Re: Bunks or Rollers
If it's a popularity contest, then my bet is bunks will win. Just spend some time at a busy ramp and you'll see.
The neat thing about bunks is they are easy to load. Hubby can just back the trailer in and Wifey can run the boat up and it'll stick right there. Then Hubby can just pull away to a side area to hook up the chains and tie downs with Wifey still on board. It's also pretty easy for those who launch/load by themselves.
Rollers on the other hand are a bit trickier. When Wifey runs the boat up onto the trailer, it won't stick. Hubby has to reach out and attach the winch line, then crank it on the rest of the way. And when launching, they both have to remember NOT to undo the winch strap until the boat has been backed into the water, or their day will be ruined by their prized possession rolling off the trailer onto the concrete ramp.
There's another side to the story, however, and (as others here have said) it has to do with shallow ramps. Sometimes you can't get the trailer in deep enough without risking backing too far and dropping the rear wheels off the end of the ramp. These ramps often mean having to spool out the winch line and crank the boat on no matter what type of trailer you have.
Here in MN we have some lakes that are below the levels they normally should be. It's strange, really. Some parts of the state are just fine, but others, like here in the Twin Cities area, really need to be recharged.
On normal ramps, and when by myself, I can drive on to my roller trailer and quickly step forward to reach down and clip the winch strap to the bow eye (with the motor trimmed up quite a ways, of course). But there have been some shallow ramps where I've had to hike out into the cold water, attach the winch strap to the bow eye, and then crank my boat onto the trailer. I also had the opportunity at the same ramp to help another crank his boat onto his bunk trailer when he asked for a little help. Mine was surprisingly easy to do by myself because of the rollers, but we had to take turns on his because of the effort involved to slide it onto the bunks.
So, (shrugging shoulders), I don't know. If the ramp(s) you frequent aren't shallow, I'd go for the bunks. Me? My son and I like trailering to a variety of different lakes, and that means we'll come upon some shallow ramps once in a while, so we went with rollers.
