Bass Boat Forums
Bass Boat Maintenance & Repairs => Bass Boat Trailer Maintenance => Topic started by: RedAllison on February 18, 2015, 04:07:31 PM
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A couple of years ago I decided I wanted roller bunks on my stump jumper (96 Lowe 160) for easier launching/retrieval on makeshift ramps (or even no ramp at all). The existing flat bunks were a little over 8ft long. I had to search but I found a place online in MN that had 8ft roller bunks. They work PERFECT, don't even have to submerge the trailer if you can't or don't want to, just put the rear out over the water & S L O W L Y winch the boat out into the water. Retrieval is just as easy. Only NO-NO is you CANT unhook the bow eye until you are ready to get the boat wet because it WILL roll off the trailer!
Loading is no problem as I always unhook the fuel line & run the gas out of the motor anyway. I pull the boat up onto the trailer, leave the motor in gear while running so it will hold the boat up. I then unhook the fuel line, hook the boweye to the winch, run the fuel out, then winch the boat all the way up & pull on out. (I lost my pics on my phone last week as my phone decided to go swimming in my lake, so I found pics online of the bunks I have.)
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(y)
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Loading is no problem as I always unhook the fuel line & run the gas out of the motor anyway.
run the fuel out, then winch the boat all the way up & pull on out.
That's one heck of a trick! (y)
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Definitely great info. My concern would have been whether the rollers might dimple the bottom of the boat or not, but based on the pics you posted, it looks like the rollers are wide enough not to do that.
And then you get the added benefit of never having to worry about wood bunks rotting out on you (y)
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Curt I wondered about that myself but honestly I wasn't worried about the bottom of my ol stump jumper. I WOULDNT consider roller bunks for a glass boat or maybe even a high-perf tin boat like an Xpress but for a plain ol beater they're fine. My bunks are 8ft long instead of the usually shorter bunks with mini-bunks or a roller under the bow so the weight is spread over a longer area of the bottom.
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Curt I wondered about that myself but honestly I wasn't worried about the bottom of my ol stump jumper. I WOULDNT consider roller bunks for a glass boat or maybe even a high-perf tin boat like an Xpress but for a plain ol beater they're fine. My bunks are 8ft long instead of the usually shorter bunks with mini-bunks or a roller under the bow so the weight is spread over a longer area of the bottom.
I have a G3 HP180, which is a high performance hull like the Xpress boats, so I think I'll play it safe and stick to the bunks (yes)
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Very interesting. Made me wonder if a heavy boat might roll sightly back and forth when the tow vehicle stops and starts. Possible excess wear and strain on the winch and tie downs?
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Very interesting. Made me wonder if a heavy boat might roll sightly back and forth when the tow vehicle stops and starts. Possible excess wear and strain on the winch and tie downs?
I suppose that might be a slight possibility for someone who doesn't secure their boat properly, but when my boat is on the trailer, it has no wiggle room whatsoever. That baby is cinched down as tight as I can get it. No movement whatsoever (no)
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Not me, If we are fishing my local lake it is about 5 min from my house. My boat is lucky to just get the bow strap on it haha.
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I was looking at these same roller bunks about 4-5 years ago.....Xpress/Backtrack trailers recommend NOT to use them on their hulls due to the weight spotted on such small areas on the Alum.
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I was looking at these same roller bunks about 4-5 years ago.....Xpress/Backtrack trailers recommend NOT to use them on their hulls due to the weight spotted on such small areas on the Alum.
That would have been my concern, too, so thanks for the input, @Jimmy RodandReel (y) (y)
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Quite a few glass boat & larger metal boat builders use the larger roller bunks on their trailers but most of them aren't hi-perf hulls. If the bunks were strategically placed under stringers/ribs, I suppose they'd be ok for the avg boat. When retrieving my boats I've always tried to back my trailer in to completely wet the bunks then pull up to the right spot. If you are needing to slick up the bunks & can't completely dunk them then spray some silicone lube or even common cooking spray like Pam on the bunks just before you dunk it. That will lube the carpet up enough to help slide the boat up a lil easier. ;)
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Awesome info.!!! Even the newer fiberglass boat owners should take your advise.. Using the roller system will eliminate blistering! I never have understood why boat manufactures still use the bunk trailers knowing what happens in the long run.?? Great advise.. Thanks for sharing..
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Matt you are right, folks just don't realize how much bunks can really play heck on the hulls finish underneath, ESPECIALLY in the muddy lakes around my area! Everytime you dunk a boat in such water you are essentially sprinkling dirt/grime/sand etc... on the bunks and that only "sands/grinds" into the hull when you load it and head home. That's ANOTHER reason I NEVER "Powerload" if I can keep from it. (Powerloading with dry bunks is like sand blasting your gelcoat that contacts the bunks and is MURDEROUS on your high dollar, SS prop as well!) That's just another reason I prefer to totally wet the bunks before pulling the boat back up on them.
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The actual problem is that when the "pile" or nap of the carpet wears out.. Flattens.. Smushed.. The moisture can't escape and the weight of the boat.. Helps hold it there.. And then you get.. Osmosis.. The transfer of a fluid through a fluid barrier.. ...the barrier Gelcoat.. And gets trapped between lamination and gelcoat creating a "blister"...and once the blister opens up... The start of delaminating!!! I have seen huge sections of hulls just peel back.. Totaling the boat.. I just totaled one a few weeks ago.. Poor guy..!! Anyway.. Thanks for sharing the info.. Good stuff!!
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(https://www.bassboatboards.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftapatalk.imageshack.com%2Fv2%2F15%2F02%2F20%2Ffd698684ff1514f36476087a105b3b1c.jpg&hash=31d0794c7075f057914cb1ee7082a2117b769152) It is an extreme case.. And it froze to lift... Well you get the rest..:-)
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Wow... sad stuff :'l
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(fp) (angryman) :'l MAN that BLOWS!!!
What hull is that?
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1996 I believe ... Viper.. Also known as cobra-hawk-fisher-legend...
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