Bunk trailer help

[Sow&Pigs]

So after much procrastinating I finally bought a trailer for Ripple, our 2520 MVSC. A buddy was selling his 2007 Venture with carpeted bunks. Tow vehicle is a 2007 Land Rover LR3, which pulled the boat from CT to Cape Cod last week with no problem at all. The trailer has drum brakes which, while not ideal, worked fine.

The issue came at the ramp I'll be using. The boat would not come off. I had the trailer backed totally in and tried to power her off but there was simply not enough angle or water (or both) and she wouldn't budge. I've trailered a ton of boats, but none this large, and I have never had a boat "stuck" like that. I'm good friends with the guy who runs the local yard, and he put the boat on his travel lift and dunked her for free, which was awesome, so the boat is in the water for the duration of our vacation -- a good thing.

What do you guys think I should do for modifications so this doesn't happen again? Admittedly I was at the ramp at a stage of the tide that wasn't ideal, but you can't always depend on that.

Should I mount slicks on the bunks? Rollers on top of the bunks? I don't want to change to a roller system, so what are my best options for making this trailer work? Now that I've broken the ice and experienced how easily I can pull the 2520 I plan to trailer her quite a bit.

Suggestions MUCH appreciated!

 

[esfishdoc]

A couple of questions:

Was the stern of the boat floating?

Where the rear wheels of your tow vehicle in the water?

For example; when I power off my trailer the stern is afloat with the boat only engaged on the front bunks.

No amount of non-skid on the bunks will help unless the stern is lifted up off the rear bunks when you have backed into the water. At that point the solution is to 1. back further into the water 2. lower the boat on the trailer.

Pictures of your trailer might help figure this out.

 

[Sow&Pigs]

The rear wheels of the tow vehicle were in the water, but the stern was not floating free. The tide was fairly low so I found myself at a pretty flat angle. I couldn't back further in at that stage of the tide.

 

[B-Faithful]

hmm. I have a feeling I will be selling a venture bunk trailer fairly soon. I have a feeling I am going to really regret insisting upon a roller

 

[esfishdoc]

The rear wheels of the tow vehicle were in the water, but the stern was not floating free. The tide was fairly low so I found myself at a pretty flat angle. I couldn't back further in at that stage of the tide.

One of two things is preventing you from powering off (well one.. too much friction) Either the ramp is at such a shallow angle there is no way to do it.... or your bunk trailer is set up in such a way the boat sits higher than normal.

I've launched and loaded at a total of about 12 ramps in 3 different states and I've yet to encounter one where I couldn't have done it at any tide.... but I've looked at ramps that were too short so I didn't even fool with them.

 

[Burtona]

You may try investing in another hitch adapter and ball that will get the trailer tongue higher (and the boat stern lower). You may not want to use it for towing but you can carry it to swap out when you have a problem launching or loading. (If it works it's a lot cheaper than a new trailer)

 

[Megabyte]

Two things can help in situations of low water and a flat ramp.

Buy a big bottle of dish soap and while the boat is off the trailer, take the cap off and liberally coat the carpet with dish soap. That'll slick her up. :wink:
Be careful though. It might make her too slick, so keep the safety chain on until the boat is in the water and ready to launch.

Another trick is to roll her down the ramp and once she is in the water... stomp on the brakes to pop her loose from the carpet.

It's all technique.

 

[MaxOut]

Been There Done That. No Fun

 

[MaxOut]

Where are all the bunk lovers from the other Bunk/Roller posts?? :wink:


Bunk trailers are often referred to as float on float off trailers. If the stern of the boat is not floating and your rear wheels of your tow vehicle are wet you probably do not want to launch or retrieve you boat there. If the boat has been on the trailer a while or was painted on the trailer she may be stuck and need a little boost off. I would try Megabytes method, back up and stomp the brakes method to see if you can loosen her up. Make sure you have someone on the pier with the lines a she might come off quickly. Keep in mind if she is this hard coming off you will encounter issues putting her back on. The dish liquid may help loading as well. I have used the boats power and the winch at the same time if needed to load.


Here are a few things I have tried.

*Have the tongue of the trailer extended. This will give you a better chance of reaching suitable water to launch the boat without drowning your tow vehicle. The drawback here is the ramp or the catwalk may not be long enough and the trailer may drop off the end of the ramp.

*Add slippery plastic strips to your bunks. These help and will compliment anything else you do.

* Get the boat as low as possible on the trailer.

* Make sure the boat is as far back on the trailer as possible. Maintaining proper tongue weight. The axles may need to be adjusted forward or aft to help balance load. See trailer dealer for set up.

* Convert to roller hybrid.


This is why I purchased a roller...Been there done that. Roller's may be more expensive, less friendly to the hull, blah, blah, blah, But I NEVER have this problem and can get in & out at almost any ramp at any tide. That is worth all the other cons of owning a roller trailer to me. I travel with my boat and end up at ramps I have no knowledge of and do not want to get stuck at the ramp coming or going. Good luck. Hope you get her out safely.

 

[MaxOut]

hmm. I have a feeling I will be selling a venture bunk trailer fairly soon. I have a feeling I am going to really regret insisting upon a roller

I may not be too late...If you are used to the roller, get it don't regret it. You will be upset if you go to launch your new boat for the first time and encounter issues. I know of many ramps that are deep & steep but some are crowded or inconvenient. Do a drive by with a measuring stick on some of the ramps you launch from, locate the end of the ramp and get a good depth measurement. Hold this stick next to the stern of your boat to the ground as it sits on the trailer. This will tell you if the ramp is usable.

 

[Ranger Tim]

See my recent post on this topic http://classicparker.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5009

Start half way down the page where it says, "I hate all trailers..."

