# Enclosed trailer?



## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Well, if you were able to pull off a 16' enclosed trailer, and have a 14' raft be able to stay rigged and inflated inside it, that would be the best of the best, you would have it made in heaven!
I have a utility trailer with a winch and roller, and often tarp my boat, rigged and ready to go, and it saves so much time and work, if everything can just stay in one piece on a trailer. A large box trailer would be the ultimate solution.


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

The downside to a enclosed trailer would be IMHO: 
Hard to inflate or deflate when going over mtn. passes. 
Very hard to stack boats if you wanted to carry more than one. 
Unloading would be a little more difficult and loading would be much more difficult if fully rigged (backing trailer into the water until the boat just slides on easily is not a practical option). 
If you travel fully rigged it would be difficult to restock the cooler ice. 
They are heavy. 
If any wet gear gets in a enclosed trailer, rust and mold can become a problem. 
I have experience with enclosed trailers with snowmobiles not rafts. They are really nice for keeping thieves, ice and snow off the machines. But are a pain in the ass loading, unloading and tying down compared to a flat bed that you have access from all four sides. 
I personally prefer a flat bed trailer and good boat cover to store rigged boat. A big dog or a motion activated light works well for thieves.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

I used to have a big 26' UHaul truck for hauling my 4x4's. It was like a 2nd garage...and a motorhome. When I was at home, it freed up a garage stall as I could store my buggy inside. When traveling, it was tight on sleeping space, but huge when I was in camp. I did use it a few times for shuttling vehicles and boats. Here it is one time with the shuttle car inside, rafts on a trailer behind:












2 rafts and 11 kayaks, sure!










Raft on top of the Suby, no trailer:













Fantastic for security, storage, camping. As others have mentioned, really not ideal for rigging inside. If you're doing multidays some distance from home, it would be awesome. For a daytrip rig, it would be less than ideal.

Bighorn listed some good downsides...if you get an enclosed and want to launch out the back of the trailer, barn doors (and props to hold them open) would work better than a fold-down ramp door.

Every trailer solution is a compromise.
Your boating style, distance to the river, etc should dictate what you really NEED vs what compromises you can live with.

Another idea would be to build a platform about 2' off the floor. Put your cooler, drybox, oars, etc below the platform and keep a light, slick boat on top. You'll have a bit of rigging/derigging at the river, but this would also make it easier to fill the cooler with ice or to stock boats...or you could even sleep under the deck and leave the rigged boat on top.

Enclosed trailers need a bit of work to make them sleepable--they don't have enough ventilation for people exhaling moisture all night. One roof jack is good, two would be better. Also the doors are designed to be locked from the outside and are not easily kept closed from the inside...and also think about someone locking you in from outside. They're dark as a cave. A few windows high on the wall, small enough for security but large enough for natural light would be VERY helpful.


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

another thread on the buzz shows a ' Sawtooth trailer' with a metal top cover.

I did the same type of thing on my open top utility trailer except used plywood. The raft rides on top and gear goes inside. Not totally as secure as the Sawtooth model, but a lot cheaper since I had the open utility trailer already paid for some years ago.


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

Can some one direct me to the instructions on how to include a photo on a Mt Buzz post.

I looked but so far have not found it listed.

thanks

dave


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## Ruger9009 (Feb 1, 2017)

I have a saw tooth knock off that I had custom built and they are great. The idea of an enclosed trailer is really awesome if its outfitted right and you have the correct rig to tow it. 

Here my 2cents 

Make sure it has a door in the front so you can access everything without climbing in. 

Over build the suspension and axles. Don't know where you boat but a bear camp shuttle on the rogue can rattle stuff apart.

I too have a storage issue and thought about enclosed. It will be hard to load an unload but totally doable. 
As for the coolers, just put them in the truck bed? anything else you have to get daily access too goes there too. 
If you pull the trigger post some pictures I would love to see it.


