Why Am I Going Through a Boat Trailer Jack 2 to 3 Times a Year? I am Launching in Salt Water.
Updated 08/11/2025 | Published 08/03/2025
Question:
I go through a lot of trailer jacks for my boat trailer - 2 or 3 per year. You guys may be best to tell me why I have problems and how I can address them. I think I have gone through over 15 jacks in the last 7 years. I have an 18 boat in my garage that I take out 3 times a week and launch in salt water. I cant imagine that trailer jacks should only last for 6 months a best so I looked at what circumstances with me may cause them to fail. The failures happen all about the same - the jacking mechanism completely ends up jamming. At first they are all easy to raise and lower, but a month or two later they are difficult. Then eventually you cant turn the jack handle at all. The tongue weight on the trailer is only about 250 pounds, which I would think is no issue. I keep the boat in my garage which I assume is ideal. One possible cause is that I steer the wheel or wheels every time I push it into my garage - its a tight fit. I do so with a pry bar that I above the wheel so I can manually turn them in a direction where I push the boat and trailer into position. I dont think this hurts the jack and is better than kicking the wheels to turn them. Another possible cause is the location of the jack - this I think might the culprit. To fit in my garage I have a tongue hinge or knuckle, which forces the installation of the jack under the bow of the boat, rather than close to my truck. With that I notice the entire jack gets submerged in the salt water when I launch the boat and take it out of the water. Id like your thoughts. If you agree that submersing the entire jack is something most jacks arent built for, perhaps their are jacks that can accommodate this.
asked by: Jack O
Expert Reply:
Hello Jack,
It really sounds like you’ve been dealing with more than your fair share of trailer jack headaches. Going through 2–3 a year definitely isn’t normal, and from what you’ve described, the likely culprit is saltwater submersion. Most trailer jacks just aren’t designed to be fully dunked in salt water, especially not regularly. Salt can creep into the internal gears and screw mechanism, causing rust and jamming over time. That’s likely why they start off smooth and then seize up within a couple months. Are you spraying off the salt water when you get home? This could help prolong the life of the jack.
Your jack’s location under the bow (because of the folding tongue) puts it in the water every time you launch or retrieve your boat. That setup makes full submersion hard to avoid, which really accelerates wear, especially on jacks that aren’t sealed or made from corrosion-resistant materials. I too have a fold away tongue on my Ranger boat trailer, so my jack placement is the same as yours, I however am only going into fresh water and not salt water.
As for using a pry bar to steer the jack wheel, that’s probably not causing major damage if you’re careful. It might add some stress, but compared to salt exposure, it’s likely a minor factor.
I am curious on what jacks you are buying? The Fulton XLT Boat Trailer Jack w Wheel - Sidewind - Swivel - Sidewind - 12" Lift - 1.5K # F141132 has the highest salt spray rating out of the jacks that we carry. Most of the marine jacks are going to have a zinc plating, the # F141132 has a Sharkskin coating which is nearly 6 times more corrosion resistant. I know the 1,500 pound rating is a bit of an overkill for your 250 pound tongue weight, but I do not have a lower rated one in the Sharkskin coating.
Spraying down the jack when you get home, and keeping the gears lubed up with some LubriMatic Multi-Purpose Lithium Grease - 16 oz. Can # L11316 will definitely help prolong the life of your jack.
What kind of boat is sitting on this trailer? And please, let me know what kind of jacks you have been burning through, I am very eager to know.
(click to enlarge)
Jack O.
8/7/2025
I appreciate your response. I have greased most of the jacks - some had grease fittings, most did not and I popped the cap and greased the gears. As far as spraying the jacks down I did not; my assumptions was that the exterior was not an issue and in 6 a month life they all were fine on the outside. As far as brands and models I would rather not name them all; it's not my intention to disparage any when I may have been using them improperly. After the first 2 of them I just started buying cheap ones assuming the more expensive ones failed just as quickly. Now I am trying to see if there something which will work better. I included a photo that shows my current jack mostly submerged as I described. I wanted to add a photo with this question but did not see that I could. The photo shows my current jack mostly submerged as I described. The boat is a 2016 NauticStar 1810 Bay boat. You can see the tongue hinge right next to the jack's wheels. I appreciate your thoughts and agree the salt water submersion is likely the issue. My plan is to send my question with this photo to Fulton - you may note that the trailer winch is their brand and is working great after 9 years. They have several models that may work and I'd like to see if they can advise me. Thanks again.