The complete trailerboat-maintenance checklist

To maximise your chances of having a great holiday, we have compiled a checklist of common problem areas with trailerboats. This 12-point checklist covers the gear and equipment you need to check, maintain and/or service before you pull out of the driveway.

SAFETY GEAR
Is your safety gear in-date? Flares, EPIRBS, even inflatable lifejackets have use-by dates. You need to check these items before you hit the road this holiday season. When your flares have reached their use-by date you need to hand them into a recycle centre and then replace them.

With EPIRBs, the expiry date is the date the internal battery needs to be changed. You also need to ensure your EPIRB is registered (and your details updated) with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

It is a similar thing with inflatable lifejackets, although with lifejackets, it is the carbon dioxide inflation tank or canister that needs replacing. The rules can vary from state to state, but generally inflatable life jackets need to be serviced every one to three years.

THE BOAT
The boat itself rarely causes any major headaches, at least in the short term, but you should certainly cast your eye over it before heading out on the water. Look for any damage in the form of scrapes or gouges to the hull from your last outing, check the bimini, seats, berth cushions and upholstery for cuts and tears, and make sure all the fixtures and fittings (bow rails, cleats, light fittings, hatches and hinges) are secure and in good working order.

THE ENGINE/MECHANICAL
Next to the trailer, the engine and mechanic side of things will likely give you the most trouble during a trailerboat holiday. Without regular servicing and maintenance much of the following gear will give you grief so it needs to be checked prior to your trailerboat holiday - especially if your boat has been laid up for some months.

1. The Battery: Check it is charged. Better yet, charge the battery a week before you depart. It is kind of embarrassing when you launch the boat, jump in to fire it up — and you hear nothing but a "click" when you turn the key.

2. Start your Engines: After you have charged the battery, attach a set of motor flushing ear-muffs to your outboard engine, turn the hose on and start it up. Let it warm up for a few minutes. Whilst this is happening you can run through a number of other checks - including, but not limited to:

3. Cooling and Waterpump: the cooling system is a common problem area with outboards. With the engine idling over comfortably, check there is a strong water discharge streaming out of the engine. The stream may not be as strong when you are running the engine on ear-muffs out of the water, but it should still be clearly evident. If the stream is irregular or intermittent, then the water pump impeller could be worn or damaged. This is most often caused by running your engine in the shallows and the engine sucking up too much sand or mud.

4. Trim and Tilt: Raise and lower the drive leg several times to check it is working smoothly. I had a problem recently with the trim/tilt relay switch in my outboard and only discovered this after I had launched the boat. Trouble was the outboard would trim down okay, but not back up!

5. Steering: Your steering system is another item which succumbs easily to corrosion — especially when your boat is not being used. Check it by repeatedly turning your steering wheel from lock to lock (with the engine down). You might also coat the steering arm with grease to ensure it slides in and out smoothly. With hydraulic steering, check the steering is smooth, and that there is a minimum of “free play”. Excessive movement may indicate the system needs bleeding to remove air bubbles — or it may need topping up with fluid.

6. Fuel lines, Filters and Linkages: With age and exposure, fuel lines tend to become brittle, stiff, and cracked. Check the fuel and oil lines by following them from the fuel tank, through the water separating filter (if your boat has one fitted) and on to the engine. Make sure the lines are in working condition. While you are looking at the water separating filter, take the time to also check the filter for water and other contaminants in the fuel.

7. Gear Shift: When you started your engine earlier, you will have confirmed your warm-up lever is working, but you might also check the gear shift by engaging forward, neutral and then reverse gears. Be sure, however, to check the propeller is clear and that there is no person, object or animal at the rear of your boat.

THE TRAILER
Boat trailers deteriorate very quickly following exposure to saltwater and the outside elements. Even if you wash your trailer down with freshwater after each outing, you will likely have some repairs and/or maintenance to perform if the trailer is left unchecked in the front yard for a month or two.

If you haven't used your boat for a while, you need to hitch it up a week or so prior to your holiday and tow it around the block to check for problems. I generally head straight for the nearest service station to check the tyre pressures and give it a thorough examination while the trailer is hitched to the tow vehicle.

