Making a Dinghy Boat Trailer from a Harbor Freight Utility Trailer Part-1

[@Creamer307]

In regards to the initial silence after the drill bit snapped in half, I felt your pain brother 😂

[@asmr_naturelover5314]

Great patience my friend

[@barrywingler418]

Get a welder makes it so much easier, it was the best tool I ever bought when making my trailer into a boat trailer. Good video.

[@twosonssailing]

I've got access to a welder if I really need one. That said, this trailer was originally built to bolt together, and I wanted to modify as little of it as possible.

[@LukePighetti]

Was a revelation when I first discovered stepped drill bits as a backyard / weekend warrior doing welding projects.

[@Satexans210]

Omg if I was building this I know the SAME issues would happen to me 😂 way to keep at it and not get frustrated 👍🏼

[@nickj4850]

Hey man. You have no clue how much you helped me out. Thank you so much!

[@twosonssailing]

That's great! May my drill bits not have given their lives in vain.

[@miltonramirez9579]

Two Sons Sailing, I had the same exact reaction when I purchased the step drill bit from Harbor Freight. The step drill is my new found tool that will be in my toolbox all the time! 😃👍

[@MrRikko951]

wonderful to see I´m not the only one -making mistakes- learning as I go...

[@twosonssailing]

So much 'learning'!!!!

[@joemartin6439]

Thank you so much for this video from this Canadian

[@tomcoryell]

The dreaded two-piece drill bit. 😳

[@Fajah69]

Step bit is the way to go. I have broken so many drill bits I learned my lesson well.

[@twosonssailing]

I like that thing so much I wanna frame it and hang it on the wall.

[@keithtekiri9188]

Bro your awesome . Really enjoyed your video , it was real and not made to look like your a perfect clever bugger like most tutorial vids people make, my partner and I laughed , Learnt and I was gonna stop watching till I saw you break the drill bit ... mate your a legend keep up the work and happy sailing

[@Makermook]

Awesome DYI; I'm about to do the exact same thing for a boat I just built. A suggestion from one DYI guy to another: Buy a little welder and watch a ton of KZbin videos on how to use it. My projects took off exponentially once I learned how to weld.

[@twosonssailing]

Good luck with it! I've got experience welding, but since the trailer was originally designed to be bolted together, was powder coated, and is made of... dubious... metal, I felt more comfortable sticking with bolts.

[@eagleshore]

I was also looking to modify a HF trailer for a Sunfish, but since I have a welder, it should be a simpler job. No holes to drill!

[@twosonssailing]

Best of luck, it's a fun project! Heads up that the HF trailers are powder coated, and pretty thin stock. Lots of grinding, and the new tongue that I used was thicker than the material I bolted it to. Not impossible to do, but it would come with its own annoyances.

[@dannyroberts5056]

A good place to get graded bolts is at a farm supply store. I'm not sure what's in your area. They usually cary metric and standard bolts for tractors and farm equipment. Good call on beefing up the tong material. Those harbor freight trailers are cheap for a reason.

[@tomayermusic]

great video! doing the same myself

[@twosonssailing]

Good luck!

[@almanzarimprovement]

When drilling metal, lube your bits with wd40, they brake because they get overheated, picture it as cutting glass or concrete with saw and water!

[@meuccilawless]

Looking good ...did you have your drill on the lowest speed ? This usually helps prevent breaking bits

[@reallyhappenings5597]

What was the wall thinkness of the 12' box channel you bought? And was 12' the right length? If you did it again, is 12' the right length? Thanks!

[@temporaryscars]

Update on this? Looking forward to seeing how it comes out! Need a trailer for my sunfish and am interested in seeing the final results.

[@twosonssailing]

I'm hoping to make some progress on this this weekend, and get a video out on it shortly after that. I had a few things come up that got in the way of working on it, but it's almost warm enough to sail here so I need to get on it.

[@phoenixarizona8441]

I had a lil sail boat like that fun boat's

[@HerveMendell]

Just built one. I laminated wood to extend the tongue, I think it will work. The question is, where do you get the box tube?

[@twosonssailing]

I got mine from Metal Supermarkets. They have local offices you can pick stuff up from (cause it's expensive to ship steel.)

