One thing I've noticed over the years, and I'm probably as bad as anyone in this regard, is that while we are happy as dinghy anglers to spend vast sums of money on the right boat and outboard, often little consideration in terms of thought or investment is made with regard to the question of how are we going to get our new toy out of the showroom, or to the waters edge and back. Trailers tend to come in as something of an after thought. But as road transportation is usually the first and last link in the chain, a trailers ability to do its job when called upon can actually make or break a trip. If it isn't up to the job, not only do you run the risk of being let down before even wetting a line, you could be putting your entire outfit at risk, and in some cases even your own life. So why are anglers so un-willing to spend on a trailer with the same degree of enthusiasm as on the boat and outboard.

Could it be that because the trailer makes more of an indirect contribution to the fishing, it finds itself in the vulnerable position of being the first thing to suffer when finances are stretched. If true, this can be false economy. Having waited for weeks for high pressure to coincide with a big tide at the peak of the cod season, missing the trip because the trailer brakes are seized on in the driveway can turn that couple of hundred pounds of saving into the cost of a trip. Add to this potential hull damage through inadequate rollers; struggling to trailer the boat in lumpy conditions, wheel bearing failures, and numerous other potential mis-fortunes, and the true value of a decent trailer soon gets hammered home. And at the end of the day, besides missing the trip or struggling to get home, you are very likely on queue to miss another outing as the problem will have to be rectified the following weekend, with whatever 'savings' you might have thought you had made being eaten up to fund the repair.

So what is it that makes some trailers better or more reliable than others. And what can anglers do to ensure that time and money which should be going into fishing, is not being swallowed up literally, keeping the show on the road. I decided some years ago that an Indespension RollerCoaster was the answer to many of my trailing problems, a decision I have had no cause to regret. But even RollerCoaster engineering can only go so far. Nobody yet manufactures totally maintenance free trailers. Users also have some input to make. But at the same time, we don't want to be taking up trailer maintenance as a secondary hobby in support of the fishing. Quality and innovation have a very big part to play in all of this. The quality side of my trailer I am more than happy with. The innovation side of any product can always be improved upon. Since starting life as trailer part manufactures whose first venture into the world of complete build was for boats, Indi have diversified into all sectors of the trailer market, which tends to stretch the R&D funding a bit. This said, the company have now appointed Tony Woods to develop the next generation of boat trailers. And a recent visit to the factory has left me in no doubt that the future for trailed boat users looks very rosy indeed.

It was Indi that first introduced the self centering swinging cradle to the UK which is now pretty much the industry standard. As their marketing people say, "Often copied, but never bettered". More damage is done to boats when launching and retrieving than all other activities put together. This is particularly true in lumpy conditions, and even in calm conditions towards high water when troublesome waves can still break right up to the water edge. I remember the days of a row of often seized solid rollers along the main spine of the trailer, with a couple of broad rollers on uprights welded to the axle for side support. Getting a keel to run true along a line of rollers is difficult in perfect conditions. When the back end of the boat is constantly being lifted then slammed down out of position, is it any wonder that keels got chipped and hulls got cracked. With a self centering cradle, you simply clip on the winch strap and crank the handle in the knowledge that the boat will find its own way on perfectly every time, regardless of conditions, which as anyone who has struggled with an old style trailer will testify is priceless.

It was Indespension that introduced the bolted trailer concept allowing anything and everything to be replaced or adjusted. RollerCoasters also have high quality rollers revolving on nylon inserts fitted to aluminium shafts, and now come with galvanized mudguards with steps and stainless steel brake cables as standard. Their suspension units are second to none, as indeed are their bearings which is what keeps the wheels turning, and turning, and turning.... I have only every had one set of bearings changed in all those years, and then only as a precaution during a routine service which the company will do for £45 plus the cost of parts at any of its twenty or so depots nationwide. The fact that I fitted bearing saver hubs with their grease reservoirs to keep a constant pressurized grease feed into the bearings preventing sea water ingress is responsible for their longevity. Bearing savers now come as standard throughout the RollerCoaster range. But still I had some points of concern to raise with Tony, all of which he took on board for consideration, and in some instances was able to pacify with solutions already being looked at by the R & D team for possible future models.

The afternoon I spent with Tony Woods was both frank and candid. As Much as I recognize the revolutionary steps forward taken by the company, I had issues I wanted to raise which he was more than happy to acknowledge and listen to. The first of these was the jockey wheel. The construction of the metal rim could do to be beefed up and the two sides forming it possibly welded rather than studded through. I had one come apart recently, though admittedly, not winding it up far enough to properly clear the ground on the way home can't have helped. You need a jockey wheel with steering at the front of a trailer for maneuvering it into tight spots for parking up. Using your spare wheel and hub as a third wheel is ideal over sand where a jockey wheel would dig in, but useless of hard standing because it won't steer. I've looked at the jockey wheels on other manufacturers trailers for inspiration. But they all have their problems too. Small pneumatic tyres are hopeless to steer when the air pressure drops, and some of the wider solid tyre versions are equally difficult to steer. The Indi wheel is perfect on paper. It just needs a bit of beefing up.

