Classicing A New Boat Trailer. We Actually Did It.
Primer and ready
This Sunday here in Virginia it was a nice 68 degrees and Jimmy called and said, lets play with the boats for Lake Dora. BAM. I think I actually hung up the phone while getting into the truck! First job was the trailer. This is a 3 year old Custom Phoenix Trailer that we got from Katz’s Marina. But its aged a bit, and not in a good way. Scratch here and there. Wheels kinda ratty.
Rusty fender areas. GONE!
So after a good sanding and prepping, we blacked out the trailer and added a classic look that pays homage to Chris Craft trailers of the era.
Rough coat of Yellow. We decided to accent the curve in yellow at the front to give the trailer a sense of motion when sitting still.
Black and Yellow fenders with a touch of red type on the fender. We also added the slogan for all 1948 Chris Craft Advertising.
Black wheels now, and a cool look!
The look!
“Make A Date With A 48 with a NEW Chris-Craft! I like the way this line tells folks what year it is and uses the actual font from the campaign.
Cleaned up from an ad scan
It’s raing Water Skis in Jimmys barn!
It all adds up to a cool classic look on a new safe amazing trailer. Just in time to haul up to Katzs for her new Van Ness engine and then..Fingers crossed to Lake Dora for some March woody boating! Woohooo!
You may have noticed on the wall, the original transom to Mariah! The On Golden Pond Mail Boat and the original Window.
Moonshiner getting a refresh and Yannon’s engine ready fro Van Ness. Piston issues.
Jimmy has some bad ass stuff on the walls of this huge workshop.
The final Chirs Craft sign we made last year from an original hand painted sign. Thats Jimms house attached to the barn. Its a man dream house.
Ready to be installed in the back of a pickup truck!
Hook her up! She is moving just sitting there.
It felt like the start of summer and was a much needed reminder of the fun we all have when we are working and playing with our boats.
Looking GREAT! Can’t wait to see her in Dora. She would be a wonderful boat to have on the St. Johns.
We are loaded. New trailer, new to us truck, new paint and lettering. Dang this Florida thing is getting expensive.
And the essentials or set out ready to pack.
Troy,
Be careful transporting open containers south of the Mason-Dixon line. You might get to know some people you’d really rather not.
That already happened last year!
You All down there in the south just have the friendliest LEOs around. I think there were about 10 of Orlando’s finest that came to greet us.
Cheapest diesel on the east coast is NJ and SC fyi Troy. If you don’t have the GasBuddy app, you ought to get it. Comes in handy. Safe travels to all you guys hauling down to Tavares (or Jacksonville).
Nice trailer – great job, but man, does Jimmy have a helluva barn! What a fantastic looking shop! The near 30′ boat/trailer rig is just lost in there.
The weather here is 80+/- for the next week, and I sure hope it holds through the show.
Nothing new and fancy for me, all I can muster is a recovering of the aft seat bottom and engine box on Kabot’s Habit – the original material is finally coming apart after 51 years.
Dag, that looks exactly like my shop! Well, I mean, without the Chris-Craft….Oh, and the enormous amount of square footage…and I guess I don’t have all that cool Woody Boater type memorabilia…But, other than that it’s a dead ringer…
am i the only one that has dust, any kind of dust!
Between Jimmy and Steve Bunda, a guy could get some serious Shop Envy….
Thanks for the nice complement on the clean shop here in Northern Wisconsin.
I have been a Phoenix Dealer for years and talker with Chip the owner yesterday about a spring order. If Phoenix does not have the dimensions on a boat hull, they send an engineer to my shop to measure the boat’s bottom. WE have designed a fully adjustable , and more friendly bow stop. All trailers can be customized including, paint, wheels, lighting, laser cutouts with back lighting, spare, fenders, and more.
Just starting to pack.
Shucks, Jim. You didn’t need to go to all that trouble for little ole me. But thanks. Just leave it on ice at the dock when you head up the St. Johns. I’ll be just fine
And good news for the trip.
Dang! The best I have paid is $2.01 and it has just bounced back up to about $2.12. Maybe I should drive your way to fill up before I go south? NOT!
I just paid $1.99 for diesel yesterday. I am assuming most if not all of the $0.46 difference is going to the criminals in Albany. 🙁
I have no idea who Jimmy is, but I sure as heck like his “barn”!
All I can say is, nice, nice and nice..
Nice trailer! Too bad it must set idle in the trailer lot at Wooton Park all weekend during the Show. The last couple of years I passed by all those trailers daily while walking to and from the RV in the Dry Camp area. This year the RV stays home, but I may take a stroll through the trailer lot just to see this slick new one.
Paul, I sure hope the weather stays nice down there for the river cruise and the show. Karen will never forgive me it its cold and wet.
Can Jimmy move down to my neighborhood?? “Friends with benefits” has a different meaning in the Woodyboater world, lol. If one of those skiis mounted in the ceiling drops down like a missile someones going to be unhappy. “Incoming”.
Where’s the dust? Great workshop. Sooo big!
Beautiful trailer, Matt. Let’s be sure it’s protected before you hit the road. Give me a call!!
Matt, love the canvas fit. It’s the way I would like my U-22 with spot light to look when covered. Who did the canvas cover? Did you attempt to use a felt cover under it?
The top was done by Tiffany Yachts in Burgass VA. Laura is amazing and totally has fun with the stuff. She made it a tad large so it would shrink over time to fit. Genus stuff. The light part was a custom thing she thought of.
Nice job on the trailer, very nice looking and unique. I think Jimmy should repurpose some of those old skis into a adirondack chair and/or blades for the ceiling fan(s). How much cool stuff can a guy have?
FANTASTIC !!! Man that trailer looks great! I love the yellow and the graphics. Wow so cool.
I’m assuming that’s a static cover not a travel cover? That’s one fabulous rig. Is that “Jimmy’s Marina and Lounge” a Matt Smith creation?
Its a static cover that I trailer. Its very soft and the finish isnt all that great now. We have had flanel lined ones and they get wet on the trailer and a mess. This cotton canvas type is perfect.