Purchasing a Trailer for Your Boat

If you are lucky enough to own your own boat, you also need a trailer on which to haul it from place to place. Your boat trailer can also serve as a great place to safely store your boat as well. If you store your boat on your trailer, when you get ready to take your boat out, all you have to do is hook your trailer to your truck and take off.

Boats can be expensive, but when shopping for your boat, you should be careful not to spend all of your resources, as you will need enough money left over for purchasing a trailer for your boat as well. You can find boat trailers for decent prices, if you know what you should be looking for.

The first thing you should look at when purchasing a trailer for your boat is the maximum amount of weight the trailer is able to carry. Your trailer not only needs to be able to support the weight of your boat, but any gear that you may need to carry, and of course, the boat motor as well. You will need to have a good idea of how much your boat weighs before going shopping for your trailer, so that you make certain you find a trailer that you can actually use.

Once you find a trailer that can hold the weight you need, the next thing you need to look at is the wheels and tire that are on the trailer. If you get a larger tire, they typically lass longer, as they don't rotate as many times as smaller tires. This will also help ensure that the wheel bearings last longer as well.

To make using your boat and trailer more convenient, you should look for one that has a drive on feature. This way, you will be able to drive your boat directly onto the trailer, so you don't have to spend a lot of time winching the boat up.

Make certain that the lights on the trailer are approved for highway use, and that they are also sealed well, which will prevent water from building inside, causing the lights to burn out.

Try to pick a boat trailer that is designed to be rust and weather resistant, which will help further protect your investment. Rust can really eat away at your trailer, which can eat away at your investment value.

If you plan to do a lot of traveling with your boat, it would be a good idea to purchase a spare trailer tire as well. This can save you a lot of time and money when you travel.

Ship carrying rocket parts, hits Ky. bridge

State officials are inspecting what's left of a southwestern Kentucky bridge that collapsed after a cargo ship carrying aviation parts struck it.

Bridge partially collapses in southwest Kentucky after being hit by cargo carrier

The extent of damage to the bridge that spans the Land Between the Lakes in Marshall County, Kentucky.

Officials inspect KY bridge after ship damages structure

State officials are inspecting a portion of a Kentucky bridge after it collapsed when it was struck by a cargo ship. Slideshow | Raw Aerial Video

Alabama Rig frenzy continues despite BASS ban

If you're a fisherman who plans to visit the Birmingham Boat Show at the BJCC on its final day today, be ready to be confronted with talk of the Alabama Rig. More precisely, be prepared to be schooled on some of its clones.

Fishing boats and rigging

Early fishing vessels included rafts and dugout canoes constructed from a wooden frame and covered with animal hide or tree bark. The oldest fishing boats were dugout canoes, documented 7,000-9,000 years ago and were cut from logs using stone crafted tools.

Ship search finds 12th body, captain's documents

Divers plumbing the capsized Costa Concordia's murky depths pulled out the body of a woman in a life vest Saturday, while scuba-diving police swam through the captain's cabin to retrieve a safe and documents belonging to the man who abandoned the cruise liner after it was gashed by a rocky reef on the Tuscan coast.

Illinois takes closer look at health, safety at abortion clinics

CHICAGO — An increased scrutiny of Illinois abortion clinics in the wake of revelations about a "house of horrors" in Philadelphia revealed that some facilities had gone up to 15 years without inspections, and two now have closed after regulators found health and safety violations.

Costa Rushes to Remove Fuel, Avoid Spill From Stricken Ship

Carnival Corp.’s Italian unit is rushing to prevent its crippled cruise liner from spewing 2,400 tons of fuel into Europe’s biggest marine park, as the search continues for 29 missing passengers and crew members.

China detains 7 over river pollution scandal

China has detained seven company executives after suspected industrial waste discharges polluted a river with toxic cadmium, threatening drinking supplies for millions, state media said Tuesday.

Costa Races to Remove Fuel, Avoid Oil Spill From Stricken Ship

Carnival Corp.’s Italian unit is racing to prevent its crippled cruise liner from spewing 2,300 tons of fuel into Europe’s biggest marine park, as the search continues for 29 missing passengers and crew members.