roller bunks

[canman]

hi everyone, I was thinking about installing those 5 foot roller bunks on top of my bunks instead of going out to buy a roller trailor. has any body tried these ? thanks .

 

[redneck joe]

O have not but considered in the past. I went with the plastic skids. What are you trying to achieve?

 

[canman]

hello, I just want to be able to put the boat in and out of the water quicker, since I am usually by myself . thanks .

 

[redneck joe]

quicker, or easier? What is currently slowing you down? Gravity is your friend on launch so assuming retrieval is your challenge?

 

[canman]

hello, I want to be able to load it quicker , we only have one boat ramp in town.

 

[JimS123]

Those roller bunks are absotutely fantastical. I wouldn't own a trailer without them. Boating is supposed to be fun. If its a hassle I would stay home.

I have replaced them, not put them on top. I just reused the brackets from the bunks and attached the roller bunks directly to them.

Prior to doing that I tried slicks on the bunks. It was better, but not the best.

 

[canman]

thanks for the reply, I think I will get a pair of them .

 

[M2HB]

I had an old set of roller bunks on a 1976 trailer I was rebuilding. The rollers were decayed and in terrible shape, but I liked the roller bunks so much that I bought a new set when I was doing the rebuild. It was cheaper to buy a new set than it was to buy new individual rollers for the old roller bunk set.

 

[canman]

thanks for the reply, do you know how much weight they will hold? I have a 18 foot fibreglass boat .

 

[JimS123]

thanks for the reply, do you know how much weight they will hold? I have a 18 foot fibreglass boat .

How much does the boat weigh? Do you have keel rollers too? How many rollers on each bunk?

When I set up a trailer I design it so each roller will carry no more than 125 pounds. But that's not an industry specification, it's just MY requirement. If you calculate the design of some factory all roller trailers you'll find some brands that carry more weight.

But then again, my boats launch and retrieve like a dream, and I have no dents on the bottom of the boat.

 

[M2HB]

When using bunk rollers with an aluminum boat I think that it is important to use quality keel rollers. Also, I adjust the keel rollers to take more weight. I adjust them with a jack to make sure they are taking more weight than the bunk rollers. The way I figure it, the keel would be hard to bend where the unreinforced aluminum above the bunk rollers wouldn’t be.

 

[M2HB]

Also, I use self centering Stoltz keel rollers with stainless steel shafts.

 

[canman]

thanks everyone, the boat weighs around 2800 pounds, I just don't know if the roller bunks will take that much weight .

 

[redneck joe]

thats 1400 per side

 

[JimS123]

That means you need a bunk (or combination of bunks) with 12 rollers for each side. Add a keel roller on each crossmember and go with 8 per side.

The trailer I just sold came from the factory with only 2 carpeted bunks. I added 3 Stolz keel rollers and replaced the bunks with 2 roller bunks and boy what a slick machine that was.

 

[M2HB]

I replaced the 4 rubber keel rollers on my trailer with the 4 self centering Stoltz rollers and two roller bunks with 6 rollers each. When properly adjusted where the keel rollers take the most weight, the boat is a dream to load and unload.

The one thing that I added with this setup is a stainless steel safety clip and chain that goes on the front loading eye. I ALWAYS use that safety clip, even when just pulling out of the water. The boat goes on easy, which means that it comes off just as easy. I can see me pulling forward, out of the water without the boat connected to the trailer and on the uphill slope the boat would slide right off. That would be an ugly sight.

 

[JimS123]

I replaced the 4 rubber keel rollers on my trailer with the 4 self centering Stoltz rollers and two roller bunks with 6 rollers each. When properly adjusted where the keel rollers take the most weight, the boat is a dream to load and unload.

The one thing that I added with this setup is a stainless steel safety clip and chain that goes on the front loading eye. I ALWAYS use that safety clip, even when just pulling out of the water. The boat goes on easy, which means that it comes off just as easy. I can see me pulling forward, out of the water without the boat connected to the trailer and on the uphill slope the boat would slide right off. That would be an ugly sight.

A "safety clip" merely catches the boat as it starts to fly off the trailer. It's OK to have one, but a better approach is to have a bow tie down that keeps the boat where its supposed to be in the first place.

 

[M2HB]

A "safety clip" merely catches the boat as it starts to fly off the trailer. It's OK to have one, but a better approach is to have a bow tie down that keeps the boat where its supposed to be in the first place.

That was my point. I use two the tie down and an extra safety clip.

 

[444]

If speed is a problem perhaps you're not putting your trailer far enough in the water. I used to have a roller trailer with my old boat, now I have a bunk trailer. I load/unload faster with the bunk trailer. With the rollers I wasn't going far enough into the water and I was winching the boat up the trailer which takes way longer than floating the boat over the trailer, hooking the nose then pulling out.

 

[JimS123]

I hate to say never, but I have never seen a person not back in far enough. 99.999% of the time they back in too far.

Floating on and then hooking the "nose" and then pulling out usually results in the boat being crooked on the trailer. Then, they back in and do it over and over until they get it right. By then it has taken 5 times more time. Even hand cracking a 2-speed winch the full length of the trailer can't take more than a minute and a half,and it only takes once.