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View Full Version : Trailer bunk question.



Carl C
01-20-2006, 08:46 PM
This doesn't look right. The bunks hang off over a foot and the last 7" of boat aren't supported. Will this eventually cause a hook? Sorry about the crappy pic but you get the idea. It's a 22C. the trailer is nice otherwise - dual axles, alum. wheels, surge brakes (Loadmaster).:confused:

ChromeGorilla
01-20-2006, 08:54 PM
I have a Loadmaster as well and it looks like we have a similar situation.....

ChromeGorilla
01-20-2006, 08:57 PM
MP....I know that I did not have have enough room to move the winch post forward.... it was as far as it would go.

Carl C
01-20-2006, 09:11 PM
My trailer is the same as ChromeGorilla's. I cannot move the boat forward and the tongue weight is good now. I may be able to move the bunks back or make new longer ones out of lam beams. That gets us back to the question of will this cause a hook?

Sam
01-20-2006, 09:24 PM
I don't think there is enough exposed bottom surface vs. weight that might cause a hook. Look at the way boats are blocked or are held in slings. Unless you have a crapy boat to begin which you don't I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Having said that it would drive me crazy just to look at it :mad: . If it was me, I would spend a few bucks and add longer bunk boards......just my 2 cents.

Carl C
01-20-2006, 09:27 PM
Longer bunks would be expensive and a lot of work if not needed!

MOP
01-20-2006, 10:17 PM
I am happy with the way the Wesco came all set up and perfect (Thanks Tom), the bunks are cut to the same degree as the bottom and set way out near the chine. It lets the boat sit nice and low about 1-1/2" above the torsion axles, also I have never liked a boat sitting on its strakes. I did pull it forward 1-1/4" to expose the ends of the bunks and use heavy S/S bails through bolted as my tie downs.

Phil

Dr. Dan
01-21-2006, 07:00 AM
:smash: I spoke to these folks (Loadmaster) when I was Trailer Shopping, they mentioned to me at the time I was in the Design Phase that they would actually order Longer Bunks and Cut the Bunks to Fit & Match the length of my Hull.

This would keep it more in lin with the Transom and prevent the Hull Overhang. On my original Trailer I had probably 4" of Hull unsupported on the Trailer Bunks, granted it was only 4", but I never liked it that way and also never noticed any change over 5 years of Trailer life.

Now its a spoiled Brat on a New Custom Performance Trailer... oh what a life?

Doc :smash:

Donzigo
01-21-2006, 11:16 PM
IMHO: The proper fit is to have the back of the bunk line up with the transom. I think that if the Loadmaster trailer were mine, I would change the bunk to be longer. It's not a great cost and will properly support the boat. All of the weight is on the transom.

Carl C
01-22-2006, 06:07 AM
IMHO: The proper fit is to have the back of the bunk line up with the transom. I think that if the Loadmaster trailer were mine, I would change the bunk to be longer. It's not a great cost and will properly support the boat. All of the weight is on the transom. Should I contact Loadmaster to order longer bunks or make new stronger ones out of laminated beams? (lam beams would cost a couple hundred bucks) (how did this screen get so stretched out? Must be Chrome's giant picture)

ChromeGorilla
01-22-2006, 06:18 AM
(how did this screen get so stretched out? Must be Chrome's giant picture)



Alright....alright.... I'lll resizem from now on...... sheesh....:D

Carl C
01-22-2006, 07:43 AM
The bunks are usually cypress.. A good lumber yard should be able to get ya a big hunk to make the bunks from..
Is there any possibility the existing ones are long enough to just redrill and move back, while still maintaining proper support in the front?
I cannot move the bunks back more than a couple inches. They do look like cypress (3 1/4 X 10" stock). My little table saw is not up to cutting this size lumber. Also I will have over 2' of overhang in the back. Looking closer, I may be able to move the boat forward a little. Tongue weight with a near empty gas tank is now 156 pounds. Just maybe I can move the bunks back 2" and the boat forward 5". I doubt it but it would sure be easier than making new bunks. What would be the max acceptable tongue weight with full gas tank? My truck has heavy duty rear suspension.

Donzigo
01-22-2006, 08:07 AM
Scott (MadPoodle) has given you good advice. He's right on the money with all his comments. Nice trailer set-up too, Scott. Redrilling the currnet bunks shoud do the trick. If not, just order cypress from a good lumber yard with No-1 grade cypress. Home Depot & Lowes are NOT places to buy quality lumber. Do the job yourself. It's quite easy to redrill or replace. If you replace the bunks, you can use the old bunks for doing what Scott did to his trailer.....ad mor bunks support. The bunks should rest on the flat part of the chines, where the internal stringers are located.

How old is the trailer. Any chance of trading to a bigger one at little cost.

Good luck.

