our history

McClain Trailers started in 1955 when founder Vhoid H. McClain saw a need for a boat trailer manufacturer in Houston, Texas. Mr. Mclain built a trailer for his 1950 Chris Craft using old car parts from a junkyard down the road from our current location. Once all his friends at Armco Steel Works found out he built his own trailer, the orders started pouring in. He would work 12-hour days at Armco Steel, head home, and work nights building boat trailers.

In October of 1968, Mr. McClain’s daughter, Odessa, and Son-in-Law, Leon Hudson, purchased the business. With a small crew, Leon built the trailers while his wife, Odessa, managed the bookkeeping. Odessa also managed trailer deliveries around the Houston area , often with their son Jason riding in the front seat.

In 1973, Duane Lewis joined the team. Leon had known Duane from their days working together at Gray Tool Company. Duane remembers the days when trailers had to all be moved by hand, without the assistance of electric chain hoists. Duane vividly recalls cutting, punching, and drilling cross members and frames for 77 trailers in just one day, using nothing but an old ironworker. Duane also remembers that in the later years, whenever a welder or line worker called in sick, Leon would spring into action without saying a word. He’d grab his welding hood and gloves, helping to ensure operations ran smoothly. Leon was a leader by example. Duane retired from McClain Trailer in 2020 after an amazing 47 years.

In 1999, Leon teamed up with Mike Gerald to open McClain Trailers’ first location outside of Texas in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Leon and Mike had first crossed paths in 1977 at a Houston Boat Show. At the time, Mike sold boats for Hurst Supply at these shows, and every time he closed a sale, Mike would bring the customer to Leon, who then would custom-make a trailer for them. They hit it off instantly and stayed close friends from that day forward. Over the last 25 years, Mike, along with his daughter, Janai Sharkey, have not only built McClain into one of the largest boat and utility trailer parts distributors in Louisiana, but as of 2019 they’ve started to manufacture McClain Trailers in their location.

In 2003, Leon’s nephew, Britton McClain, came aboard just as aluminum I-beam trailers were becoming popular in the trailer industry. Britton spent his first 6 months working with each department so he’d better understand the process of manufacturing a boat trailer. Doing this was a big help as Britton hit the ground running, once he was moved inside the main office. Over the last 22 years, Britton has not only become one of the main faces at McClain Trailers, he works tirelessly every day to grow the business one trailer at a time. He does not believe in a “cookie cutter” trailer that can fit a wide range of boats, but that each McClain Trailer should be built to fit a specific boat so the customer has the best towing experience.

By 2009, Leon decided that the parts department in Houston had outgrown the manufacturing plant. He knew it was time to establish a dedicated facility for trailer parts. This was implemented with the help of Scott Hathorn, a 15 year experienced manager at McClain Trailers. Leon and Scott knew they wanted this store to be different from what was currently available in the boat trailer industry. Leon and Scott prioritized the customers, aiming to create a store environment where customers could easily find and handle the parts they needed. They knew this would help give the customer a better understanding of the different types of parts as well as letting the customer pick the best part for their specific needs. Over the last 16 years, Scott has built the I-10 location into one of the largest brick and mortar store in Texas dedicated to boat trailer parts.

With the success from the Baton Rouge and the Houston Parts store, Leon looked to Loxley, Alabama for McClain’s next chapter. With a store that would be over 6 hours away from Houston, Leon needed someone with a strong head on their shoulders as well as a great work ethic. That man was Robert Gutierrez. Robert started his career with McClain Trailers in 2003, working in the manufacturing plant. Over the next 10 years, he worked his way up to one of the top salesman in the company. With a template from the Baton Rouge and Houston parts stores, the Loxley, Alabama location was built in 2019. In 2024, Taylor Cooper took over the managerial duties in Alabama. Meanwhile Robert, returned to Houston and is opening up the new Corpus Christi location, which is set to open in 2025.

Today, Jason Hudson, now marking the 3rd generation, looks to build off his father’s legacy by making McClain Trailers the largest boat trailer manufacturer in the South. He understands that for McClain Trailers to achieve this, we not only need a highly trained workforce on the manufacturing side, but we also need to hold our parts vendors to the highest standards possible. We accomplish this by making sure we get the best and most up to date parts and products available on the market.

With McClain Trailers now going into its 70th year, we not only look to keep building off our past but also look to the future for help with building the best and most reliable trailers on the market for our customers. Please come visit one of our locations in Texas, Louisiana, or Alabama. Whether you’re looking for custom aluminum boat trailers or standard options, we are here to provide the best solutions for your boating needs.