The Trailer is Resisting Restoration

Anyela's trailer is most likely an original trailer from same vintage as Anyela herself.  It has no vehicle identification number as a modern trailer would, and to add to the challenge, it wasn't registered by prior owners.  It's also lacking a functional electrical system, which means it's not precisely legal to drive it off private property.

Since I plan to drive it back and forth from my home to the dry-launch crane at the club, as well to an occasional regatta, I need to make the trailer legal.  In New York, that means I need to first have it be reasonably close to compliant with safety rules, and then take it to a weigh station where I will be given an official tare sheet.  I then take the sheet to the Department of Motor Vehicles, who will assign me a VIN number, and a temporary inspection certificate that authorizes me to drive the empty trailer to an inspection station, at which point it can become a legal trailer (assuming it passes).

After work this evening my son and I went out to the back yard with a trusty multi-meter, and great expectations of making some kind of progress toward getting the lights working.  Alas, it was not to be.  Upon carefully removing the lens cover from the light housing I discovered that the marker light opening was inverted facing the inside of the trailer (why?), and one of the rotten pieces of wood comprising the rear bunk has long since smashed in that side lens. As a result of this damage, the entire inside of the light housing is corroded.

After some staring and head-scratching, I came to the conclusion that this light and housing will never again be a working component.  They need to come off and be replaced by a modern light.  This isn't such a big deal in itself; I'm sure I can drill and tap the trailer frame for the new lights, and they aren't all that expensive.  The issue is that the location I need to mount the lights is completely blocked by the current bunks...  And there is a 700 lb boat on top of that bunk.

Looks like I will need to get Anyela ready to float for a week or two while I revive this trailer.  Either that or I need to make some kind of a temporary rack for the boat and carefully lift it up to slide the trailer out from underneath.  Seems like the trailer may be more of a challenge than restoring the boat...