BUIZILLA
01-22-2006, 08:13 AM
Carl, let's see a pic of the nose/tongue setup you have now, just so we know the orientation of things, before you start... you may not have to drill anything, then again, you may have to... 156# of tongue weight is pretty low IMO... I would shoot for 400-450#, so moving the boat 8" more forward, if you have room at the front winch stand to do so, would make a ton of difference and maybe resolve some other issues as well.

JH

mattyboy
01-22-2006, 08:25 AM
Jim is right tongue weight should be around 7-10% of the entire rig weight boat trailer and equipment and fuel
it looks like on chromes setup the boat could move a few inches up by moving the winch higher on it's post but i don't know what effect that would have on the bow eye and the stop or the boat angle on the trailer
i have a spoiled boat too just like Dan's, my trailer was custom made to the boat just like the guy with 5 penises his pants fit like a glove ;)

Donzigo
01-22-2006, 08:27 AM
Buizilla...........I thought he said he couldn't move anything. That was my thought too.

BUIZILLA
01-22-2006, 08:30 AM
I still want to see a nose pic...

Cuda
01-22-2006, 08:50 AM
I tend to go for overkill on trailers, because I HATE trailer troubles. The one under my Minx is actually made for a 22 to 24 foot boat, and has a 5200 pound capacity. I have the jack stand moved back as far as I can, and the bunks still come about a foot past the end of the hull.

Donzigo
01-22-2006, 09:06 AM
Cuda, nice set up. That's the way to do it.

Dude, nice touch, taking a WHIZZ on the trailer to Christen it..........I do it too, it's like being one with your stuff. I pee on everything I own at least once.

joseph m. hahnl
01-22-2006, 09:13 AM
I tend to go for overkill on trailers, because I HATE trailer troubles. The one under my Minx is actually made for a 22 to 24 foot boat, and has a 5200 pound capacity. I have the jack stand moved back as far as I can, and the bunks still come about a foot past the end of the hull.

Yah: what he said! same exact deal on my Minx. See how it protects the trim tabs. The only draw back is if you forget to put the tabs up"you know what i mean"


joe

Carl C
01-22-2006, 06:18 PM
Donzigo, the trailer is brand new and I must use it. Buizilla, you solution would be a lot easier and if 450# of tongue wt. is OK, it may be doable. Matty, and everyone, thanks for the help. Here are the pics.

gcarter
01-22-2006, 06:36 PM
My tongue wieght was a little light on my new trailer. I moved the post up as far as it would go, but it still didn't do the trick.
Finally, I unbolted the U-bolts from the post flange and moved it up on top of the frame flanges. I marked the post flange to remove the forwaqrd corners of the heavy galvanized post flange to where it would fit up into the "V" of the frame flanges. I had a machine shop lop the corners off the post flange. I drilled new U-bolt holes in the post flange because you lose some or all of the forward U-bolt holes. I gained 3"-4", and it made a significant difference, although I think it's still a little light.

gcarter
01-22-2006, 06:45 PM
Also, it wouldn't be hard to have a new longer forward crossmember fabricated so that it could be relocated further aft, to move the forward bunk support aft. After all, these things just bolt together.

BUIZILLA
01-22-2006, 07:15 PM
Carl, Goerge has a good idea, as I had to do the same thing he says, on a trailer under my 252 Formula, about a year or so. Redrill the front u clamp about 2 1/2" rear of where it is now, cut the front base at an angle, matching the trailer frame *V*, and move it forward as far as possible, you should gain 4" or so... your front V guide is too high as well and not centered. They make 20* angle brackets for the front V, making it easier to reload and center.

JH

Carl C
01-22-2006, 07:42 PM
:banghead:. :banghead:. :banghead:. :banghead:. :banghead: . I CAN do the mods to move the post forward but the thing is still set up wrong. The roller should be lower and it seems the winch strap should go OVER it. I gotta sleep on this one.:confused:

gcarter
01-22-2006, 07:44 PM
your front V guide is too high as well and not centered. They make 20* angle brackets for the front V, making it easier to reload and center.
JH
Jim, I hate to hijack this, but I need to ask this question.....are you saying the keel should NOT ride on the V guide? I thought having the keel riding on the plastic guide would remove any bouncing.....is this wrong?

Donzigo
01-22-2006, 07:59 PM
George & Buizilla have got it right. You can pick up an additional 4 inches, it looks like to me.

Speed-Racer
01-22-2006, 08:10 PM
Madpoodle is right on the money...and bow eyes should always be under the guide....

Just a note..if you have an older trailer with rubber/poly keel rollers make sure they are still soft. We managed to grind the keel to the glass on the 16' I notcied it after we got the new trailer with guide bunks. Also drive'n the boat on a trailer when not backed far enought into the water is not a good idea! Float the boat on, you'll save the hull and carpet on the bunks.

