Trailer Brake Recommendations for a Boat Trailer

Published 11/05/2014

Question:

Hello, iam looking into adding brakes on my boat trailer and have no idea what brakes I need. What information do you need to help me narrow this down? Thank you

asked by: Charles

Expert Reply:

Since you have a boat trailer I would recommend a hydraulic setup since electricity and water don't mix well. Basically you have two option at this point. You can go with drum brakes which are a bit less expensive or you can go with the superior braking performance of disc brakes. Depending on your budget and the weight of your boat trailer setup either could work well for you.

The biggest advantage drum brakes have is the initial cost, disc's advantages are more braking power and less maintenance.

Another consideration is the amount of corrosion resistance you desire. Brake parts are manufactured with one of several different finishes - raw metal, e-coat, silver cadmium, or Dacromet or they are made entirely of stainless steel. Parts vary in price and in the degree of resistance to corrosion, depending on the finish. For example, the ability of brake parts to resist corrosion would be important if you typically use your trailer around water, especially salt water. Of the different finishes, "raw" offers the least resistance to corrosion. Better than a raw finish is e-coating, which fights rust and corrosion with a paint-like coating. But a downside to e-coating is that the paint can wear off or get chipped, allowing rust to start. Both silver cadmium and Dacromet plating offer better alternatives for corrosion resistance than either a raw finish or e-coat, and they hold up very well. But parts made of stainless steel stand up best to corrosion because they are reliably rustproof. The only downside here is that stainless parts are much more expensive than parts having any of the other finishes.

For more information on how to install either system on a trailer check out the two links I attached to the right.

expert reply by: Jameson C