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A place to collect wisdom and folklore regarding trailers for the Etchells class sailboat…

Trailer Padding

An excellent material for the padding on your trailer bunks and supports is EPDM rubber sheet. I use PLASTZOTE 1/4″ LD45 WHITE – this is Plastizote sheet cross-linked EPDM rubber made by Zote Foams.  Why is this good?

  • It will not hold water like carpet (wet carpet pads may cause hull blisters)
  • It is very cushy
  • Comes in colors, although mostly you find it in white or black
  • Comes in many densities/hardness grades
  • Tolerates being outdoors in the sun.

The bad part is that it is expensive – maybe $100 for a 4’x4′ sheet that does the whole trailer – but cheap compared to fixing the blisters.

The stuff I have is 1/4-inch thick and 45 kg/m3 density.  I got the material through Yarmouth Boatyard who sourced it from New England Boatworks. I believe this is what New England Boatworks routinely used on the trailers for the racing sailboats they built.  I would think something denser might be even better for the Etchells.  Maybe even something around ~90kg/cu. m. would be better, and maybe even denser under the keel.

Be careful about going for too thick a sheet, for a number of reasons.  I think 1/4-inch is about right.  Maybe 3/8″.

Update September 2019: The white Zote foam gets brittle in the sun after couple years and needs to be replaced. I think it worked okay, otherwise. But, I am going to replace it with something else – see below.

Alternative Foam Padding

Click here for another source for foam padding material on the internet. Use closed cell foam so it does not absorb water and promote hull blisters.  I might suggest cross-linked PE (XLPE) or EVA. I have used the 1/4-inch thick T200 (2 Lb/ft3) XLPE, but am now going to try the T300 minicel-T EVA on the hull pads with the T600 used under the keel.