18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

[dsujen]

I need a trailer for my 18' starcraft boat. I want the support of the bunk trailer but I heard from a guy that the bunks on his trailer made the bottom of his aluminum hull rot. Ever hear of this? He put it in salt water but washed it down after every use.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

It sounds like he used Pressure Treated wood for his bunks. The copper used to treated the wood reacts with the aluminum hull.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

a wet carpeted bunk is trapped water that can work against the hull if there are gaps in the paint, etc. but typically, except for the pressure treated issue, it's not a problem. SOunds like an unusual circumstance, not one to draw conclusions from.

When we had aluminum starcrafts (16') we had roller trailers, with most of the weight on the keel, but with short carpets bunks toward the stern for support and balance. They were tilt trailers. The boats slid right off, and cranked right back on, without ever getting the axle wet--the way it was done in salt water back then..

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

I had an 18' Holiday I/O that I restored. Restoration included a full hull coating of epoxy paint. Used carpeted bunks in fresh water and never a problem.

Mark

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

IMHO, either or will be just fine....

 

[viper1]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

Here I prefer carpeted bunks. Had a couple boats with rollers and always thought it was a good idea till I owned them. Our launches are always sloped.We usually get ready to unload before the ramp. But with a roller you cant unhook then back up with out loosing the boat. You need to back to the water and let it in easy before unhooking. Requires to much help and time for me.

 

[dave11]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

I have an aluminum boat I use in salt water. I have a bunk trailer with composite bunks. Works like a charm. No hull problems at all.

 

[dsujen]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

What do you mean by composite bunks? I'm going to make my trailer bunks. What do I use?

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

What do you mean by composite bunks? I'm going to make my trailer bunks. What do I use?

Don't know about the entire bunk, but you can buy these plastic caps that you screw into the bunk where the boat touches it. They are slick and make launching/loading easier. I have them and they work fine for me.

Mark

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

But with a roller you cant unhook then back up with out loosing the boat. You need to back to the water and let it in easy before unhooking. Requires to much help and time for me.

In the course of discussions on this subject I allways seem to see this comment made by someone. What I want to know is how is this possible? If the boat wants to naturally roll off on an incline then how does one get the winch hook off? Seems that if it rolls that easy then just by releasing the winch backwards the boat would roll and the hook would stay tight!

Now I've just recently been useing 2 different trailers. One was a keel roller trailer with short bunks and the currant one is a full roller trailer and neither one has ever reacted this way. Regardless of how steep the incline is.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

there are various scenarios... If the boat is floating, it doesn't roll....... If the engine is running and in forward gear, it doesn't roll..... If the bow line is looped around the winch stand, it doesn't roll....... If the winch has been allowed to feed out to the point that the boat is off of the trailer, it doesn't roll.


If you unhook it and start backing down the ramp it very well could roll right off the trailer.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

Bunks for an alum boat = good

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

there are various scenarios... If the boat is floating, it doesn't roll....... If the engine is running and in forward gear, it doesn't roll..... If the bow line is looped around the winch stand, it doesn't roll....... If the winch has been allowed to feed out to the point that the boat is off of the trailer, it doesn't roll.


If you unhook it and start backing down the ramp it very well could roll right off the trailer.

So smoke, I'm guessing your answer is to tie it off or winch it into the water. Is that right?

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

Bunks for an alum boat = good

Just another opinion.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

Bonz, you are right. The specter of the self-launching boat is similar to the hysteria about any old boat being rotten, anything being trailerable and any tow vehicle being too small, center consoles are only good for fishing, a car in park will bust loose and roll away, an unflushed motor will seize the next day and salt water dissolves boats in a week's time. Roller trailers scare people who don't know roller trailers.

There's this inertia thing that keeps them where they are. Lightweight boats are too light to roll off alone and heavy boats are too heavy to roll off--trailer rollers aren't like ball bearings, and many hardly roll at all!

Winches hold boats in place--40 years of trailering and I've never seen a boat rolled back against the safety chain. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, that's why you use the chain; it is just highly unusual.

40 years of launching and I have never had a boat start rolling after I unhooked it unless I push it. In fact, I always loosen the winch and push the boat backwards about 8" so I have enough slack to unhook the winch snap. They don't keep going. Then I have to push right hard to get it going. Once it gets going, though, it's gone. That bi-polar inertia again.

