Mark,

I think you have already bought one, and if you sail in fresh water most trailers will last a long time without galvanizing. However, it is truly a permanent fix, and worth doing if you are willing to put forth some effort. The cost was very reasonable at about $400 (only slightly more than a decent blast and paint job), but the labor was much more than I bargained for. You must strip off all moving/fragile parts (axles, leaf springs, lights, pads, chocks, boat box, license plate, hitch mechanism, etc.) and ideally any other bolted connections. Good luck!

Chris,

For those who are considering purchasing a J24 and working up their budgets, things like needing a galvanized trailer (or needing to have one galvanized) are very important. Could you let us in on how much the zinc job cost?

Greg,

My Shoreline is made of hollow tubing, and you are right about the corrosion. I had to replace a few members which rusted through and then got smart and had the entire trailer blasted and hot dip galvanized (they cut holes in any members which would not fill up with zinc). Now the trailer is rock solid and rustproof.

i have a question for Chris, is your shoreline built out of hollow tubeing, if it is, then it probably feels rock solid, but after you put it in the water a couple of times, and get water in it, it can rust from the inside, which is why triad trailers are very nice, all the metal surface is exposed, even if it feels a bit more flexy, they are pretty much the industry standard.

Greg Hammond

I have floated my boat a few times now and it works reasonably well. However, when taking the boat in and out make sure you have plenty of weight forward on the bow. There is a risk of the trailer tipping up depending on the tongue weight.

Most ramps are not steep enough to float off a J-24 even with a tongue extender. You usually need to use about 20-25 ft of rope tied to the hitch ball and trailer tongue. I do not agree with Les about Triad trailers either. They make a decent trailer, but a bit on the light side and they tend to flex more than stouter trailers (I have a heavy duty Shoreline that is rock solid and I would trust it to take my boat anywhere).

You can have someone put a trailer tongue extender on....I have seen many J22s with this feature. At modest cost, you then would have several extra feet to launch and retrive.

Another thing to note.....be sure you get a TRIAD trailer for a J24. They are the only trailer you can trust for long hauls.

Most float-on trailers with a proper keel guide can be shimmed to put the keel exactly where you want it by hauling on a line attached to the bow cleat. If you do not get it right the first time, you can always go back in and adjust it.

Mark;
I bought a float on/off trailer when I purchased my boat several years ago. I can honestly say that I have both hauled and lauched in that fashion. You are correct in the fact the lauching is not a big concern but hauling is a whole different story. I could never seem to get the keel to sit where it was supposed to and managed to nick it a few times. Perhaps I needed to develop a better system and maybe someone else has some ideas but I won't do it anymore.
Happy Sailing;
Paul Scalisi
Quantum Sail Design Group - New Jersey

I am looking to join the class soon. That is, buy a J24. I would like to dry sail the boat but that will mean ramp launch and retrival. The hoist at the local marina charges lots of $$ and the hoists at the sailing club are rated 2,000 lbs. I have yet to see a J24 on a trailer that seems rigged to float the boat back on. I'm sure they can be floated off, that's the easy part. Most, non J24, trailers have a crank that connects at the bow. I don't see this on the trailers I've seen for J24s. Am I missing something? Is their a trick to getting the boat on in the right position and connecting it to the trailer before hauling out?