note: Components may vary depending on GVWR. Standard features shown are typical and may vary. Check with your dealer for details. [links]
Automatic protection for damaged areas. Galvanized coatings corrode preferentially to steel, providing cathodic or sacrificial protection to small areas of steel exposed through damage. Unlike organic coatings, small damaged areas need no touch up. Complete protection. Every part of a galvanized article is protected, even recesses, sharp corners and inaccessible areas. No coating applied to a structure or fabrication after completion can provide the same protection. [links]
I thought one of the main reasons paint doesn't like Galvanized surfaces, is the oil impregnated into the zinc dip. My thought, is that even though the zinc is still on the surface protecting the metal, all that impregnated oil is long gone after years of weathering. Thus, the paint will adhere at this point.
Any thoughts or suggestions on this? more
On a whim, I decided to paint my galvanized trailer. I have a couple quarts of Navy Blue Marine Topside paint from Rustoleum. Tough stuff, and works well on just about anything, like the Professional paint does. However, I found out you should use a water based primer on galvanizing, because the paint won't adhere to zinc.
Well, I did a small test area with this paint, without even using primer. I just wanted to see how the color would look. I let it dry for a week, and scratch tested it. It is pretty tough, but like any oil base, will scratch if you rub hard enough. What I found interesting, is that I pressure washed the trailer, and not so much as a chip of paint came off. What I don't get, is why it is sticking so good, when everyone says it won't. All I can think of, is that this trailer is 25 years old, and has been outside most of that time, and even has a couple small rust spots here and there. Nothing major though. It still ooks pretty good, but there is some surface pitting in the galvanizing in various places too. Maybe due to age, the galvanizing lifespan is coming to an end, and painting it would actually be a good idea in this case.
Galvanized trailers are suited for salt water use as they offer extreme corrosion resistance. All surfaces of the trailer are coated (inside and out) as opposed to just exterior painted surfaces. Galvanizing will dull over time and may not be as visually appealing as painted or aluminum trailers. Galvanized trailers are a higher cost option than painted, but will always tend to last longer under normal conditions. here
Painted trailers are suited for freshwater use and are the lowest cost option of the three. Painted trailers can be more visually appealing than the galvanized trailers and in some cases will match the boat color.
Aluminum trailers are suited for salt water use as they offer extreme corrosion resistance. Aluminum trailers are much lighter than the painted or galvanized counterparts reducing the overall load on the tow vehicle. In terms of appearance, aluminum is very appealing from the date of purchase and for years to come. In most cases aluminum trailers are the highest cost option. [links]
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Re: Painting a galvanized trailer
I agree that galvanized trailers are ugly, however if you paint it you will have to maintain it forever. Galvanized trailers last longer and require less maintenence. It is difficult to get paint to stick to it for long periods of time especially in corrosive enviorments. You may consider coating with a rhino liner type product.
Hello.
I just found this place. and I really like this site.
I have an older 16' fiberglass CC restoration project im starting. I want paint my trailer but im not sure what kind of paint I should use since the trailer is galvanized. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
http://www.galvanizeit.org/images/uploads/articles/paintsteel.pdf
It appears that the galvanizing industry says if you can get a barrier coating such as paint to stick.
The overall affect on the base steel is that the duplex system (galvanizing and painted) not only provides hot-dip galvanized life plus the paint life but also provides a multiplication factor of 1.5 to 2.3 on the sum of these two lifetimes. here
Re: Painting a galvanized trailer
Re: Painting a galvanized trailer
When it comes to coating a steel trailer, the camps are still divided between those in favour of galvanized trailers and those who swear by going with a painted trailer. So which one is really the best option?
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Granted the inevitable dull gray finish of the galvanized trailer may be less appealing, team galvanized will happily argue that it looks great compared to the telltale orange streaks left behind by rust sometimes found on painted trailers. [links]