Trailer bunk options besides carpet
 

What is everyone using for bunk surfaces on large bunk trailers? I just had a bunch of gel blisters repaired on my 38 Powerquest from wet bunk carpet. I have a large Manning trailer and will be redoing the bunks and would rather not have carpet against the hull anymore. I have seen photos of some trailers with aluminum bunks and what looks to be UHMW polyethylene surfaces. Would HDPE sheeting work? I would get bulk sheets and cut them myself to fit the bunks along with countersinking screw heads. Anyone have a good source for bulk sheeting or 6" wide rolls of the stuff? I imagine minimum 1/4" thick preferably 3/8" I'd imagine.

http://www.surfixinc.com/

solid hdpe bunk glides, small family business,good guy to deal with.

I'd like to do the same. I found nylon 4'x 6" by 1/2". Trying to find 1/4 or 5/16 now

I'd like to fab my own since I have 18 bunks on this trailer haha. Each set are different sizes too.

I did mine with this 2 years ago with this, AstroSlip. Check them out.

Looking to redo my bunks soon also so anyone else used the AstroSlip? GETU1, how easy was it to install?

Nuke427- it's was easy to work with until the temperature dropped into to the 40's.
Website shows install process.
I have a few feet left over if you want to check it out.

larry at surfix will sell it to you by the 4x8 sheet, his pricing is very good, makes you wanna buy out his stock before he finds out what the other guys are charging, but he knows !
or figure out the sizes you need, they throw a sheet up on a table and a computer mill machine cuts out what he programs in it, pretty cool to watch
6 i think that stuff does come in different thickness

I think that`s where I got mine.
Mild Blunder just picked up something (plastic) that wraps around the entire bunk, instead of carpet. comes with end caps. If starting from scratch it seems like a better deal and cheaper

http://33outlaw.zenfolio.com/img/s/v...01851559-4.jpg

yep, some of that plastic wrap stuff that has raised parts like diamonds are hollow in the raised section, they press out and or wear off, the other guys hdpe bunk glides are hollow waffle plate and they fail also,
surfix bunk glides are solid hdpe and they come w/ special stainless screws.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]567100[/ATTACH]. I just did mine today with Surfix. Thanks Outonsafari.

thats how i like the bunks, inners overlap outers, you can launch / recover a little shallow w/out the keel leaving gel on the trailer.

you'll like how the boat loads now, no where the tension on the winch

but she'll slide right off so keep it double strapped up front when going in / out

Yea retrieving my 380 Powerquest on the Manning trailer, the trailer has to be fairly deep as you can winch the boat only about the last two feet. Always need to have wife hold the stern centered on trailer as I ease it out of the water otherwise it wont hold itself centered.

Right now I have carpeting on the bunks. One ramp I like to use I can not get the boat off/on the trailer around low tide. Do these slides really make it that much easier to load/unload on the trailer?

yes,
just make sure your strapped on the bow or it can fall off the trailer

(low tide are you getting hung up on the very front of the outer bunks)

Honestly I'm not sure where it is getting hung up. I do know the boat isn't in the water enough. These bunks might make it possible for me to use this ramp. Thanks for the info.

What trailer is your 280 Velocity On?

Padraig

The original Ameritrail. There is nothing wrong with the trailer. My issue is with one park I go to occasionally. The ramp is not very steep and gravel has washed up the ramp and makes the angle worse. My usual ramp I go to, the truck tires are 6-8ft from the water. Any deeper and the boat floats off the trailer.

You might want to try a product called Liquid Rollers. I have used it in the past and it worked well. Make sure your safety chain is hooked up until ready to release.

Padraig

Reminds me of speed wax lol. How long does an application last? Would be nice to not have to worry about the tide.

Give it a try, it is not that expensive. It's been years since I used it but it worked well. Seemed to last OK but I used it often if I was at shallow ramps. I have also heard of people using Pam cooking spray and Pledge spray furniture polish but have not personally tried them.

Padraig

Thanks for the info Padraig.

Sorry to derail this thread.

Glad I found this info, need to replace my bunks and the surfix looks like it'd make life easier on shallower ramps. Anybody replace their entire bunk and add these? Thinking of just painting the wooden bunk with that thick rustoleum black paint just so it doesn't look so "rustic" with bare bunks under the surfix.

We use non treated pine with bunk wraps. The treated wood nowadays will dissolve aluminum when it meets saltwater.

I just use clear doug fir. The trick is....Don't wrap the wood. I used indoor outdoor carpet from HD. Use outdoor adhesive also HD. Just glue the strips to the face of the bunk! The bunk does not rot because it dries out much quicker than a full wrap. I sold my boat 2 years ago and i think its still holding up. So that's 6 years saltwater. I did the bunks in 08 Think that's a record?

Kirk, Nice Drain Plug storage fitting on your Trailer was that your Idea or ??