Brakes come up in discussion once in a while on the Nor'sea owners group. For good reason.
For owners who tow their own boat, trailer equipment is important to keep in mind. A Nor'sea is a big investment and the trailer should be well taken care of too. It's a very large load for most people.
When it comes to brakes, many boat trailers come with surge brakes. They work with brake fluid. When the tow vehicle slows down, the actuator, that attaches to the hitch, compresses when the load continues to push forward then builds pressure in the lines activating the brakes. The load can still push the tow vehicle before it stops. If there's no fluid (or not enough) in the brake lines, stopping is all on the tow vehicle. Dangerous!
The trailer that came with my boat is equipped with surge brakes. Other owners suggest the conversion to electric brakes.
With electric brakes, when the tow vehicle activates the brakes, the trailer can actually slow down first, pulling on the tow vehicle to a stop.
That's going to be one of the things I'll be working on over winter. Just today, I removed one of the brakes currently on the trailer to see what I have to work with so I can order some supplies.
I've been getting bottom paint off the boat. Nothing to exciting there. It takes a long time too because of the lapstrake hull. I recently described it to another guy in the yard, it takes twice the effort for half the results. I'm sure other Norsea owners could agree with me on that.
I may not have posted in awhile but I am still working on getting the boat ready. Lots of things going on, not boat related too.
Yes and yes on brakes. Once I get to completion with my lazarette redoes this week I trust, I will be looking at my trailer and, especially, tires and brakes. I know I need 4 new tires, have to look over the entire situation and see what gives. At least we don't have to worry too much about having snow during the winter (with some exceptions). Are you scraping with a heat gun on your hull or what? And will you paint or varnish? Hmm? Jamestown Distributors have that entire department for wooden boats etc.....!
ReplyDelete