[@nancychmielewski5391]

I'm hoping to do this for my 14' Jon boat. I'm wondering if the 12' square tube you used would be long enough. Does the boat hang behind the trailer? If I'm guessing correctly, there's about 2' of trailer behind the center cross rail. I think I'd need at least 3' of clearance from the end of the vehicle to the front of the boat so wouldn't you then need at least a 16' tube?

[@twosonssailing]

Almost all of the Sunfish/etc trailers I've ever seen have the boat hang off the back of the trailer to some degree. I'm going to see how this works, but I've got room to move the boat forward by a foot or so. That would only leave 2-3' hanging off the end of the trailer.

[@duck7927]

What kind of metal did you use for the tongue? Awesome video.

[@twosonssailing]

It's just a mild steel welded tube. I'll need to keep an eye on it for rust, but the rest of the trailer is just powder coated steel as well.

[@Christofoos]

Great video! Where did you get the tongue stand? Looks a lot more convenient than a jack for a smaller trailer

[@twosonssailing]

It came with the trailer when I got it, so I'm not entirely sure. It's certainly lighter!

[@dalaiw]

The trailer is rated at over 1,000 lbs., with a boat that light, you might consider removing a leaf or two from the springs. Just a thought.

[@rkstreeper1]

Hi. Just curious, to what max speed have you taken this trailer? Some "sellers" of this trailer state 45mph max but it seems many people are going beyond that with no issues. I want one, but not if it has any issues on the freeway, up to 65mph. Thanks

[@twosonssailing]

I double checked, and it is true that Harbor Freight lists the max speed of the trailer as 45mph. I've had it on the highway without issues, and I suspect that making the tongue longer makes the trailer more stable when being towed. I wouldn't want to go cross country with it, but it seems ok. You might check the speed rating on the tires to see what they're rated for.

[@Imjustsayin99]

what was the thickness of the steel box tube you replaced with... 1/8 in., or 3/16 in.?

[@twosonssailing]

It was 2.5x2.5x0.120 I don't have any solid reasoning to back that up, aside from the fact that the hitch mount was 2.5" wide, and it was available at my local metal dealer. It seems at least as strong as what the trailer originally had, and I'm not planning on towing nearly as much weight as it was originally designed for.

[@Doc.Holiday]

Guess is, you also purchased your drill bits at Harbor Fright???

[@twosonssailing]

You might think so, but no! The first set was admittedly old, but the new ones were a name brand from the hardware store. They weren't anything fancy, for sure, but still. User error is always my first guess.

[@MyNeeso]

How do I get that 11 inch steel post?

[@dmott9750]

Where do you buy the steel tube at? Thanks

[@twosonssailing]

I got it from "Metal Supermarkets." If there's one near you, you can go pick it up and save yourself shipping.

[@jamest1148]

Did anyone else notice the squirrel @01:31?

[@billklein5225]

How well does it tow?

[@twosonssailing]

Pretty well, actually. I need to repack or replace the bearings on the right wheel though. It runs hot, even without any load on the trailer. (You get what you pay for.)

[@christinewatson581]

Is someone Highland dancing inside the house at 9:21?

[@twosonssailing]

Lol. It is indeed!

[@nashialittle6274]

Hey do you mind me asking what state did you get this in i tried pa near Philadelphia and also Delaware

[@twosonssailing]

Hello! I actually bought mine used. It looks like if you want to purchase a new one they're all currently listed as "special order" (at least in my local area.)

[@Fajah69]

I went to the local Harbor Freight here in Maine and asked for the manager. I told him I wanted a trailer and showed him this video. He went on the phone and got one ordered "ship to store" for me. No shipping fee. Paid $299 before taxes.

[@twosonssailing]

That's excellent! Good luck with it!

[@nashialittle6274]

Thanks

[@billklein5225]

Harbor freight discontinued coupons!

[@twosonssailing]

Coupons, or discounts all together? Some of those monthly discounts could be pretty crazy.

[@DaveDude]

This is a drilling lesson video🤣

[@twosonssailing]

More like a "how not to" if we're being honest.

[@jimmybaggs5342]

Your starting the drill too fast, you need a much slower speed than drilling wood.