Bunk Trailer Hint

M

maryvmcclain

New member
Just reading about bunk vs roller trailer and I thought I'd post this hint. We've always had bunk trailers and when we trailered a 23ft water ballast Santana sailboat... it was a lot harder to winch it up (probably the C-Dory is even harder).... Anyway, someone told us to squiggle a little dishsoap on the bunks before you load..... WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

So most C-dorys have roller trailers and maybe its because they are heavier???
 
I owned an aluminum hull cruiser that had a fully roller trailer bed. The rollers really did a number on the aluminum hull. Lots of loose rivets. To me bunks are the only way to go. Dish soap works, but remember what slides on easily can slide off easily, so make sure the boat is lashed down really well at the bow before getting all the way out of the water.
 
My Searay 268 has a new custom bunk trailer. Before that I had rollers. The bunks are a lot easier to load as far as getting the boat centered. Also like that it provides a lot more hull support, and don't have to worry about the boat sliding off at the wrong time! I've got an electric winch, so maybe that's cheating. (It's a 7500 pound boat!) I've also heard spraying the bunks with silicone helps. With the electric winch I haven't done anything other than backing the trailer all the way in the water to insure the bunks are wet. I think the best advice I read was when loading, back in the same distance it takes to float the boat off when you launch. I had a pontoon before the SeaRay, and had a bunk trailer for that; but with the plastic style runners. That worked pretty slick too. And didn't have to worry about the carpet wearing out ever few years. Anyone have that plastic/tefflon like stuff with their C-Dory's? And if so, how do they like it? I do a lot of trailering and plan on continuing when I finally get a C-Dory 22.
 
Very little winching involved in getting the C-Dory on the trailer - float it on/float it off. Most of the time, Joan will back the trailer in, I drive the boat up on the trailer, she hooks the winch strap to the bow-eye, and we pull out. The only winching is to make sure the boat is snug to the trailer.

We have a bunk trailer with the rubber covers over the bunks. Easy.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Liquid Rollers is a dry silicone spray--and there are many brands. They all work--some cost more and some less than the Mary Kate Product. We keep the bunks sprayed. It makes launching and retrieval much easier.
 
Agree with Marc and Bob, Liquid Rollers works great. There is a warning on the label to keep the boat secured till at the water. This is no joke! Your boat WILL slide right off as if on real rollers with this stuff. It does minimize wear on the bottom when launching and recovering and you get the added benefit of excellant support for the boats running surface when it's not in the water. Since my boat is in the garage when I'm not on it, I prefer bunks. I also prefer to float on/off as it's the best way to avoid scratching the running surface with the sand that will eventually find it's way onto the bunk.
 
I recently ordered a dual axel trailer from EZ Loader for the 22 Cruiser. EZ Loader discouraged me from plastic bunks. I was told the plastic bunks would do damage to the fiberglass.

Mike
 
If I was ordering a new trailer one thing I would be sure to get is the bunk cut-outs for sling launching. The launch in Edmonds is quite a bit cheaper if you have cut-outs (or rollers) since the rigging requires a lot fewer steps.

Has anyone ever modified their existing bunks for sling launching?
 
ferret30":29ofidjv said:
If I was ordering a new trailer one thing I would be sure to get is the bunk cut-outs for sling launching. The launch in Edmonds is quite a bit cheaper if you have cut-outs (or rollers) since the rigging requires a lot fewer steps.

Has anyone ever modified their existing bunks for sling launching?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's ben discussed, and there are photos, too! Try researching the topic. Try "cutouts", "sling cutouts", and "sling launch". Also, switch "cutouts" with "cut-outs" and "cut outs" and see if it makes a difference. Good Luck!

Also, someone who was involved may remember the threads and the discussions and post references to it/them.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
ferret30":bpvhfp0i said:
If I was ordering a new trailer one thing I would be sure to get is the bunk cut-outs for sling launching. The launch in Edmonds is quite a bit cheaper if you have cut-outs (or rollers) since the rigging requires a lot fewer steps.

Has anyone ever modified their existing bunks for sling launching?
Click to expand...
Yes, I did the mod several years ago on our King Trailer. It was quite simple. Edmonds Marina provides a PDF of their requirements. The King Trailer site shows their add-on for sling cutouts using a hard plastic I (think). I just followed their lead and made my own using treated 2x6's screwed directly onto the existing bunks, leaving a 12" space near the end of the trailer, and covering with bunk carpet stapled with Monel staples. Works like a charm!

Unfortunately I don't have any pics. I think C-Hawk has pics in his album showing his mod on a Pacific trailer. Good luck. It's an easy project.
 
Regarding the dish soap, a few years ago a new friend in the Keys told us about using DAWN LIQUID on the bunk rails. I tried it and it worked well. But since he had no explanation, I did not take seriously that it had to be Dawn ... even though that is what I used. Then I read in the Chronicle that DAWN LIQUID was specified as the lubricant for moving the bazillion pound temporary section of the Bay Bridge into place. I still do not have an explanation but assume the engineers knew something.

Greg
 
The Dawn was used on top of Teflon rails in the moving of sections of the Bay Bridge. Dawn and Joy have both been utilized in salt water for dish washing etc on the boats. They seem to work as well in salt water as in fresh. But I would think that the soap would be gone after the dunk--plus dawn tends to remove wax, which may not be as desirable. The silicone seems to last for a number of launches, plus works great to lube the sliding windows track on the C Dory.
 
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