Trailer Issues 2024
carlm01 reply :
Hello to all, I purchased a 2014 lowe skorpion pkg this year new , I had taken the boat out to a local fresh water river and ran it for awhile breaking in the engine ,, So far I love the boat but noticed on my second trip out that the axle had started to rust , This is a new trailer ,I contacted my dealer and he contacted karavan who makes it and they sent a new axle but explained I had to pay for labor ? At the time I had only owned the boat for less than a month ..I reached out to Lowe hoping they'd help,Never heard a word from them ...Does this seem normal 
Fishing Rhino reply :
How did you miss that when you bought the boat? That's an awful lot of rust for a "new" trailer. It looks like someone painted over rust scale.
Was Lowes the dealer from whom you bought the boat?
Way2slow reply :
Looks like it has been launched it salt water or brackish water. As for paying to replace the axle, I would buy me some Rustoleum and some sand paper, be a hole lot cheaper and you will probably have to do that anyway to the replacement axle.
slonezp reply :
I would keep pressuring the dealer to make it right
carlm01 reply :
Fishing Rhino ,It didn't look like that when I bought it ,
carlm01 reply :
Way2slow I shouldn't have to do anything to the trailer it was brand new when I bought it and let's say for the sake of argument it was in brackish water ,It shouldn't have looked like that after one launch ...I guess I'm more disappointed that Lowe never replied .. And for Karavan to go ahead and give me a new axle they must have figured there was an issue ,for the dealer to know that the boat was picked up at the end of May and this happened the last week of June should have sealed the deal ....
Skeeter Dan reply :
It seems that the manufacture made good on there end but the dealer doesn't won't to cover the labor. It's an easy fix. Two jack stands a floor jack and ratchet and sockets. That will take care of that and don't ever go back to that dealer unless you need warranty work done on your boat. You can find another authorized dealer to work on your motor. It looks like that trailer had sit out side after it was built for some time before it was painted.
carlm01 reply :
I'm starting to feel the same way , It's Thayersmarine in Conn. And the trailer was galvanized .I thought it would hold up better than the painted one LOL
Dwight Hottle reply :
I agree with you that that your trailer should not be rusting this soon. Put the pressure on the dealer to fix it or take legal action against the trailer manufacture. The beauty of a galvanized trailer is it is supposed to look as ugly new as it does when you get rid of it. Yours not so much.
slonezp reply :
I think my Shorelander started rusting after 1 year. Trailering it in the roadsalt is harsh.On 10/17/2015 at 3:36 AM, Dwight Hottle said:I agree with you that that your trailer should not be rusting this soon. Put the pressure on the dealer to fix it or take legal action against the trailer manufacture. The beauty of a galvanized trailer is it is supposed to look as ugly new as it does when you get rid of it. Yours not so much.
lo n slo reply :
Rotten eggs lofted towards said establishment, by a masked Halloween prankster, can be good for the soul.
Freekin' kids
carlm01 reply :
lo n slo what does your comment have to do with the subject ?
lo n slo reply :
Just a little revenge humor. I guess it was'nt well received. Hope you get things worked out in your favor.
my mistake
Spankey reply :
I've had both galvanized and painted Tracker Trailers and never had an issue. Yes I'm in fresh water majority of the time. Do fish tidal brackish on occasion. Don't have rust or never developed anything like that. Fight it the best you can.
carlm01 reply :
Well heard nothing from Lowe boats so I guess they're not going to address this... Remember the trailers are made by Karavan so just a word to the wise ,find another brand .........
Ski213 reply :
How did you go about reaching out to Lowe? Email? I would definitely try to actually talk to someone.
I totally understand your frustration with the trailer manufacturer. You shouldn't have to be dealing with this at all. However, based on what you've said I would be focusing the majority of my attention on the dealer. They were provided a replacement axle and for all you know were actually compensated by the manufacturer to replace it. Regardless it shouldn't be your problem. It should be between the dealer and the trailer company to fight it out. The dealer should spend the 50 bucks it's actually going to cost them to finish making it right. I'd imagine it's not going to put a very big dent in their margin from the sale.
Dwight Hottle reply :
I have had two trail master trailers both oem suppliers to Lund & Starcraft. They make a good trailer.
carlm01 reply :
Ive talked with Richie Thayer at Thayersmarine (Conn) about it he doesn't believe it's his problem ... While I thought he was a reputable dealer ,I must admit this has put a bit of a slant on it .. And I won't be doing business with him agian .. As I said I was very surprised not to hear from Lowe since this is sold as a pkg that they put together... Live and learn I guess??
ABit reply :
Generally speaking, the manufacturer should be responsible for parts and labor under a warranty type scenario.
Fishing Rhino reply :
He doesn't believe it is "his" problem? He doesn't know?
Try the Better Business Bureau in your area. They sometimes handle complaints or notify businesses that a complaint has been filed against them. That may alter Thayer's "belief". Sometimes local tv stations will deal with customer complaints, depending. They sometimes run features dealing with customer complaints.
