Double axes, that's one heck of a big trailer for just one tornado!
Hard to say what its worth, The trailer might be more than the boat! Wooden T's don't really seem to bring big bucks but that trailer is just what I was envisioning building for my boats.
enough space there to put a barbecue/smoker.............. 😀
check with Pete begle in Big Bear Lake ca. pbegle@charter.net he has several tornado's and know a lot about them.
Bet that trailer weighs 10-15 times more than the boat.
Trailer looks way over built & heavy; would need an 8 mpg vehicle to tow it. By the way, thanks BACHO for the tip off on the trailex trailer with Playcat hulls from Gov't Liquidation in Barstow. Flipped the hulls and am making a light weight enclosed trailer for my landsailors to be towed with 4 cyl Subaru. Using 3/8" nomex/carbon for the floor & searching for more for the body. Pete
thanks BACHO for the tip off on the trailex trailer
I had never heard of a Trailex aluminum trailer. My buddy with the Nacra 36 gave me one, as I didn't have a Cat trailer, & needed one to retrieve our N5.0.
WOW, you can literally pick them up. I pulled into an awkward spot to grab some munchies, the trailer was hanging out. I just picked up the entire back end & moved it out of the way. They are anodized, so they look good & no rust issues.
Towing it with a Sienna van we only dropped 1 mpg. The only downside I see is the crossbeams to hold the Cat are part of the frame, & cannot be removed if you want to use the trailer for other jobs.
Crossbeams on mine are bolted & we can slide them right off. In fact we're widening the frame & buying a longer axle (& bigger springs) to make an 8' x 14' box trailer. Pete
I would love one of those but they cost more than all my boats put together.
Crossbeams on mine are bolted & we can slide them right off.
I wish I had that Pete. I have seen it on other trailers, a couple of "U" bolts & the X beams come off.
They are an interesting design, seems modular. All the pieces on mine fit together, with "Trailex" cast into the fittings where pieces join. Every beam has channels for sliding bolts, you can move a fitting to wherever you need it.
When we first picked up the 5.0, we realized that the mast would not clear the roof of the van. As we contemplated how to extend the mast support, we realized that we could just loosen the bolts, slide the support rearwards a foot, & that would change the angle enough to give us what we need.
I would love one of those but they cost more than all my boats put together.
I hear you. Mine was given to me by a chap who owns one of 3 Nacra 36's in the world.
I was selling Trailex trailers in middle '70's in Detroit with most every boat. We were all driving Pintos & Vegas & waiting in gas lines. They retailed then at $600, now around $2000. Pete
Christ those were awful cars! An acquaintance in high school, with more money than brains, dropped a small block V8 into his Vega. What a POS, no brakes, handling...what's that, but it sure burned rubber.
3 phone calls & an email & no response on the Tornado. It's probably either a Gougeon or a Houlton which were very competitive in Olympic circles in the mid-'80's until the Marstrom pre-preg boats came in. Worth $5000 and more with a tilt trailer. Portsmouth rating of 63.9 comparable to A cats,f-16's, Mystere 6.0, P-19 & Super cat 20. Takes me 2 hours to sand & varnish wood hulls once a year. Pete
Edchris177 wrote:
Crossbeams on mine are bolted & we can slide them right off.
I wish I had that Pete. I have seen it on other trailers, a couple of "U" bolts & the X beams come off.
They are an interesting design, seems modular. All the pieces on mine fit together, with "Trailex" cast into the fittings where pieces join. Every beam has channels for sliding bolts, you can move a fitting to wherever you need it.
That trailer is very old, from the 70's. I called trailex about a replacement casting and was informed they were a very weak design.
Funny they would knock their own design. I walked over to my neighbor who is a trailex dealer. Same extruded beams, same sliding bolts, same reinforcement pieces, same axles. 40 years in business with a very weak design ? Finally got an email from Tornado people who were out of the country. It sold 3 weeks ago for $5500. Pete