1985 Sea Nymph 14 R V hull boat bunk adjustment questions

[seanymph85]

I have an old 1985 Sea Nymph 14 R aluminum v-hull style boat on what must be an old piece meal trailer. There are 3 fixed position center rollers and two approximately 6 1/2 foot long bunk boards. They aren't really angled as I think they should be to at least approximate the angle of the hull. The narrow side of the boards, I am guessing 2x4's is against the bottom of the hull. Even the narrow side did not have an angle on it to approximate the hull angle. The brackets at both ends of the boards have primarily an up and down adjustment, with little angle adjustment. One of the front drivers side brackets is bent in a weird angle even compared to the other side so I assume it was either "jury rigged" or damaged somehow at some point. Quite possibly both boards should be replaced even though they do not appear rotted because the carriage bolt going through the wide side of the board is partially out and also seems to be at a weird angle where it goes through the board so it appears the hole is worn as well. I will take pictures and forward them soon but wanted to find out if with the pictures someone has knowledge of how to adjust these things while the boat and motor is still on the trailer. The boat is much closer to level now than it was but it seems like when I get the boat level in the back the bottom of the boat is off the top of one to two rollers toward the front for some reason or another. Right now the front of the boat is barely touching the front roller and is off to the side and sitting near the high part of the roller. Not where it should be.

I had hoped to find a video that would shed some light on how bunk boards can be adjust while still on the trailer but haven't found one yet. Any tips on how one person can try to properly adjust these boards and have it setting fairly level and centered on the trailer rollers would not only be helpful but appreciated. I thought I was fairly handy but have already gone through allot of aggravation trying to adjust these and then appear to have one problem solved and create another one because now the boat doesn't set right on the rollers as it normally would. I am guessing I will need different bunk boards and brackets that allow for angle adjustment at the very least. Here are some pictures to describe what I have for mounting brackets and the current boat position relative to bunks. As well as the current distance from top edge of winch mount to center of coupler. I am considering using wide side of the bunk boards insted of narrow if it would help lessen wear on carpeting and perhaps make it easier to off load boat. As well as spread out the weight distribution though I know the boat is not very heavy without the motor. I would need to know which type of brackets would provide a swivel adjustment so the angle of the bunk board can be adjusted to match hull angle.

 

[Ttigger]

Re: 1985 Sea Nymph 14 R V hull boat bunk adjustment questions

I would make sure the boat is on the trailer the way you want it. Then remove the rear tie downs and gently jack up the boat with a floor jack and a block of wood until you can remove the bunks. You can then make your adjustments as needed by adjusting, lowering the boat back on the bunk and repeating as necessary until you get what you're after.

I used this method to remove the bunks on my trailer to re-carpet them. It worked well.

Make sure your trailer is attached to your tow vehicle or is securely blocked do it doesn't move when you're jacking up your boat.

 

[seanymph85]

Re: 1985 Sea Nymph 14 R V hull boat bunk adjustment questions

At what area on the boat are you talking about jacking it up. Like just the back end of the bunks and then the front? Is there a generally safe area across the bottom of the boat to do this so it will not put too much stress on the hull? Like across what i will refer to as the approximately 1 /2' tall "fins" on the bottom of the boat running the length of the boat. On mine there are 3 of these. Did you have both bunks off at once or one at a time when replacing them? How were the side or sides of the boat supported to keep it from tipping when the bunks were off unless one at a time and the jack supported it on the one side of the boat and the boat was lowered back down onto the new or readjusted bunk. I will try to attach pictures of my setup today but that may be mute if the bunks are replaced one at a time by jacking the boat up as you suggeested. I haven't looked on iboats yet but can you suggest anywhere online including iboats to get the right type of bunk brackets that will allow angle adjustment so I can have the wide side of the board against the hull as most of them I've seen instead of the narrow side. I guess the narrow side can be okay if the narrow side of the board can be angled to match the hull angle and the mounting brackets are designed to support the board correctly that way. There are only two mounting brackets on each of my boards. I would think three would be better but I'm not certain there is a 3rd cross member where the third bracket could be mounted in the middle of the bunk. I'll take a look at this later on. Of course the bunk boards are approximately 6 1/2 feet long right now so perhaps two brackets is enough. Probably for support but I don't know about the boards warping later on.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 1985 Sea Nymph 14 R V hull boat bunk adjustment questions

the board not being parallel to the hull isn't really very important with the board on edge BUT the easy way to match it is to cut the top of the board on an angle to match it... supporting the length of the board to prevent"warping" also isn't really important... Once the boat is fully loaded on the trailer the board only carries weight just above each bracket... it will often flex a little across it's length to match the shape of the hull and may take on a permanent warp to that shape but won't bend any further.