The self-launching boat is 100% a function of operator error, being the combination of premature disconnect and a back/stop motion. This frequently happens to people in a hurry.

Saying a roller trailer is self-launching is the same as saying a boat with a plug will sink--which it will, but only if operator error forgets to put the plug in.

In the course of discussions on this subject I allways seem to see this comment made by someone. What I want to know is how is this possible? If the boat wants to naturally roll off on an incline then how does one get the winch hook off? Seems that if it rolls that easy then just by releasing the winch backwards the boat would roll and the hook would stay tight!

Now I've just recently been useing 2 different trailers. One was a keel roller trailer with short bunks and the currant one is a full roller trailer and neither one has ever reacted this way. Regardless of how steep the incline is.

 

[99yam40]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

In salt water the roller shafts tend to rust badly unless you use stainless shafts,and even the brackets they are mounted on will rust.
Of course the bunks have the mounting brackets too, but usually not as many to take care of and replace.

I have had to help two older fellows at a ramp that ran the boat up on the trailer fine , but did not hook up the winch or safety strap. Took off and the boat slid off after the top of the ramp. Had to wench it back on trailer as far as I could with them backing up slowly, but was too heavy to get all the way back on. So a few others that were waiting to use the ramp helped me lift the back of the boat as he backed back into the water to get it straighten up and on the trailer.

I have only seen one boat slide off a roller trailer at a very steep ramp, unhooked as a prep.
but it was a bran new rig and those rollers worker real well, glass boat was not even touching the trailer when it came to a rest on that rough concrete still many feet from waters edge.

The springs are a rust problem also in salt water , but maybe those torsion bar axles could help, but have never used one before or had a friend with one in saltwater. Anyone have any experience with them in salt?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

the beauty of a roller trailer is that you don't dunk it in salt water in the first place. Depends, of course, on the size of the boat and other rigging concerns.
You're right about roller shafts rusting or at least getting slow; wobble wheels help solve that problem

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

So smoke, I'm guessing your answer is to tie it off or winch it into the water. Is that right?

My 26' Carver (5500 lbs) was on a roller trailer I would always launch next to the dock so I could get in the boat.... I started the engine and put it in forward gear and with a 20' bow line in my hand unhooked the winch strap. I then got in the boat and put it in neutral and it would gently roll off the trailer..... I always kept the line in my hand in case the engine died although it never did.

To load I'd idle it onto the trailer and let it idle in gear while I cranked it the last couple feet.... easy as pie

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

Just don't know how to respond to all these comments.

I do not have the pleasure or should I say displeasure of worring about salt water, there is none in Wisconsin. But I do have to enjoy the agony of dealing with the tremendous amount of road salt that is put down every time it snows. Personally I think I would rather deal with salt water.

As to the boat rolling off the trailer onto the ramp I guess I was either taught wrong or just have a bad habit in that I NEVER unhook the winch until the trailer is in the water. So I suppose that is a non-issue for me. I also am 58yrs. old, been around boats my whole life and I have never seen a boat come off a trailer that wasn't supposed to.

The next issue then is rusting. If a roller trailer is so loose that a boat will unload it's self then why would there ever be a reason to go so deep that it would float off? Once the transom is wet should be deep enough. Which most of the time the axle does not get wet. So my next question would be which would you rather do replace a few brackets or replace a whole trailer that has rusted out from being repeatedly submerged?

Smoke I fully understand your practice and have seen many others with larger boats do the same thing. Personally I would not want to have to solo a craft that large. Then again I'm gettin old!

My belief is still that trailer choice is a personal preferance and that there are good and bad designs of both kinds. Either kind can be properly designed and fitted to almost any shape of hull. It would probably be hard to fit a roller trailer to a cat. hull.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 18' aluminum boat; bunk or roller trailer?

I NEVER unhook the winch until the trailer is in the water.

Yah, this is what I do too. I almost always launch solo (bunk trailer) and essentially "float" the boat off. Sometimes give it a little push/yank to get it all the way off.

Tell ya what, the last thing I want to do is have the boat laying on the pavement at the ramp on a busy Saturday afternoon, yikes! Yah, I like keeping it hooked up till she is in the water (or ready to be pushed in anyway).