wheels vs bunks for trailers

[FishMagnet]

wheels vs bunks for trailers......one better than the other? With wheels....don't have to worry about staples or treated lumber...but with wheels...will they dent the hull sitting for a long time?

[welder]

Rollers should not dent 1/4" alloy but don't untie the bow eye until the boat is in the water or she will be on the ramp HIGH & DRY.

I like bunks with the plastic strips on them [ going for full support ] but same as above , DON'T unhook the bow eye until your in the water.

Bunks don't rust and freeze up like rollers do .

[FishMagnet]

how do you fasten the strips to the bunks w/o using dissimilar metals? epoxy?

[welder]

The plastic is drilled and counter sunk so the screws don't touch the Alloy.

[mgoose]

rollers are the only way to go, you can get the boat in to the water from any spot close to the water even if the boat is not even in the water fully, or at all for that matter. I have put mine in pot hole lakes where there was almost no angle to the beach and I had the truck backed out as far as I could go and the rollers were still out of the water, and I was still able to get it on with the winch. With bunks you would still be there.

as for the rust, there are galvanized ones. As for the freezing up, the little bit of water that would be left in there roller should not create enough ice to cause a problem. A gentle nudge of the boat should let the ice go.

[peterbo3]

Down this way, 99% plus trailers are fitted with rollers. We have big tides, steep ramps & the rollers work. But the trailers have a row of rollers which support the keel. This row takes the weight of the boat. The other rollers help centre the boat on the trailer & provide support.

[steve-r]

Rollers on mine...I can launch on any low tide, and can get back out using the winch.
any mild slope , and she'll launch with a light shove.
Any roller trailer made for salt will be galvanized, use aluminum roller arms, rubber rollers and stainless steel roller pins.
Just keep the rollers greased with a grease gun and they'll never seize.
Weight distribution is ample with a roller set under the transom, and another set amidship....my hull is 3/16" 5052 and there are no roller dimples from storage.
Rubber rollers may flatten slightly with longterm storage, but they return to round as soon as you unload.
I'd bet that rollers will dimple a ping pong over time.

[JETTYWOLF]

watch out if you put those "slick pads" on a bunk trailer.....I tried them and then took them off, ASAP.

went around a corner on an incline and looked in my truck mirror to see my boat sliding side ways on the trailer!!!
Then, if they come loose or the screws that hold them on the bunks back out.......OUCH the next time you drive on the trailer. My ouch was on my ole F' glass boat and that screw scratched the SH-T, out my hull.

If you drive on in hard current where some speed on to the trailer is needed, DO NOT BUY any of those slick pads other than ones that are made from a solid material...some are hollow and when the boat hull hits them (driving on trailer) they can crush, and up pops a big nasty screw.

Instead of those things I (on my ole F'glass boat trailer) just coated the very front of the bunks with silicone spray instead, worked fine and my boat never slid sideways on a sharp turn on the trailer, ever again.

There's something to be said about a boat that stays sticky on a trailer till wet. Keeps the road rash to a minimum.

Been there. Done that. Now I know.......get a trailer that fits and performs well and the problems are solved.

Here in Jax Fla. "NO ROLLERS" we have adequate boat launchs.

[Capt. G]

Use "Liquid Rollers" on your bunks and she will slide off and on like a greased pig. Be sure to keep the bow eyed hooked when backing down the ramp until you are ready to launch. Personally I wouldn't own anything but a bunk trailer.

[capeannfisherman]

This is the first boat I've had with bunks and I'll never go back to wheels.
This boat is by far the easiest to load I've ever owned, just drive right on every time comes on perfect. I'll never go back to rollers and can't wait to trade my roller trailer on my small boat to a bunk trailer.
Adrian

[21ftcc]

I guess I'm in the middle of both worlds on this. I have a half bunk half roller trailer. Self centering rollers in the middle and bunks on the sides.