On most that I have seen, the attitude adjustment of bad publicity is often enough to rectify matters.
As a last resort, you can always take 'em to small claims court. You have to determine if your time and energy is worth the effort.
One thing is certain, they do not want to spend their time in a courtroom over such a minor (I know it's not minor to you. And it shouldn't be) matter as the labor involved in swapping out an axle.
As others have said, dealers are compensated by manufacturers for warranty repairs. Both for the parts and the labor.
carlm01 reply :
As an Update, Fishing Rhino you are correct I went on both Lowe and Thayersmarine Facebook pages and let them know what heels they are , Yesterday I got a call from Richie Thayer telling me that his Dad had told him to put the new axle on for N/C Unfortunately the boat is put up for the winter , It's just sad that I had to do that after buying a brand new boat from these guys .. I'm going to ask if they'll send the axle to me and next year I'll have someone install it ... I won't be buying anything from them again ........
Fishing Rhino reply :
Good for you. Glad you got it worked out.
Having said that, I'd let them change the axle when you take your boat out of winter storage, especially if it has brakes. I know they were a pain, and unresponsive, but why would you want to pay someone to install the axle when they have offered to do it. Let 'em do it, then never darken their doorway again, if that's what you still want.
fishnkamp reply :
Well I am sorry to say but if you do not call Lowe directly you will not hear from them. I just have been in contact with both Lowe and Karavan also. My issue is with my 2010 Lowe Stinger17 which came on a custom Kakavan trailer. The trailer was designed with cross braces the dip in the center (low slung) and custom bolster brackets with no adjustment. The way the boat sits on the bunks the boat wont drive on the bunks. When you splash the trailer in the water, stopping just before the side rollers are underwater the front of the boat drive directly down into the front of the bunks. Go deeper and the side rollers are useless, pull out more and you can only get half way up the boards. The problem was the boards are too low in the rear and the too high up front. This mens you must get out in the water and crank the boat on the last 3 feet. Not what I want to do in December. I was told by Karavan they do not engineer the setup, but rather Lowe designed it to look like a fibreglass bass boat low and sleek. I contacted Lowe and worked my way all the way up to the person involved with engineering the trailers. I finally got him to admit he never launched or recovered one, but they have had some "contact" about the issue. They had no solution. I will fix it by removing the factory side rollers, adding adjustable bolster brackets and adjusting the boards underneath correctly. Then I will cut up their custom aluminum rear steps and add adjustable side boards. In other words do their job for them. This is my 11th boat, so I know what to do, but you would expect better from a company that proclaims "Boats built for fishermen by fishermen. This is a supposedly painted trailer. I do not believe the trailer will survive another 5 years due to rust. I will never buy a boat with a Karavan trailer again. I will stick to ShoreLander or LoadRite.
fishnkamp reply :
Try contacting Roy at Lowe Boats. He is at 800-641-4372. Pick option 1, then option1, then option 7. Let him know what happened and see what he says, maybe you are not the only one with this problem, but a galvanized trailer should last years.
I would push for Lowe to replace your complete trailer. Let us know what he says.
carlm01 reply :
Thanks fishnkamp, I've reached out to them and while I'm happy with the boat ,If I should decide to replace it will not be with another Lowe , I put a lot of stock in" service after the sale " and it appears that Lowe and Karavan have issues in that area ....
Catch 22 reply :
Get the "free" axle and keep it for when and if you need it.
Meantime use a grinder with a cup brush to clear the rust
then give it a coupla good coats of cold galvanized spray paint,
available at Lowes err I mean Home Depot.
Remember if you do replace the axle it will have an up side that
must be observed . It should be marked on the unit.
Also those shackle bolts may be rusting too. If left alone
you may have trouble getting them off to the point of destruction
and replacing them. Maybe put some lube on them for the winter.
Hope this helps
C22
Fishing Rhino reply :
Use this stuff carefully. Get a drop on your finger and it will coat everything you touch. We used to laugh and say you could paint the world with one can.
Seriously, it is great stuff. Used it to coat hauler assemblies, pump assemblies, etc., on my lobster boat. That was a harsh salt water environment, particularly for the hauler which had salt water running over it constantly while hauling gear.
3crows reply :
I have a Karavan under my Boston Whaler Outrage. it is galvanized steel. I have towed from one end of the country to the other and dunked it in saltwater many times. No rust to speak off. The original bias ply tires were junk, wore rapidly in a few hundred miles and threw their carcass off. I ran Marathon radials from Goodyear but they too come apart to often. Right now I have Towmasters radials. Superb tires. I have 15,000 miles on them and they look great and very little wear.
Painted trailers unless they are galvanized under the paint just do not hold up well to salt exposure and even without salt exposure has been my experience that they rust badly after a few years. Aluminum or galvanized only way to go.
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