Boat trailer electric brakes

[diesail]

Wondering if anybody here has any experience with Fulton SharkSkin electrics on a boat trailer. I am getting closer to making a decsion and hoping to get some experience stories.

Thanks

[blksmok]

First :welcome:

I don't have any experience with those brakes specifically, but I always followed the belief that putting electric brakes on a boat trailer was a bad idea... Wouldn't you want hydraulic/surge brakes instead?

If you do choose to go electrical, just make sure the connections are resin-encased and sealed against moisture, as to avoid corrosion and shorting out.

[Mike]

Welcome aboard.

Will you be in salt water? I have hydraulic brakes on our boat. Sometimes, if I'm backing up hill, I have to pin the hitch so as it will not engage the brakes. Otherwise, zero problems and easy to repair and get parts as they wear.

Electric brakes work well but, I had a problem with my campers brakes after setting at the coast and driving through high flood water once. The electromagnetic drag on the drums was near zero till all the funky scale wore. Weird ride for sure.

[diesail]

Thanks for the replies guys, guess I need to give some more details. I have a tandem axle trailer that currently has surge brakes on a single axle. I the trailer a lot locally and make one or two trips a year about 1200 miles one way and would like to upgrade to brakes on both axles to not only be safer but also to be legal as about 1/2 the states I tow through require brakes on both axles. Total weight is between 7 and 8k.

While the surge brakes work well I believe that electrics offer a lot more control and would be interested in an upgrade to electrics. Cost wise I feel I would be pretty close changing the two existing brakes to 4 electrics as I would be to add 2 more hydrolic brakes to the system.

Just hoping somebody might have some direct experience with them. The only info I have found so far has been from BoatUS and some talk about EZ-loader shipping about 20% of their new trailers with electrics.

Thanks again, and Dave thanks for the welcome. Been lurking here for a few days and while the activity level is a little lower it seems the posters are a little more adult than on some of those other forums. Feels good to be aboard.

Todd

[blksmok]

Thanks for the replies guys, guess I need to give some more details. I have a tandem axle trailer that currently has surge brakes on a single axle. I the trailer a lot locally and make one or two trips a year about 1200 miles one way and would like to upgrade to brakes on both axles to not only be safer but also to be legal as about 1/2 the states I tow through require brakes on both axles. Total weight is between 7 and 8k.

While the surge brakes work well I believe that electrics offer a lot more control and would be interested in an upgrade to electrics. Cost wise I feel I would be pretty close changing the two existing brakes to 4 electrics as I would be to add 2 more hydrolic brakes to the system.

Just hoping somebody might have some direct experience with them. The only info I have found so far has been from BoatUS and some talk about EZ-loader shipping about 20% of their new trailers with electrics.

Thanks again, and Dave thanks for the welcome. Been lurking here for a few days and while the activity level is a little lower it seems the posters are a little more adult than on some of those other forums. Feels good to be aboard.

Todd

Thanks, that's our goal. :thumb:

Hopefully someone with direct experience can chime in, but regardless, if you do in fact go with an electric solution make sure you let us know how it works for you. I'd be interested in a follow up.

Hope you enjoy the site!