New trailer Bunks or Rollers?

[anythingfishy1]

Hi Guys
I have a 6.5m sea legend and need a new trailer.
I want to do some travelling with it.It is being towed by a 2016 Pajero.
My question is whether to look at rollered trailers or bunks on trailers.
Must be drive on.
Thanks in advance
Kelvin

[Dignity]

There have been a few threads on this, recent one I recall might help
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php/204940-Skids-on-fibrglass-boat-trailer?highlight=rollers

[JulianDeMarchi]

That thread focuses on skids. Bunks are not skids... I am also interested in the OPs question as I am looking at the bunk option for my Yaltacraft.

[Fed]

I've had 2 trailers with bunks and found on a normal ramp we had to brick the trailer & hook up a chain to lower the trailer deep enough to float the boat off or use a ramp like a mine shaft.
Maybe if the only ramp you use is VERY steep they're OK but if you use a variety of ramps they're not worth the hassle.

With a full roller trailer you will be able to get it off anywhere, even onto your lawn.

[Noelm]

If you are going to buy a standard trailer, go for lots of rollers, if you are going custom made, go for a full V cradle setup with skids that suits your boat with very limited adjustments, my neighbour makes them, and they are fantastic, but not cheap!

[gofishin]

That thread focuses on skids. Bunks are not skids... I am also interested in the OPs question as I am looking at the bunk option for my Yaltacraft.Skids or bunks... can be the same thing can't it Julian, just depends if you are a yank or an Aussie [emoji1]... but I guess you were referring to some Aussie trailers called 'skid trailers' which also have a lot of rollers, and hence are not true 'bunk trailers' - or trailers where only 'skids' bear the full weight of the hull?

Maybe the term 'full skid' trailer is a better match with the term bunk trailer? Regardless, I have one which is now nearly 9 yrs old, however I have added a few keel rollers over X-members/axles (to prevent the sharper foot area kissing them on the way up/down) and some transverse skids (to help guide the nose into place/help with drive-on stuffups), plus 2x tapered wobble sets at the skid ends (to help prevent the odd black mark if I do stuffup). None of the rollers bear any weight when the boat is on the trailer.

It works great, and I only sink the trailer so the back 'top' of the main skids are only just under the water level i.e. only about 2-3 foot 'max' of the main skids are under/in water - or about the same as a MR trailer for drive on, and less 'deep/sunk' than a lot of MR trailers I see with boat's being driven on.


I've had 2 trailers with bunks and found on a normal ramp we had to brick the trailer & hook up a chain to lower the trailer deep enough to float the boat off or use a ramp like a mine shaft...Never had this problem Fed, maybe not all bunk trailers are created equal? I only need low revs to drive on, and have to be very careful taking the winch hook off when launching solo, as sometimes it seems a sneeze is enough to send it into the water.

However, I do get a bit of chalky off-white powder on the skids, and have had visible scratching in one area on one side of the hull (from shit imbedded in the skid from shipment before trailer assembly). With the mask and snorkel on, I can't see any damage from underwater - but have never had the boat off the trailer (on land) either.

Some like em, some don't. I would have another in a flash, and apparently I am pretty anal about my boats [emoji15] [emoji4].
Cheers
Brendon

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[JulianDeMarchi]

I thought bunks were float on and off, where as skids do as they say, skid the boat off. The bunks have carpet on them and won't let your boat skid off, hence the comment about sinking it deeper.

[Noelm]

Yes, I agree, bunks are tradionaly long, usually carpeted sections that fully support the boat, they are designed for bigger boats and are a float on/off affair, side support "skids" that are on thousands of trailers are just there to hold the boat upright on the trailer, centre rollers (or similar plastic skids) support the weight of the boat.

[gofishin]

Mine is an American 'Rocket International' trailer, imported by a Melbourne company called Duralum. They were/are sold as 'bunk trailers', and never was there a carpet option. They promoted their 'plastic' bunks as better than the carpeted bunks on other US trailers. The other 'non carpet' US skid/bunk trailers I looked at were also called 'bunk trailers'.

As all/most of them are originally designed, you need to sink bunk trailers (whether carpet or plastic) deep to save losing bits of gelcoat if the foot kisses the unprotected axles/X-members etc (or if carpet to help it float off) - hence a lot of them have rear guide posts as standard (or optional extras) to stop the bum floating around all over the place while coming on to (or off) the 'sunken' trailer.

I guess what we call them doesn't really matter, its one trailer design type vs another vs another... etc
Cheers

[Fed]

I thought bunks were float on and off, where as skids do as they say, skid the boat off. The bunks have carpet on them and won't let your boat skid off, hence the comment about sinking it deeper.
That's my take on it too Julian.

My local ramp is pretty flat.
115089
16' Sharkcat, Caribbean Commodore (heavy) and my current Seafarer all roll off without a push yet my mate's 18'-19' plate boat on a very well made full skid trailer wouldn't budge without submerging it a lot.

Being a 'wincher' I launch & retrieve 'dry' with less than a foot of water at the back of the trailer.

Everyone's different I suppose but I hate the thought of skids grinding gelcoat away but maybe it's OK on a steep ramp with the water taking a lot of the boat's weight. I sometimes wonder what damage the skid material can do to hulls that get towed many thousands of miles a year

How would you go on this ramp Brendon, I think you'd have to drill holes in your boot to let the water out.
Nice setup you've got there & I'm sure it works perfectly for you.

[JulianDeMarchi]

The reason I was interested in bunks is for long distance towing. I thought the full length bunks would support the hull better then multi-rollers. By bunks I am talking about the carpeted style. Never would I run blue skids under a fiberglass boat, I saw what they did to my old alloy boat.

[gofishin]

Julian, everyone I know that had carpet bunks, have replaced the carpet with plastic.


...How would you go on this ramp Brendon, I think you'd have to drill holes in your boot to let the water out...That does look like a shallow ramp Fed, and yes I reckon my rear car tyres might be wet. The shallowest angle ramp I have used (from memory) would be the upstream ramp at Noosaville, which has a shallower angle than the ramp at the downstream end of the trailer carpark from memory. At this ramp i think my rear tyres were wet by about 2" (from memory). This is one of the compromises of this type of trailer.

I chose mine for several reasons, knowing that I would need to make some modifications, and that there may be compromises - but have never had second thoughts. I guess the final word might come 'if/when' I ever take her off the trailer to see what it looks like where it sits on the skids!!

If you are a 'dry axles/bearings' & winch-up guy, then skid/bunk trailers on a glass boats would not be a good option. If you tow your boat up the beach then definitely not good either. Always use a shallow ramp with a Front WD car, not good either. Hard blue skids permanently weight bearing on glass, yes definitely not good... just IMHO.
Cheers