Either style of bracket will work. I personally do prefer to lay the bunk flat to reduce wear on the carpet by having more surface area.


As for needing more brackets.... you don't..... count points of contact.. IE each roller and each bunk bracket... divide total weight by that number and you'll know how many lbs (average) each point holds.... IE 4 brackets and 1 keel rollers on a 500 lb boat would be 500 / 5 = 100 lbs per support.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 1985 Sea Nymph 14 R V hull boat bunk adjustment questions

for jacking it up just use a piece of 2x4 to spread the load a little.

generally put the board inboard of one of the strakes (fins you mentioned) or under the keel (bottom center)

I often simply put the jack under the bunk OR on a small boat like yours I don't even use a jack for most of the job... If it has keel rollers down the center I just strap the transom to keep it straight and loosen ALL of the bunk brackets so it sets on the keel rollers.... then I adjust the transom straps and winch post till it is level and adjust the bunks so that they support and stabilize it and snug the bolts..... Last I jack or pry each bracket up 1/4" and tighten the bolts.

OR you can simply drag the boat off the trailer onto the ground... it's MUCH more durable than you think.

http://forums.iboats.com/boat-topic...-your-small-boat-ground-5-minutes-527592.html

 

[seanymph85]

Re: 1985 Sea Nymph 14 R V hull boat bunk adjustment questions

for jacking it up just use a piece of 2x4 to spread the load a little.

generally put the board inboard of one of the strakes (fins you mentioned) or under the keel (bottom center)

I often simply put the jack under the bunk OR on a small boat like yours I don't even use a jack for most of the job... If it has keel rollers down the center I just strap the transom to keep it straight and loosen ALL of the bunk brackets so it sets on the keel rollers.... then I adjust the transom straps and winch post till it is level and adjust the bunks so that they support and stabilize it and snug the bolts..... Last I jack or pry each bracket up 1/4" and tighten the bolts.

OR you can simply drag the boat off the trailer onto the ground... it's MUCH more durable than you think.

http://forums.iboats.com/boat-topic...-your-small-boat-ground-5-minutes-527592.html

Thanks allot for the tips on this. With everyones helpful suggestions I have a more clear understanding of what I need to do to deal with adjusting the bunks. It will be far easier going now with the additional insights and suggestions. All I have to do now is find which carpeted bunk boards and mounting brackets will be adequate replacements that will also help allow for angle adjustment of the bunks too.

 

[JimS123]

Re: 1985 Sea Nymph 14 R V hull boat bunk adjustment questions

Thanks allot for the tips on this. With everyones helpful suggestions I have a more clear understanding of what I need to do to deal with adjusting the bunks. It will be far easier going now with the additional insights and suggestions. All I have to do now is find which carpeted bunk boards and mounting brackets will be adequate replacements that will also help allow for angle adjustment of the bunks too.

I have the same boat, though mine is 20 years older. They are actually only 13'6" long and weigh less than 200#. Mine has been off the trailer many times, moved across the lawn and back on the trailer again with just my wife helping. Take her off the trailer to replace the bunks.....much easier. (remove the motor first....lol) Put the bunks in the lowest position, then proceed as above. Mine has been on 2 different trailers so its been adjusted more than once. I positioned the bunks so they are just outboard of the strakes, and touching the strake mounting flanges. This they ride on 2 thicknesses of aluminum. Also, with this position it will winch up on the trailer perfectly centered every time.

 

[tazrig]

Re: 1985 Sea Nymph 14 R V hull boat bunk adjustment questions

Here's a little pdf of what is described above


View attachment removing boat from trailer.pdf