Hitch, trailer, tools and Blackouts
The husband/wife discussion (you know the one) that resulted in the final “go ahead” for this project didn’t occur until Dec. 22. That means I ordered the hitch, the trailer, and the boat on Friday evening before the long Christmas weekend. You know what that meant don’t you? It meant that, other than the automated response kicked back by the vendor’s computers, there were no communications until the following Tuesday. In this day of instant communication and the ability to track the progress of shipments with a few key strokes, I was in a communication “blackout”. There’s just something about getting feedback that is reassuring. The activity confirms that this magic called the internet will actually result in a product showing up at your door. Oh well, Tuesday allowed me to reconnect with the process and everything was under way.
Of course the shipping feedback from UPS and FedEx entered another blackout on Friday, Dec 29, the beginning of the New Year weekend.
Well, I got the hitch today from DrawTite-Hitches.com. It had a couple scrapes from poking through the box but nothing serious. Time to fasten the hitch: 10 minutes. Time to work the rust out of the weldnuts in the frame of my Suzuki: 30 min. Time to wrestle the hitch frame and possibly cross thread one bolt due to the fact the holes in the hitch didn’t quite line up with the weldnuts - 45 minutes. Yup, that’s typical, I’ve come to expect that. Oh well, no busted knuckles, no stitches, all’s well. And the wiring module couldn’t have been easier. Much to my surprise a drawbar and pin/clip were included. The website clearly indicated they would not be included - bonus for me!
The trailer is scheduled to arrive tomorrow from Harbor Freight. No word on it from FedEx since two weeks ago. Apparently FedEx Home delivery always has the day after a holiday off too so nothing happened last Tuesday or this Tuesday. By the way, the trailer is only available online. We have a local Harbor Freight but they don’t handle the trailers. That’s the bad news. The good news is the shipping is only $11.99. Now that’s a deal. Still have to determine how high the hitch ball needs to be to see if the drawbar that came with the hitch is the right one (hope so).
Christmas saw some tools under the tree.
- Set of four roundover bits (Sears) and two flush cut bits (ebay) for the router.
- Set of four cabinet scrapers (CLC).
- Cabinet scraper holder (Woodcraft) - the guy there said the scrapers get pretty hot for bare fingers.
(I’m hoping some obsessive masking and the use of cabinet scrapers will minimize what promises to be lots of sanding.)
- A beautiful Chesapeak Light Craft inlay/onlay (CLC.)
- A 4 oz. irrigation syringe (ebay). I was looking for syringes and came across these BIG brass/chrome syringes that I hope will work well for filling in the seams between the hull panels. I’m hoping that cleaning out the syringe won’t be too difficult.
- 30 2” C-clamps (Amazon)- 4 Irwin Qwik-Grip 6” clamps (Great deal at Lowe’s, basically four clamps for the price of one)
As always I am amazed at the range of prices on almost any item. The same drawbar ranged from $8.50 to $26.00. And the other thing I’ve become alert to are the shipping costs from some sellers on ebay. Clearly some sellers are making their profit on the shipping.
A word about the guys at CLC - I forgot to check what I had placed on my Christmas list and went ahead and ordered some items that family members had already purchased. I also had to make some other adjustments to my boat order. Doug and Ed at CLC were very willing to make the changes and communicated quickly.
Peter at the Passagemaker Dinghy Forum and the Wooden Boat Sailor blog provided a spreadsheet indicating his costs for building the Passagemaker. That record was extremely helpful to me (although my early estimates have somewhat exceeded his tally). Shortly I intend to provide a similar list for my project. Ballpark cost figures are really helpful as you try to find sources for some of these items.
OK, I just checked the FedEx site again for the trailer. The expected arrival date here in Michigan is tomorrow. However, the last update shows the trailer (3 boxes) in Bloomington, California 13 days ago.
The problem is that I need the trailer so I can transport some 4 x 8 sheets of OSB from Home Depot to use for work platforms. (Patience, ...patience,.........p a t i e n c e, . . . . . .)
Say goodnight Dave!
“Goodnight Dave”
posted by Anonymous @ 8:08 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
A few words about the trailer, as I have the same one:
By my measure, the bottom surface of the hitch coupler on the trailer tongue is 13-1/2" off the floor when the trailer is riding level.
Funny about the difference in location- our local HarborFreight DOES sell trailers. At least several versions of the flatbed/ stake trailer. I can't remember ever seeing a boat trailer in there. But I got mine mail-order as well. (I find HarborFreight isn't quite as efficient in the customer service area as CLC. Patience is the keyword.)
The local HarborFreight store is a good source for trailer parts. I got spare axle bearings there, and intent to upgrade my trailers tires to bigger ones, as soo as I can figure how best to modify the fenders to provide the needed extra clearance.
The boat trailer makes a pretty serviceable flatbed trailer. I've strapped a sheet of 3/4" onto the bunks/forward roller, and moved several large pieces of furniture on it. So you have the right idea about the plywood.
You've seen the trailer assembly video, yes?
http://intronfilms.com/Boat_Trailer.wmv
I had the same thought about the larger tires and wheels but the 12" combinations are a bit of a bump in price as a percentage of the trailer cost. I am also going to use your solution for mounting the spare tire. The mount at Harbor Freight seemed to have a lot of sharp edges for legs on slippery boat ramps.
Yes I have seen your movie of the trailer assembly. The movie is VERY nicely done. The variation on a time lapse technique is really effective.
Actually, I think I've been through all of your stuff several times. However, you can keep asking because I don't want to miss anything. In terms of looking at things repeatedly, it turns out the other evening I was putting tools away and inadvertently punctured my hand with a utility knife (fresh blade no less). Lots of red stuff on the garage floor. While my wife and I were sitting in the urgent care center waiting for a couple stitches I had the manual for the Passagemaker along because you never know how long you are going to wait. I got a manual (free!) in advance of the boat so I could do some background work. (Like you said, nice guys at CLC). She asked me if that was my first time through the manual or the second time. I paused, looked at her, and indicated it was at least my 5th time. She wasn't surprised.
By the way, I started this blog because I assumed you had a good reason for using this kind of forum and I just followed your lead. However, I don't plan to get too involved in terms of the kinds of things I post or special links beyond simple websites. I probably won't go much beyond still pictures and text. Although I would like to know how to post my building cost spreadsheet in a way that it can be updated and posting a simple drawing (MS Office drawing e.g.) might come up. Can you tell me what advantage there is to this blog environment compared to the Passagemaker Dinghy Forum where I would expect more CLC customers might visit?
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