Wood bunk.....carpet or no carpet - The Hull Truth

BW23 · 09-26-2008, 09:16 AM

Guys,

I have a FLOAT ON trailer for my 26' Glacier Bay CAT.

A few of the bunk boards need replaced. Is there any special type of wood to use ? or just good quality pressure treated ?

Do I have to cover the wood with carpet ? I'd rather not.

DogTired · 09-26-2008, 11:04 AM

Good quality pressure treated. Cover with good quality carpet and use monel or stainless staples when attaching the carpet to the new bunk boards. You can also get cypress boards, but they are very "high dollar" and if you use the trailer in salt water the brakes, fittings, wheels and tires will probably not last as long as cypress.

Avoid the cheap black plastic covers for the bunks... as offered by certain un-named trailer manufacturers as OEM coverings. Carpet will not leave black marks or abraisions, but these black plastic bunk covers will!!!!

No reason to go with the expensive pads made of whatever slick plastic either. If you trailer is set up right there should be no issue.

If you have issues gliding on the carpeted bunks, spray them with cheap silicone spray just before you take out. Costs less than special bunks. I uses an aresol formula of silicone maybe twice a year on the carpet for my bunks and work into the carpet in by hand.

The new "carpet" that some trailer manufactures furnish as new is just plain junk in many cases. I've had good luck buying premium trailer bunk carpet from Cabelas in the past, ......but that was several years back.

When I replaced the carpet I used an outdoor carpet adhesive from "Lowes" on the friction (top)sides of the bunks and then just wrapped and stapled the carpet along the non-load bearing sides.

Hope this helps some!

BW23 · 09-27-2008, 08:13 AM

What are the drawbacks of leaving the wood bare ?

I only launch retrieve twice per year. Boat is bottom painted.

PostOpus · 09-27-2008, 08:32 AM

Quote:

BW23 - 9/27/2008 10:13 AM

What are the drawbacks of leaving the wood bare ?

I only launch retrieve twice per year. Boat is bottom painted.

Bare wood = abrasion and friction. The boat can slide over carpet a whole lot easier than it can over bare wood, and there's much less chance of scraping off your bottom paint.

And if you only launch and retrieve twice a year, I'm assuming the boat remains in the water most of the time. That means the trailer is sitting there exposed to the sun during all that time. The sun is going to dry out the wood and raise the grain, creating splinters and such. Carpeting is cheap insurance against all those problems.

jtburf · 09-27-2008, 09:16 AM

Only carpet top and sides allow the bottom to air dry and it will decrease rot.

John

pastaman1234 · 09-27-2008, 12:18 PM

Put bunk slicks over the wood and forget about it. They are much cheaper thses days. I did my (4) bunks for about 110 bucks. I never have to replace rug again!!

A Few Dollars · 09-28-2008, 04:46 PM

http://www.bunkaps.com/index.html
http://shop.easternmarine.com/index....categoryID=221
http://www.snaptraxx.com/

FCMarine · 10-01-2008, 04:19 PM

I would do what dog said and replace with a good treated wood. Just get some bunk carpet for whatever size wood you are getting then wrap it aroud and staple it to the back w/ stainless staples so they dont rust out and you are good to go. Also like he said then you dont have to worry about any marks on your boat or excessive sliding. If you are only using this a few times a year it should hold up great and not need to be replaced that often. hope that helps some.

JasonWA · 10-04-2008, 11:35 PM

Look at comanies such as Tricker Trailers from the west coast. We out here do not have near as fancy Aluminum Trailers as you guys. Stuck a number of years behind and still have galvanized over here. Cheesyloader and such. But anyhow.

Out here on a lot of our plate alloy boats we run UHMW buncks. I have them on my trailer. Full support. Slicker than siliconed carpet. I only need less than 1/2 of my wheel height to launch boat. Back up with safety chain, winch strap and tie downs off. Hit the binders and she slides right off even with the trailer level. Important to launch a bot at an unimporved ramp.

Nice thing is. Do not absorb water. So no swelling or rotting. Do not hold dirt at all or abraid. So no scratched in the bottom. UHMW is basically a 3/8" piece of teflon over a piece od C channel. Great support. Started with our rier boats and thier unimporved dump a boat into the river ramps out here. Typically just wherever you can get a truck/trailer down to the river backwards.

The black Cheesyloader pads will scratch the heck out of a glass boat. They tore up an scratched my aluminum boat. I have done the Silicone on carpet thing too. Works. As does Pam cooking spray. Makes them slick but not near as slick as the UHMW bunks.