Today was another “fun” day getting the boat and trailer ready for the season.
What are your “must do’s” when prepping your boat and trailer for the season?
I started working on lubricating any moving parts and bolts/nuts that i eventually want to move on my boat trailer. I usually start by spraying the hand crank for the trailer, the winch, the spare tire bolts and nuts (making sure I can also get the spare tires off which is a great exercise each spring). Then I lubricate all my trailer locks and make sure the locks operate smoothly and effectively. I ran out of time getting my hitch lock pin moving smoothly, so I’ll be getting to that soon. All my locks are now back up to my liking, including the lock for the boat motor, electric motor, spare tire, and the 2 for the trailer chains and tongues.
Next, I checked the trailer lights and their functions. Unfortunately, the left light has quit working since I stored my boat for the winter. I must add, I am not a mechanic, nor am I a trailer mechanic. What followed next included a list, a checklist of sorts, where I tried to trouble shoot my issue to the best of my ability. I started with the connection to the truck and made sure both wiring harnesses were cleaned and spread apart properly. Next, I worked my way back and checked the ground wire which was on solid. Then I checked the bulbs and noticed that one was burnt out/broken. I spent the next 20minutes trying to twist and pull the solidified bulb from its socket. It was less than 2 springs ago when I replaced this whole tail light assembly. (May 2018 to be exact. Search up my post when I broke the tail light in a storm 
). Why was the bulb stuck so well with corrosion? I ended up having to pry the bulb out and break the base of the glass and bent the bulb casing to replace it. After many attempts, I managed to replace the bulb (and get it to stay locked in place). I figured I had fixed my issue. This was not the case. Next, I started looking at the wiring that fed the tail light. It all appeared unharmed. I immediately started thinking the issue could have been due to corrosion on the wires feeding the bulb so I re-wired those, checked the cheap looking wire connectors and prayed I had fixed my issue once more. Again, no luck in fixing my lighting issue.
And so my the mystery and fate of my left tail light remains unknown. I also noticed that my right tail light appeared “not as bright” as it did last year. Maybe there is an issue with the ground?
Ultimately, I have to fix my tail light, but in doing so I’m wondering if upgrading now to LED lights might be cheaper in the long run and be less of a hassle giving me more time fishing or preparing my tackle and trip plan to go fishing. What are your thoughts?