South Coast Sailboats
Trailer Light Bar
This is one of the best ideas that I have been using for many
years. This idea I had picked up from my father (another boater).
Why would anyone in his or her right mind submerge electrical
equipment in water, or even worse, salt water? This makes no sense
at all. Water and electrical parts simply don't mix. Anyway, unless
you enjoy replacing your trailer lights almost ever season, have
I got the fix for you?
In my family (of which there are several boaters), everyone
has a trailer light bar. What is a trailer light bar you say?
Well it is simple enough. This is a homemade light bar that you
tie to your trailer (two or three bungee cords are more than sufficient)
before transiting your boat to the water. The light bar has a
wire harness (25-30 Feet or more) that will run all the way up
to the towing vehicle, where it is then plugged in to the trailer
harness attached to the bumper of the towing vehicle. When you
are ready to immerse your trailer, unplug the trailer harness,
and then just remove your light bar and set it aside. I know this
sounds like a pain in the ass, but my trailer lights have lasted
me for the last six or eight years (season after season) because
they don't get dipped when the trailer goes in.
Your basic trailer light bar can be wood or in my case a piece
of aluminum uni-strut about six or seven feet long. To the bar,
attach a standard pair of trailer fender lights. On mine, I also
attached my license plate, a license plate light and a three in
one red running light. As a result, from behind, my trailer is
very well marked whenever it is in transit, and my trailer lights
always work every time I plug them in. No messing around trying
to figure out why you have only one brake light, no turn signals,
and only one running light.