Dexter Vault Failures

[boonecragun]

Anyone have any issues with their Dexter vaults on the Boatmates failing? had one go out and completely destroyed hub guts. Trailer is 2 yr old with about 6k miles. For touting 5+ years maintenance free/service free, it didn’t last long....fortunately we were relatively close to home and not coming back from our recent trip to Powell!

[ipm983]

Aaahhhhh bummer! I’ve been towing a lot lately too and I check for any grease leaks on mine. I hit the one year mark earlier this year… So I’ll be sure to have an extra hub and bearing set for next year.


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[Zackdogg]

I had one fail a few years back. I’ve had nothing but problems with my trailer. It will definitely be the last BoatMate I ever own.


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[Grebva3]

What other options are out there?

[Matt Garcia]

What is the maintenance on these vaults by the way? I seem to have one leaking on mine.

[Zackdogg]

What is the maintenance on these vaults by the way? I seem to have one leaking on mine.

I was told that they don’t require service or maintenance, I think the warranty is 10 years on them, if they’re leaking you should be able to get repair or replacement.


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[BCRider]

I have The Vault's on my older DHM trailer so I wouldn't call it a Boatmate issue and never had a major issue with them since I got my boat (2009 ve) in 2014. I generally take my trailer in ever other year to have looked at. I always say, it's not a matter of if but, when you're on the side of the road.

Only thing I've had to do and check often is the center caps as I sometimes put my trailer in the water too soon when getting to the launch and if the hubs are too hot they will pop the center caps. Think I've lost 2 or 3 over the years. I now keep a spare with me and make sure they are seated properly.

[Zackdogg]

I have The Vault's on my older DHM trailer so I wouldn't call it a Boatmate issue and never had a major issue with them since I got my boat (2009 ve) in 2014. I generally take my trailer in ever other year to have looked at. I always say, it's not a matter of if but, when you're on the side of the road.

Only thing I've had to do and check often is the center caps as I sometimes put my trailer in the water too soon when getting to the launch and if the hubs are too hot they will pop the center caps. Think I've lost 2 or 3 over the years. I now keep a spare with me and make sure they are seated properly.

That vault is the least of the issues I’ve had with BoatMate. I had a bunch of tire failures, before I realized that they run SUV tires, and you can’t even get a decent weight rating in the tire they run on those 18s. Multiple actuator fails, even after they’ve been warrantied a couple of times. I had to re-wire somewhere around half that trailer, after wire connectors and lights failed. And everything on the Jack is bad, it’s almost unusable, at this point, and I’m going to have to grind it off, to weld a new one on, which is going to be a PIA with powder. It’s nothing they “manufacture”, but it’s all stuff that they sell, as part of their trailer. I’ve had a horrible time with mine.


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[Matt Garcia]

I was told that they don’t require service or maintenance, I think the warranty is 10 years on them, if they’re leaking you should be able to get repair or replacement.


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Thanks. I thought I remember reading they didn't need maintenance either.

[boonecragun]

Thanks. I thought I remember reading they didn't need maintenance either.

The front page of the owners manual states "no service needed for 5 years"

Also in the owners manual "there is no need for inspection or replenishment of the lubricant"

Continues..."adding or changing the lubricant in the VAULT is not necessary or recommended for the first five years of service, or ten years with extended warranty"

"a slight amount of oil seepage at the rear seal is normal and necessary to lubricate the wiper lip of the seal for long life and sealing contaminants out"

"the VAULT does not usually require any service"

[Matt Garcia]

Perfect. Thanks!

[bsreid]

You might be fed up with boatmate but it’s the best option out there. Extreme is the second most popular and they’re no better if not significantly worse.

[gumby]

I guess the book is WRONG!!! In my experience oil bath hubs are good for Long hull stuff no dirt, dust, mud, and I wouldn't think to submerge them but that is me.
I tow a cargo trailer every day for work when I got it new first thing I did was pulled all the hubs and put in Timken bearings The trailer now has over 300K on it. I do nothing to them grease once a year.I would Ditch the oil bath and go with grease. Just My Opinion.

[boonecragun]

I guess the book is WRONG!!! In my experience oil bath hubs are good for Long hull stuff no dirt, dust, mud, and I wouldn't think to submerge them but that is me.
I tow a cargo trailer every day for work when I got it new first thing I did was pulled all the hubs and put in Timken bearings The trailer now has over 300K on it. I do nothing to them grease once a year.I would Ditch the oil bath and go with grease. Just My Opinion.

The Dexter Vaults use a hybrid lubricant. At like 134* it turns from grease to oil, then when submerged in water cools down and goes back to grease.

[repomansd]

Hi all. I have a 2021 Boatmate trailer for my Supra, and I've had 3 of the 4 Dexter Vault hubs fail on me. After the first failure, the service guy told me the hub he repaired was installed incorrectly at the factory. That failure happened about 1 year ago (mid-2023), now its mid-2024, and I have two more failing. Boatmate warranties them for 5 years but its a pain in the *** to say the least. My local Nautique dealer who is doing the service on mine this time told me they have Boatmate trailers on all their boats, and they've only seen 3 or 4 failures in the last 5 years. Lucky me I guess. Sounds like it all comes down to how they are installed, if done so correctly, they tend to work pretty well.

[Grebva3]

I have not had a lot of luck with that vault hubs. I converted to standard hubs and red marine grease for simplicity’s sake. I kept 2 extra for our long trips and that wasn’t enough extra. I had my patience tested for certain. I realize that some have had no issues but they have been a thorn in my side.