Trailer Loading opinion (Bunk Board or Rollers)

Hello,

The trailer has been constructed and frame for surfergirl completed, looking for opinion on the following question.

I am building the trailer to be in the water offloading and onloading.

The question is for control of boat during this activty should I employ roller configuation or bunk boards.


Happy new Years.

Mike

Both, use a roller first (backsite) and then a bunk board (Front).
this way you have the comfort of the Roller rolling on the trailer, and the stabillty of the bunk board while resting and trailering.
This works the best for me...

Mike,

YOu may want to think twice about putting that trailer in the water, especially salt water! Your boat is light enough, for instance, if you're using a boat ramp to launch on, put the tires at waters edge and slide her off into the water, etc.

For my cats, I really like a combination of rollers and bunks. I've installed a roller on each side of the back of my trailer to make loading and unloading easier and I've installed a vertical roller on each side of the back of the trailer to facilitate lining up the rig when the backs under water or the wind is a'blowin. These vertical rollers keep the bows of my cat straight on the trailer, helping to guide it on and off the trailer and it protects the hulls from becoming misaligned and possibly being damaged by running into the corner of the trailer, etc.

However, since most of the weight of the boat, when sitting on the trailer is directly under the front beam of the boat, I've replace my rollers with a bunk, or more accurately, a cradle on each side of the front of the trailer.

These cradles are very easy to make and install and they are pretty cheap.... like almost free.

Borrowing a technique used by a fellow Utah cat sailor....I make them out of 8 or 10 inch (diameter) thick walled PVC pipe. Left-overs and remnants (pieces too small to be used on the construction site) are usually easily found on construction sites where they are putting in sewer lines. (The PVC sewer pipe is usually that light blue green colored pipe you see on such sites.)

From these remnants, I first cut two pieces of the PVC to the length I want the cradles...which is usually about 10 to 14 inches (or so) long.

I then measure how far up my hull I want the finished cradle to be and then measure around the circumference of the PVC pipe and make one or more cuts on the PVC pipes, parallel to the pipes centerline.

From there I heat my household oven (usually secretly, when my wife isn't home) to about 150 to 180 degrees, to heat the PVC.

You have to pay attention to how long you heat the PVC pipe, because it gets quite soft... indeed much too soft to conveniently carry from the kitchen to the front yard, if you're not very careful. You want to heat the PVC only long enough so it will slightly soften. If heated too long or too warm, it is like rubber and won't hold it's original and general shape of a pipe.

When heated sufficently, I then simply lay (and press) these heated pieces of PVC on the keel of my cat, which is turned upside down on my grass, and let the PCV pipe cool.

The cooling takes only a few minutes and then the PVC pipe has a shape, which conforms exactly to the contour shape of my hull.

After the PVC is cooled, I use two part epoxy glue to affix pieces of close loop carpet to the inside of the PVC and when it is cured, I use a band saw or saber (reciprocating) saw to trim the corners of the PVC so they have a nice radius, rather than a sharp corner.

Installing them on my trailer's front cross beam is simply a matter of cutting a couple of slits in the PVC, at the bottom, through which I can run two stainless steel hose clamps... each hose clamp is located on the PVC so it securely holds the PVC pipe to my trailer's front cross beam.

From there install the PVC on the trailer, loosely ...put the boat back on the trailer and adjust the placement of the PVC so the hulls ride on the trailer where wanted and then tighten the two hose clamps on each of the cradles.

When finished these cradles are quite strong, hold the boat very well and spread the weight of the boat out rather than point loading the hulls, as rollers are prone to do.

This works well on the back of the trailer also, if one wants to save the cost and welding associated with installing rollers.

Cheap, easy, fast and mine have lasted for four years or so and are still going strong.

Just a few thoughts and suggestions for you to consider….

Tom H.

Rob,

Many thanks for the suggestion, it didn't even dawn on myself for such a configuation.

This is exactly what these forums are about, the useful transfer of idea's and knowledge.

Itwas only last month, I was wondering where the hell am I going o get a trailer now its 90% complete.

A big thankyou to the creators of this site.

Mike