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## curtis catman (Sep 29, 2015)

They are great for security but not for hauling fully rigged. Will a 14 foot raft even fit inside one inflated. I have thrown my sabertooth in this trailer and l can't see my 14 foot rmr raft fitting in it. This trailer has the wheels under fenders on the outside but even the 8 foot wide ones have internal fenders.

I have put 4 boats in this one, rafts deflated and cat tubes inflated. 12 foot sabertooth, 14 foot sotar cat, 14 foot rmr raft and 16 foot air jag tubes. Put all the frames inside except for jag, it goes on top of trailer. And i had my honda dual sport inside for shuttle rig. It makes an awesome camper. Get a V nose also. I have a couple of dock boxes that go up front to make a bed for sleeping.


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## curtis catman (Sep 29, 2015)

okieboater said:


> Can some one direct me to the instructions on how to include a photo on a Mt Buzz post.
> 
> I looked but so far have not found it listed.
> 
> ...


When you go to post there is a paperclip on the right. click it and then you have to select your photo


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## curtis catman (Sep 29, 2015)

[email protected] said:


> The downside to a enclosed trailer would be IMHO:
> Hard to inflate or deflate when going over mtn. passes.
> Very hard to stack boats if you wanted to carry more than one.
> Unloading would be a little more difficult and loading would be much more difficult if fully rigged (backing trailer into the water until the boat just slides on easily is not a practical option).
> ...




oh and every thing said here is true about enclosed trailer. I have never used mine to try and launch or recover a boat from a river. I actually welded a hitch on the back and pull my raft trailer behind it. We can double in WV.


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## blueotter (Nov 30, 2018)

Wow! Thanks for all the great responses. Some really good insight & information.
I am rethinking the enclosed trailer idea.
I have been eyeing this one on the quaddrax trailer thread for a while, and I might go with it.


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

blueotter said:


> Wow! Thanks for all the great responses. Some really good insight & information.
> I am rethinking the enclosed trailer idea.
> I have been eyeing this one on the quaddrax trailer thread for a while, and I might go with it.
> View attachment 32547
> ...


Good thinking


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## Fly By Night (Oct 31, 2018)

If you add solid sides to that and size it right you could probably use that for off season storage, toss dry bags, straps etc in your cooler and dry box for another layer of protection.




blueotter said:


> Wow! Thanks for all the great responses. Some really good insight & information.
> I am rethinking the enclosed trailer idea.
> I have been eyeing this one on the quaddrax trailer thread for a while, and I might go with it.
> View attachment 32547
> ...


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## blueotter (Nov 30, 2018)

Yes, good point. I have been debating solid versus metal mesh sides.
I love this style of trailer and it's what I was leaning toward. I'll still have to roll the raft & store it in the basement during winter, which is the only reason I was considering an enclosed. But other posters raised good points, and I'll probably go with the Quadrax.


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## Fly By Night (Oct 31, 2018)

I'd probably go mesh for ventilation In season and make some sides out of plywood, galvanized sheet metal or aluminum to block the sun and weather for storage season. Another thought I just had is to have most of it with solid sides and do some windows that hinge or slide so you can ventilate on the drive home and for saw a week after then simply close it without disturbing your already packed gear.


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## wookie (Oct 19, 2009)

how did the guy or gal get out of the subie a little tight I guess


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## blueotter (Nov 30, 2018)

Fly By Night said:


> I'd probably go mesh for ventilation In season and make some sides out of plywood, galvanized sheet metal or aluminum to block the sun and weather for storage season. *Another thought I just had is to have most of it with solid sides and do some windows that hinge or slide so you can ventilate on the drive home and for saw a week after then simply close it without disturbing your already packed gear*.



Brilliant!!


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## BGillespie (Jul 15, 2018)

If you're buying new, look into a 102" wide deckover enclosed for hauling snowmobiles. No fenders inside would make hauling boats much easier.

The huge plus of using an enclosed is that your gear can live there during the summer, making packing for a trip much easier--throw in food and beers and go. The negatives are mostly fuel economy and parking. My dad and I used our race trailer for rafting this season and it worked well, as we camped in it at the put-in, take out, or both. Not having to tie anything down is nice too.


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