Trailer rollers or bunks
Submitted by jng on Mon, 2011-02-07 23:29
Wanting some feed back on pro and cons of having carpet bunks instead of rollers. I currently have rollers on the trailer and the boat is a haines traveller about 6.15mtrs.
Thanks
Justin
Feral
Posts: 1508
Date Joined: 01/11/06
rollers all the way if you
rollers all the way if you beach launch at all .. if you launch from a good ramp them the bunks support better and are fine to use as drive on/off
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Actually, for something
Actually, for something different again, ask Alfred what he is using! Its a fake wood decking, its both cheap and slippery.
alfred
Posts: 3097
Date Joined: 12/01/07
On the old boat, I had
On the old boat, I had rollers and they were very easy to get the boat off, sometimes, too easy.
I use to have carpeted bunks on the current trailer and at ramps too shallow to float the boat, they were a royal pain and I had to shunt the boat off.
I did some research and in the US they have been having success using poly decking, the fake wood stuff that is made to look like wood. I checked for it's availability in Au and discovered that Bunnings carries it.
Put a couple of strips the full length of the bunk and now it's so easy to launch and recover. The boat stays put on the bunk for the launch and just takes a little push to slide it off. On recovery, it doesn't keep rolling back like with rollers.
Cheap as chips too.
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
This post couldn't come at a
This post couldn't come at a better time, the bunks on this trailer are giving me the shits. The trailer was about to be changed to rollers, cheers Alfred this is well worth a shot
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
You just need a
You just need a countersinking bit and you're gold, get one at bunnings while you get the treads ;)
mullows
Posts: 738
Date Joined: 25/12/08
Likewise mate. Was looking at
Likewise mate. Was looking at that teflon stuff but this could be a GOER and a fair bit cheaper too:-)
Cheers
Mullows
The Older I get the better I was :-)
Dizzy
Posts: 753
Date Joined: 21/02/11
Lamby, How did you go with
Lamby,
How did you go with this mod ?
I'm looking at getting a new trailer and was leaning towards rollers until I revisited this thread.
I'm used to backing in a fair way due to the rear rollers on the current trailer binding on the strakes if not deep enough, so figured I might as well go bunks and not have to deal with roller maintenance.
My only issue is that I launch & retrieve solo a lot, so need it to slide on/off relatively easily.
I know bunks won't slide as easy as rollers, but if alfred's mod does the trick and you're dealing ok with your kitten arms then I'll definitely be OK. :P ;)
Seaquest
Posts: 1131
Date Joined: 22/10/09
Lamby has an electric winch,
Lamby has an electric winch, theres no way his kitten arms would be strong enough to manually winch a boat on.
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
You mother trucker'sChanged
You mother trucker's
Changed to rollers Dizzy, I couldn't get away with bunks down here as Quindalup is far too shallow majority of the time for a 7m fibreglass. I personally think bunks are the way to go in all aspects the only negative being a shallow sand launch.
As Doaky 'Tugger' Seaquest has pointed out kindly I also have a leccy winch, strange he has one also & it still baffles me to this day why his right forearm is like popeye's
Dizzy
Posts: 753
Date Joined: 21/02/11
Thanks mate :)
Thanks mate :)
wazzbat
Posts: 977
Date Joined: 19/01/10
Great idea Alfred. Might see
Great idea Alfred. Might see a few more boaties heading this way in the future. I know they talk this stuff up as lasting longer than natural timber decking but any idea how long the poly decking will last for given it's taking a dip in the salt water on a regular basis?
I fish for the future - Cause I can't bloody catch anything!
alfred
Posts: 3097
Date Joined: 12/01/07
No clue on how long it will
No clue on how long it will last, but they do say that if it's used as decking under the sun it should last at least 10 years. It's made of recycled plastic bottles and handling is same as wood. It's not available in white yet and the only colour available here is brown atm. I soaked some cutoffs in water for several days and the colour didn't run, but I do not know if there will be any long term staining.
I put them right over the carpet, Used 2 inch SS screws and screwed straight into the existing bunks. They are thick, about 20 mm, so lots of space to hide the screw heads. Just check for wear each time you use the boat. So far I have not noticed any wear, but it's early days yet.
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Poly isn't affected by
Poly isn't affected by saltwater, its only going to be boat wear.
marble
Posts: 775
Date Joined: 03/09/09
Weve got poly bunks on ours (
Weve got poly bunks on ours ( 25 foot glass c/c) and have beach launched and driven back on no worries at all . A tin of silicone spray lives in the cruiser and a quick squirt before retrieve makes a huge difference. I`d go bunks again every time just because I hate maitaining rollers .
PMY 25 Centre Console DF300 Suzuki
jng
Posts: 488
Date Joined: 03/08/07
Thanks for the info guys,
Thanks for the info guys, looks like im going to change them over. Where is a good place SOR that you would recomend to get them changed to bunks?
Thanks
Justin
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Just another one i have bunks
Just another one i have bunks and agreed the shallower ramps are a pain but with a extra 1m drawbar launching and driving on is awesome!! Freo trailers seem pretty good!!