BUIZILLA
01-22-2006, 08:11 PM
Jim, I hate to hijack this, but I need to ask this question.....are you saying the keel should NOT ride on the V guide? I thought having the keel riding on the plastic guide would remove any bouncing.....is this wrong?George, blow up pic 4, the lower V guide is 6" too far off center to the left of the hull V center, it needs to be moved over to the center of the V bottom, and properly LIGHTLY preloaded against the hull itself. Once that's done, then set up the front tow eye UNDER, and snug against, the front roller, as fuzzy says. Once that is done, then move the whole boat forward, as much as possible. Recheck the V guide again. What you DON'T want, is the V guide lifting the hull off of the side support bunks, at the forward point of the bunk. I just blew up the first pic and it appears you have about 6" from the hull bottom to the trailer crossmember... if it was ME, I would move the bunks outboard of the strakes, inside of the bunk, against the outside of edge of the strake, and lower the WHOLE boat about 4", then re-do the V guide and lower the bow stop/winch orientation, then move it forward 4". It will re-load dead straight accurate every time if you do this, and you won't have to sink the trailer as much to float it off and on either...

JH

mattyboy
01-22-2006, 08:43 PM
all this thread as proved to me is it is worth every penny to have a custom trailer made and fitted to the boat

Carl C
01-22-2006, 08:45 PM
I think the angle of shot 4 is a bit misleading... Yes but the hull is almost 1 inch off center but is resting on the V-guide. OK I will cut and move the post forward at least 4" and go from there. I can't move the boat forward untill the lake melts though.

Cuda
01-22-2006, 08:56 PM
if it was ME, I would move the bunks outboard of the strakes, inside of the bunk, against the outside of edge of the strake, and lower the WHOLE boat about 4", then re-do the V guide and lower the bow stop/winch orientation, then move it forward 4". It will re-load dead straight accurate every time if you do this, and you won't have to sink the trailer as much to float it off and on either...
JH
I need to do the exact same thing on my Minx trailer. Move the bunks out, to allow the boat to ride lower. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.
George's Minx is on the left, and mine is on the right.

Carl C
01-22-2006, 08:58 PM
If your dealer is cooperative, and if the trailer he selects is the proper size, an "off the rack" trailer can fit a boat extremely well. But, when they try and lowball the trailer price, the trailer will be a compromise, and poor fit is hopefully the least of your issues..
Buiz and I spent a LOT of time getting the first 22 trailer we had built to fit AND load perfectly. The second one was an improvement over that.. Several trailers later, its down to a science. Yeah and the sad thing is that this is a nice trailer and could have been set up right with four proper sized bunks. I figured I'd get the right trailer and hadn't had this problem before. I also bought the boat sight unseen on the internet. I figure it's because they don't sell many trailers for this boat model. Also the trailer should be all welded instead of bolted together. The trailer loads great. I can lauch or load this boat alone in seconds.

Cuda
01-22-2006, 08:59 PM
Here's what you do not want. This is how the Minx was on the trailer when I bought it. Look how far away the front roller the boat is. There was a lot of weight on the bowstop. :(

gcarter
01-22-2006, 09:09 PM
George's Minx is on the left, and mine is on the right.
Joe, I reemember that Saturday on the river......your Minx ran all day!!!!!:eek:
Remember the thunderstorm?

gcarter
01-22-2006, 09:13 PM
Carl, theres nothing wrong with a bolted together trailer.. A custom welded one is a nice piece, but....
But it's hard to modify!!!!!!!!

Cuda
01-22-2006, 09:18 PM
Remember the thunderstorm?
Boy do I remember that storm! Deb and I tried hiding under the cockpit cover, but it was useless. We were both sitting there, getting drownded, and laughing like a couple of idiots! :)

I'm emptying the water out of my shoes here. :)

mattyboy
01-23-2006, 08:09 AM
from the pictures it looks like the post can slide a little and the winch can slide a little maybe enuff to get you were you need to be or atleast closer , Poodle's right there nothing wrong with a bolted trailer, Carl you bought it sight unseen ?????

and Cuda and George you to guys crack me up I needed that laugh, I love when you tell those boat stories in paradise thunderstorms, hurricanes,
:rlol:

Carl C
01-23-2006, 05:51 PM
Carl you bought it sight unseen ?????
I bought it new from Pier 57 in Tennesee. I did see pictures but didn't notice the trailer misfit. So I'm going to cut and move the post forward but I can't readjust things til I can get the boat in the water. I'll post an update in the spring.

gcarter
01-23-2006, 06:14 PM
and Cuda and George you to guys crack me up I needed that laugh, I love when you tell those boat stories in paradise thunderstorms, hurricanes,
:rlol:[/QUOTE]


Matty, the really important thing that happened that day was that Joe's Minx (in fact everyones boat) ran all day without incident, even Fish.

You ought to come down and join in the fun some time. Hurricane season is officially over.