8. General Trailer Once-Over: Before you hitch up the trailer for its trial run, take the time to walk around it to conduct a cursory examination. Check the trailer rollers for cuts and splits, roller arms and cradles for corrosion, loose or rusted fixture and fittings. Examine the winch post for cracks and confirm the u-bolts are firmly fastened. Check the winch wire/strap for fraying and that the safety chain is secure. Stick your head under the trailer and examine the running gear - including the axles, springs and brake calipers. Check all of this gear for loose fittings and corrosion damage.

9. Wheels and Tyres: Wheels rarely give too many problems, but they should still be checked for excessive corrosion. Check also that the axle stub bolts and wheel nuts look healthy and that they are nicely greased.

Trailer tyre failure, on the other hand, can be a constant headache for boat owners. Incorrect tyre pressure is a common cause of tyre failure, especially with the smaller nine and 10in tyres. Some of these smaller diameter tyres are designed to be inflated to up to 60 lbs psi — around double the pressure you would normally run in your car’s tyres.

Older tyres are also prone to failure. Signs of age include splitting and crazing of the outer rubber surface, as well as flat spots caused by under-inflation.

10. Wheel Bearings: Trailer wheel bearings will need to be re-packed and/or replaced at least every two years or so. Ironically, the more you use your boat the less likely you are to have wheel bearing failures. Using the trailer reduces the salt build up inside the bearings and makes it harder for corrosion to take hold.

There are a couple of ways to check for wheel bearing problems. After your pre-holiday drive around the block, or to the local service station, pull up and feel the temperature of your wheel hubs. They should be warm, but not hot. Further if one is hotter than the other then you could have a wheel bearing issue.

A tip here is to disengage the brakes on trailers with mechanical over-ride or over-run brakes prior to your trial run. You can do this by flipping the reverse lever down on the coupling at the front of the trailer. With the brakes disengaged, any heat build-up in the hubs will only come from the wheel bearings and not from the activation of the disc brakes.

Back at home, you might also consider jacking up one side of the trailer, grasping each wheel in two hands, and then twisting it vigorously from side to side. Any movement or free-play could indicate the bearings need replacing. The wheels should also spin freely, without any gronking noises.

11. Brakes: Trailer brakes cause plenty of problems for boat owners. Because boat trailers are regularly immersed in highly corrosive saltwater, the trailer brakes will corrode and then fail quickly without regular and constant maintenance.

When you hook up your boat trailer to take it for a pre-holiday run, you will likely know straight away whether you have brake issues. If your boat trailer has been sitting idle for a while for example, there is every chance the brake pads have started to meld or corrode into the brake rotors. Often, just moving the boat forward will "unfreeze" the pads from the rotors — but not always.

This issue of frozen brakes is most likely to occur if you have engaged the handbrake to hold your boat trailer in position. This pushes the brake pads against the rotors and without movement the pads will eventually lockup. My tip here is to disengage the handbrake and hold your boat trailer in position by placing chocks or bricks on each side of your trailer tyres.

If you do have to engage the handbrake, or the brakes are automatically applied when the trailer is disconnected from the tow vehicle (as is the case with a break-away system), then you will have to remember to hitch up the trailer and move it every couple of weeks.

Assuming your trailer brakes have not locked up and you are able to move off for your trial run on the road, you obviously need to check the brakes are operational. If they aren't working too well, you may have to adjust the wire tension on mechanical brakes — and or ensure the over-run mechanism on the coupling is in good order. With hydraulic systems, check the fluid level in the reservoir does not need topping up, or needs bleeding to remove air from the system.

12. Lights: The lights and electrical system should also be examined. If the lights do not work, check the bulbs are not broken. If they look okay, then the problem is likely to be more serious. The electrical connections may have parted, or simply corroded away after repeated dunkings in saltwater.

If you have no lights at all, the fault may be with the plug into your car. Make sure the plug has been pushed in all the way so the connections are meeting properly. Depending on the issue you may need to replace the lights - or call in an auto electrician.

STAY SAFE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
The holiday season is now upon us. For many boating families this represents a chance to get away from it all, and to take a break from the pressures of work and other day to day commitments. Make sure your family trailer-boating holiday goes to plan by checking the operation of your boat, engine and trailer before you depart. You can't guarantee a trouble-free trip, but if your rig is kept in tip-top condition, you'll be well ahead of the game.