After you buy the raft, there's a one more big purchase that you shouldnt take lightly
The trailer....
There are plenty of options out there, but I wanted to take the opportunity to shed some light on a small operation that we worked with to custom build our trailer to the specs we were looking for and the end result was fantastic
Enter Paul Villano of Villano's Custom Trailer Works in Coeur D'Alene, ID.
Friends with trailers have all had stories of trailer failures and we spent a lot of time researching what route to go. I found Paul originally on craigslist and you could tell right away he was great at what he does and takes a lot of pride in his work.
Our raft is a 14 Ft Super Duper Puma with a NRS Frame. Key items for us were a strong construction built to take a beating, heavy duty wiring, multiple areas for tie downs, big tires and a pressure treated lumber decking. 7 ft by 12 ft was the size we were looking for
Paul did all of those for us at a great price, much less than comparable trailers
From start to finish, the build was very fast. He kept us updated with the process and the photo's detailed his attention to detail.
One more for ya..
Working around other friends trailers over the years, there were a few items that Paul added that makes a lot of difference when loading and unloading the boat.
Elevated Roller Bar--this really makes the boat crank up easily and slides off without much effort
Elevated Winch System--it creates a lesser angle on the crank up and puts less stress on the boat and the dude winching it up
More than anything, Paul listened to what we wanted, took our suggestions and incorporated it perfectly in our trailer. Even after it was done, we had to take it through Washington State Inspections (sham) to get it licensed. They denied it at first because it was missing fenders (again, sham) but Paul welded a pair on at no charge to see that we were ok to roll on our state's roadways
(double sham, thanks WA State Dept of Licensing).
Now time will tell the ultimate durability, but I have a feeling it will hold up well. Also, it's great to have a personal contact with the guy who built the trailer that we can go to if something does go awry. You certainly cant get that at Harbor Freight, can ya!
So if you're looking for a trailer for your raft, I highly suggest you call Paul.
Villano's Trailer Works
201 N 17th st.
Cd'A, ID 83814
(208) 964-5878
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