extending bunks??

[johnnyo34]

I bought a 15' tri hull with a Shoreline trailer that has bunks.. The bunks are about 8" short of the transom, & the bottom roller is about a foot short of the transom. The transom has no support under it the way it is.. tongue weight is about 90 lbs. if I move the boat ahead I would have to replace or extend the tongue & move the axle ahead.. Can I feasably replace the bunks with longer ones?? what about the rear roller?? weld a mini frame for the roller??
thanks in advance..

 

[grahamh]

Re: extending bunks??

Do you not have room to move the winch up? If there's room, just move the winch forward about 8 inches, and that should solve all your problems, and it's way easier than any of the other solutions.

On a boat that small, I don't think it will increase tongue weight enough to matter, unless you're towing with a tiny car.

 

[johnnyo34]

Re: extending bunks??

That is the first thing that occurred to me, is to move the winch ahead, but that would make the tongue pretty short. Would bring the boat pretty close to the hitch. Would getting a 12" longer tongue & replacing this one be OK?? It is a tilt trailer, so I wouldn't think it would be a real big job. The Weight would increase quite a bit, I'm 76 & can't lift it as it is now.. guess I could put a jack in front., or would moving the axle forward be an option??

 

[grahamh]

Re: extending bunks??

If you feel that moving the winch forward would bring the boat too close to the tow vehicle, then yeah, you could replace the tongue with a longer one, allowing you to move the winch forward. I would definitely get a jack, it makes life a lot easier.

I don't know how much is involved in moving the axle forward, I know it can be done though.

That said, for all the money you would spend buying a new tounge, jack, and relocating the axle, it may just be cheaper to buy a good used trailer. It sounds like the trailer you have is too small for the boat anyway.

Just my thoughts.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: extending bunks??

i have many trailers that the bunks extend way past the end of the trailer frame.

 

[johnnyo34]

Re: extending bunks??

i have many trailers that the bunks extend way past the end of the trailer frame.

Thanks, I guess it wouldn't be that costly to extend (change the 2' X 4") to the end of the boat for transom support, but how about the middle roller so it supports at the end center? your first picture with the red boat, is the roller right at the end.? Can't see it in the picture.. per chance do you have a side view??

 

[johnnyo34]

Re: extending bunks??

If you feel that moving the winch forward would bring the boat too close to the tow vehicle, then yeah, you could replace the tongue with a longer one, allowing you to move the winch forward. I would definitely get a jack, it makes life a lot easier.

I don't know how much is involved in moving the axle forward, I know it can be done though.

That said, for all the money you would spend buying a new tounge, jack, and relocating the axle, it may just be cheaper to buy a good used trailer. It sounds like the trailer you have is too small for the boat anyway.

Just my thoughts.

The axle & springs are mounted to an angle iron wich is bolted to the main frame.. Would mean taking th bolts off & sliding the whole thing forward , drilling new holes & bolting them on again.. Yes I guess getting a tongue jack is a must in the very near future.. We have a surplus store & they sell jacks for around $25.

 

[grahamh]

Re: extending bunks??

You're right that extending the bunks is both cheap and easy.

Not sure about the center roller thing, although I would think it would be fine to just put it at the back of the trailer, and let the bunks support the transom?

I could be wrong though.

 

[johnnyo34]

Re: extending bunks??

Thanks for your reply. Yes the roller is at the back of the trailer now.. about a foot from the transom..I guess maybe I could weld a bit of an extension to bring the roller further back, but I think your suggestion of letting the bunks support the transom is good. The furthest lake I go to is 60 miles, all paved roads except for about 4 or 5 miles in from the paved road...

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: extending bunks??

I replaced my 24" bunks with 60" bunks. This allowed me to move the boat back 18". I can now open the rear door of my suv and launch in shallower water.