I've owned both and keep going back and forth on which I prefer. I think it depends on where I'm launching at that moment.

 

[JFP123]

I have used both and prefer bunks. I have never been unable to get on or off but I have had a few close calls.

 

[CaptainJim]

I personally think that ramp was too shallow in depth and angle.

I have a 2005 venture 5800 roller trailer, and if the angle isn't right, I have trouble getting MY boat off the trailer.

I *WISH* i had gotten bunks - for when the boat is laid up on the hard in the winter and for the rare occasion I trailer the boat somewhere else.

The venture rollers are a pain in the ass - i have cracked about 12 bushings on my trailer (the rubber bushing tha mounts the rollers to the roller arm/assembly), but my venture dealer was more than happy to supply the parts free of charge.

I have tried launching my boat on a real shallow (in angle and water depth) and I had to full throttle reverse the motor to get the boat off. I had the trailer ALL the way in at high tide, and the back wheels of the truck were in the water. It wasn't fun, and it was less than ideal.

Face it - it's a big boat that requires a good launching ramp.

I bought the roller trailer thinking that we would dry slip the boat (keep it at the marina on the trailer), but the boat is large and unwieldly, and a lot of work to load and unload the amount we use the boat, so we keep it slipped 9 mos a year.


If you want a roller trailer that bad, perhaps I could set up a trade for a slightly used 05 roller trailer. My venture has 2 wheel disc brakes, surge style.

 

[B-Faithful]

Holy smokes a 5800lb trailer under a 25 mod v parker. I had a 5800lb trailer uner my maycraft and I thought it was at the limit. How much does a parker weigh loaded down? Judge is putting a 7400lb trailer under my new boat but I think that may be overkill. If I talk to Judge and he thinks a 5800lb trailer would do, I may be interested in speaking with you about a swap. I will say that my new trailer will be a venture as well and I am not a fan of them. Their rollers are known to be bad. I much prefer a load rite or (or even their price conscious line called 5 star). I only had to replace one roller on my last 5 star in over 3 years of use and that was due to the strainer from my was catching it before the trailer was professionally adjusted. Though my maycraft had a narrower beam with its 25'6" hull length. I could easily trailer by myself on most ramps on the Chesapeake.

Anyone know if someone makes a 7400lb AL roller trailer?

 

[CaptainJim]

Holy smokes a 5800lb trailer under a 25 mod v parker. I had a 5800lb trailer uner my maycraft and I thought it was at the limit.

the boat only has 100gal fuel, so with fuel motor and boat i came in under 5800 as I guestimated. I might be overweight on that trailer a little, especially now that the boat has gear and coolers and tools in it.

I always meant to put it on a truck scale.

 

[gw204]

In general it's good practice to size your trailer based on the heaviest you could make the boat when traveling on the highway. When I spec'ed the trailer for my Grady which has a 5,300 lb. dry hull weight, I came up with closer to 8000 lbs. when I accounted for engines, full fuel, full water, batteries, hardtop, fishing gear, etc.

So, I bought an 8,700 lb. capacity trailer and have never regretted it.

 

[mildew2]

I have slicks the full width and length of my bunks. Every time I use it
I spray Pam..on the slicks before putting the boat back on the trailer.
I have never had any problems since. Be careful not to spray the pam on any part of the trailer where you walk. It gets very slick!!!
Good luck.

 

[MaxOut]

Holy smokes a 5800lb trailer under a 25 mod v parker. I had a 5800lb trailer uner my maycraft and I thought it was at the limit.

the boat only has 100gal fuel, so with fuel motor and boat i came in under 5800 as I guestimated. I might be overweight on that trailer a little, especially now that the boat has gear and coolers and tools in it.

I always meant to put it on a truck scale.

I would put it on a scale..Soon. My 2520SL, rear station, F250 & full of fuel with NO Tackle weighed over 7200lbs. I was sold a 6500# trailer by the dealer but upgraded to 8000# after I weighed my boat. Big Difference. I would not recommend operating any equipment at its highest load rating. The tires are usually the weakest link and only provide the highest carrying capacity at the max air pressure so check your air pressure. I trailer long distances and it is very important for me to have overkill on the trailer. For short distances I'm sure it is less critical. From an insurance perspective????I would make sure the trailer is rated for your boats weight or you may have a claim issue if the trailer gives out and possibly a liabillity issue. Just my two cents.

Not to sound stupid but I wanted to point out when you guestimate the weight of your boat you need to add the weight of the trailer to come up with the GVW. Some manufacturers use the GVW in thier specs and misleads people to think this is the carring capacity. Some actually use the max carring weight. Check with the manufacturer or look at the title for the GVW. If your trailers GVW is 5800#'s you are way under sized.

 

[B-Faithful]

Opti, Do you know where the Mason-Dixon line is? :shock: :lol: :lol:

last time i looked on a map it was on top of where us Marylander's live... maybe I had the map upside down :lol: :lol:

Sounds like I should be excited to bring a can of Pam with me... Goes with the southern fried cooking!

 

[MaxOut]

Where are all the bunk lovers from the other Bunk/Roller posts?? :wink:

right here :wink: whats yer ?

"how do I put my 60 flexiflyer on a roller trailer? :lol:

yer water must be different than our water. hard to find a rusty roller below the mason dixon line.

It costs more to trailer a 6o' flexiflyer than to drive it in most cases so I will stick with driving it and enjoy the ride. :lol: :lol: Did I Mention I dont And Never Have Owned A FlexiFlyer (Ocean Yacht) :? ??? Got to give ya credit for determination..You may want to take your A.D.D. meds. :wink: Go figure my trailer came new Pre-Rusted. Got to love EZ-Loader.