Trailer adjustment is another point I raised. When you first buy an outfit and everything is brand new, adjusting the balance through weight distribution to get it to trail right isn't a problem. This can be done by moving the winch post or the axle to get between 30 and 40 Kg of weight on the tow ball so the trailer doesn't snake out on the road. But remember, this must be done when the boat is fully laden with gear. Tackle boxes, lead weights and full fuel tanks piled on board for a trip can seriously affect the balance and need to be in when the adjustment is being made. A good place to do this is on the beach when the boat has been slipped off ready for a trip. My beef was that if you ever need to change the balance years on such as after an outboard swap, getting some of the adjustable bolts to unfasten can be the devils own job. Stainless steel U-bolts and nuts would be an advantage. Tony's answer was that the added cost might put some people off in a market where trailer spending and profit margins are tight, which is fair comment. So why not offer them either as an extra, or for sale for anyone wanting to fit them.

Other problems I have encountered involve the locking tow hitch and bearing saver hubs. When eventually for a number of possible reasons the lock in the tow hitch gives problems, these can be horrendously difficult to solve. We tried removing the lock from ours but failed. The key had become chewed up and wouldn't go in. In the end we had to drill a hole in the lock barrel and put a self tapping screw into it which could be pulled out to allow the hitch to drop onto the tow ball. Even when they are working properly, they can make this into a three handed operation. I realize that having a locking hitch offers many security advantages. But now thankfully there is a non locking hitch option for those that want it. Then it was on to the bearing saver hubs. Without doubt, a massive boost to keeping maintenance levels low. But if you do need to get inside the hub to do anything, bearing savers can be a bit tricky to get out, particularly if you find yourself having to do a hub and bearing change at the side of the road. Life would be so much easier if they were threaded for a screw in fit rather than the current tight force fit.

The final part of our conversation was the vexed question of trailer brakes, and in this respect, all trailer manufacturers have for a long time have shared the same problems. Any trailed unit with a gross laden weight in excess of 750 Kg, regardless of what vehicle is towing it, must have it's own brakes set up in such a way as to come on when the towing vehicle slows or comes to a stop. The problem is that while a standard shoe braking system of the type used in cars might be fine for domestic trailers and horse boxes, it is far from fine when you submerge the hubs in sea water every time you take the trailer out. Very often, this can't be avoided, after which you can't afford to neglect the things, which is easy to say sat in front of a computer typing these words, but often difficult to achieve mid winter when you arrive home half frozen on a Sunday evening in the dark, and are unlikely to see daylight to work on the trailer before the following weekend, at which stage you hope to be off fishing again. That's if the damage hasn't already been done with the brakes seized on.

From conversations with Tony, I get the impression that Indespension, while they are looking to develop a more angler friendly braking system, will not put something into production that is not proven as being up to the job. They have made inquiries of the Department of Transport to provide them with a specification for an external exposed disc braking system, but to no avail. And while there are systems of this type already out there, until they have a DoT approved specification, in this age of constant litigation, Indespension will not be fitting them to their trailers. This is not the same as saying they are not researching into the subject, because they are. An external stainless steel braking plate seems to be the way forward. But are anglers willing to foot the bill for this type of thing. At the moment probably not. But bearing in mind that the UK is one of the few EU countries not to have mandatory MoT type testing for trailers, should the rest of Europe press for this, the cost of external disc brakes could become a cross we will have to bear.

In the more immediate term, experiments are taking place with a number of prototype trailers fitted with freshwater flushing systems to clear salt and sand out of the brake hubs. Apparently these are popular in America where they reputedly have a good track record. My only fear is that unless there are flushing facilities close to the launching slip, the damage could well be done by the time you are in a position to flush them through at home. You really need to flushing this stuff out the moment the trailer clears the water. Frictional heat through use of the brakes on the journey home, or leaving the 'infected' trailer standing all day, particularly in summer, could mean that by the time a hose is fitted back at home, corrosion and salt crystallization may already have started to occur. All of which has set me thinking of potential resolutions to the problem, particularly if early flushing actually does keep trailer brakes in good working order.

The club I belong to has a hose for washing down the tractors which can be used to flush the brakes immediately. But there are times, particularly in the winter, when I won't be using Blackpool Boat Angling Clubs facilities. Then what will I do. It was suggested that a small electrical bilge pump could be rigged up to pump water from a barrel through the system. That's fine when you dunk the wheels for the first time during the retrieve. With the boat back on the trailer, you can connect the pumps wires to the battery for the outboard. But you can't do that during a high water launch on a lumpy day. Perhaps there is a hand operated pump out there that could be pressed into service. One idea I do like is the water reservoir used to feed a still saw for cutting bricks and concrete. The large commercial versions hold sufficient water to do the job and have a hand pumping mechanism built into the carrying handle. What's more, the hose from these is not that much different to the standard domestic hose and the hoze-lock fittings that the Indi system is designed to take. I've converted a Cuprinol fence spray reservoir for the job. This holds 12 pints of water and the spray tube fits inside a short length of hose with a suitable connector on it.

A hand pumped system as described would be ideal. You would fill it up at home and carry it with you in the boat. Then as soon as the trailer is back on the sand, start sending the freshwater through. I know that Tony is also looking into ways of getting freshwater into the hubs as soon after immersion as is practical, possibly even by fitting some type of integral reservoir to the trailer, though bitter twisted old cynic that I am, it would need to theft proof or it would be gone when you got back in from the fishing. This said, the brakes will still need to be looked at periodically and 'persuaded' to remain in tip top working order. With this in mind, I suggested they produce a video CD demonstrating how this should be done, one of which could be given out with each new trailer bought. Judging by the numbers of RollerCoasters at the top of every slip I go too, this will need to be a big CD run. So Indespension can't be doing that much wrong.