1801 trailer question

[jonas grumby]

I have a 2006 1801 on a Road King aluminum bunk trailer. The FWD end sits on a bow rest which is essentially a post with a "Y" mounted on the FWD trailer cross-member, that helps guide the boat while loading. I am considering replacing the bow rest with a smaller / centered set of bunks to guide the boat while loading. Does anyone have a set up with a smaller set of FWD bunks? Does anyone just have bunks with no guide? Can I just remove the bow-rest and not replace it with anything?

 

[jonas grumby]

Looking at the Parker website pics, my plan for the smaller bunks is the way to go.

 

[Spinning Reel]

I have a Load Rite trailer with two sets of self-adjusting bunks and keel rollers. There is a forward keel roller near the eye hook and a roller on which the keel sits when winched tight.

The bunks are tough to see due to shading but the one you see is the forward bunk. There is an identical SA bunk hidden by the fender. I've been happy with the trailer. The trailer came with the boat and was paired by the previous owner.

I'm not near the boat today but I will take pictures that show the bunks and rollers better when I trailer the boat tomorrow.

 

[jeffnick]

I fought the centering/level thing for a long time, but finally learned the trick. The closer your main bunks are, the better your boat will center/level.
I used guides and pads and rollers to try to get the boat centered and level but never got the same results twice - often backing back down the ramp in an effort to do better, again and again. The problem was that with the wide bunks, the aft keel was nowhere near the bunks until the boat was up the ramp and then the boat settled in random positions. Your keel will contact the bunks much sooner if they're close - then if you like, put a couple bunks outside at the stern.
My boat is 28' and 10,000lbs and I have to launch/retrieve myself. I've only got ~1/2" of clearance between the hull and fender (and hull and guide post) so it has to settle just right

-and it always does.

Here's a trailer without a boat...

 

[jonas grumby]

Thanks for the responses! My trailer has 2 ea. 6" X 8" juniper bunks that run from about 6" short of the transom to about a 1' forward of where the hull rocks up and loses contact. They are custom beveled to fit the hull. The forward "rest" that I want to replace, touches the keel and is designed to center the boat when it first runs up on the trailer. I have a local fabricator building some stainless steel bunk brackets and will install a shorter/ centered/ forward set of 4" X 6" bunks. He built stainless replacement brackets for the juniper bunks and they came out great! I used sheet rubber between the stainless and aluminum trailer frame to decrease any potential battery effect.