Bunk vs Roller trailer ? Easy choice in NE

[bgreene]

Low tide at Shark River inlet and lots of boats at the ramp.

Too many of the float on / bunk guys had to deal with waiting out the tide to put their boats in. Water too low, risk of running off the edge of the ramp made it impossible.

The roller guys were able to ease back close to the ramp end, then lock it up and roll the boats easily off, some without much water under them up front.

So far, the dual axle SeaLion trailer I bought has been working out fine. Got disks on both axles and the V21 fits nicely. Now if I could only get better than about 10-11 mpg's while towing it would really be great....

[macojoe]

A bunch of ramps near me are the same, I have a few friends that got stuck at ramps all the time waiting for water! Thats why I have never owned a bunk, Its ok for the smaller boat guys or the gys that just store there boats on them in the winter, but for someone like me that trailers every where roller is the way to go!

[reelapeelin]

Boils down to matching your trailer to the ramps you use...

Then there's the discussion about who put the ramps in the way they did and their choice of where they were installed...down here, there are some short, shallow ramps...look around a bit and you can find ramps properly installed on the edge of deep water that are long enough to drop a boat from either style trailer even at the lowest tides...that way, the tax money used to build these ramps is better used by serving all the boaters who use them, whenever they can w/out regard for tidal changes...

[tartuffe]

Wonder why that is that the ramps up north just are not built at the proper angle and of sufficient length? I have a bunk trailer with 10" bunks so it sits pretty high. I've been to probably 30 ramps and have never had a problem.

[RidgeRunner]

I like the firm hold of the boat resting on bunks as it should 99% of the time. The ramp at Gandy Blvd. in Tampa on low tide with a bunk trailer. What a PITA. Long gradual slope very shallow. Roller trailer would have been nice for sure. Advantage roller on shallow ramps.
I used a ramp in the FL Keys near crash corner in Key Largo. I didn't think my truck could hold on the ramp it was so steep. It was cut into the land and the ramp was only about 4' deep when it got flush with the seawall where it ended. Straight down and about 25'-30' deep. I made the girls get out of the truck. Then gave the attendant at the marina a 5 spot to eyeball the axle to end of ramp ratio. Roller would have been nice there too. They make slide glide strips to mount on bunks that make the boat slide off easier but without enough water the keel would be dragging all the crossmembers coming off.

Glad your new trailer is working out for you Bgreene. Mileage while towing, good luck on that. The diesel in the GMC will haul the mail, thanks to TheFermanator, but mileage with a boat in tow is still not great.

[spareparts]

its rare to see a roller trailer down here, and we've got some pretty shallow ramps. Go to NC and you'll see even more shallow ramps, but still rare to see a roller. It cost a pretty penny to keep a roller in good operating shape in the salt down here. Most bunk trailers(especially aluminum ones) are rarely set up correctly for the boat. Usually the boats are just set in place, if the bunks are adjustable, they just move them so they won't sit directly on a strake. A properly set up bunk trailer will work as good as any roller if you can get it deep enough for water to cover the tires on the trailer(better still if you can cover the fender). The biggest difference is when it comes time to load up the boat, as we are allowed to power up a boat on the trailer, unlike some areas in the NE

[tartuffe]

allowed to power up a boat on the trailer, unlike some areas in the NE


Did not know that, geesh, take all the fun out of loading the boat.

[phatdaddy]

i think spares right on with the salt issue. first boat i had was a 19 mako w/ a trailer that had 21 rollers. i could launch in a bird bath, but every year i was replacing rollers , brackets , axles, gang brackets, etc. after 3 years , i pulled all that off and put on two cypress bunks and only had wheel bearings to contend with.

no doubt a roller will do it all, but if local ramps will allow, i'll stick to bunks.

[bgreene]

Got a new roller recently so I'll inquire about any roller related maintainance.

Had a bunk - carpet wore out - put slip strips on - a litle better.

Roller - so easy to ease it off................ and winch it back up.

[Destroyer]

Not aware of anyplace in the NE that prohibits driving onto a trailer. Not saying there aren't, just that I don't know of any. But give me a roller trailer anytime... easy as pie for us old guys to get the boat back on the trailer.. Something you youngsters should think about when you get to our age... :hide:

[tartuffe]

I back my trailer to where the bunks are about 3/4 underwater, line her up relatively straight and drive her right up to the point where it hits the roller at the winch. Lean over the bow, hook it up, 1 or two full turns of the winch, cut engine, tilt, and tell whomever is driving to drive.

Do you have to roll the boat all the way on or does it roll off when you quit giving the engine throttle?

[phatdaddy]

maybe i don't understand, but with a bunk, you drive it up to the bow stop. with a roller, if you drive it up to the stop, it will roll back down and then you have to winch it back up to the stop. i have had my trailer for about 14 years and have never had more than 3 ft of cable off of the winch.

edit:tartuffe, you are a faster typer than i am.

[RidgeRunner]

Faster than I on the typing as well.. My finger gets tired.

Too many working parts. Advantage bunk trailer. I too have not seen more than 2' of winch strap in the past 10 yrs or so. Until I drop the boat off on the ground for one reason or another, then I wish it was a roller trailer with a power winch for getting the boat back on again. Bunk trailers have a tendency to float without the boat on so backing off the end of a ramp isn't as hairy, unless the boat is still on it.

[bgreene]

I back my trailer to where the bunks are about 3/4 underwater, line her up relatively straight and drive her right up to the point where it hits the roller at the winch. Lean over the bow, hook it up, 1 or two full turns of the winch, cut engine, tilt, and tell whomever is driving to drive.

Do you have to roll the boat all the way on or does it roll off when you quit giving the engine throttle?

I don't drive on - it's generally bad for the ramp - blowing out the dirt below the ramp and forming a deep hole over time from guys doing the same thing, again, again......

I let it roll off under control........then use my dock lines to ease it up about 1/2 way back onto the trailer. I then connect the cable, and winch it up easily across the rollers. I do this alone, or with assistance.

[phatdaddy]

and the deep hole allows us guys with bunks to launch,

all is good

[jasoncooperpcola]

Faster than I on the typing as well.. My finger gets tired.

Too many working parts. Advantage bunk trailer. I too have not seen more than 2' of winch strap in the past 10 yrs or so. Until I drop the boat off on the ground for one reason or another, then I wish it was a roller trailer with a power winch for getting the boat back on again. Bunk trailers have a tendency to float without the boat on so backing off the end of a ramp isn't as hairy, unless the boat is still on it.

Same here. They ought to sell 3' winch straps.

[Destroyer]

You guys keep talking about how good bunks are, then you go and submerge your $3000 trailer in salt water and complain a few years later because you have to replace springs, brakes, crossmembers, etc.
The only part of my trailer that gets wet are the tires and maybe the bottom of the first crossmember. I have my cable out to the end of the trailer, then using the dock lines, I just guide the bow to the edge of the trailer, snap the hook onto the bow eye, pull the lanyard for the powerwinch and guide the boat on while the winch pulls her aboard. When I get home a quick washdown with the hose to remove any salt off the back and I'm good to go. I truthfully don't think I've ever replaced a spring or a brake due to rust or corrosion. So you bunk guys go ahead and keep dunking your trailers all the way into the brine... The trailer makers just love you. Advantage - roller trailers :butt:

[spareparts]

every time I think about a roller trailer, I envision a couple of old farts(think Oz and Lee :you:) with some antique tri hull, arguing at the ramp, Usually one of them has his long pants rolled up above the knee trying to keep from getting wet(still gets soaked) while hooking up the rusty cable, while the other one(usually seated in the boat and with a beer:beer:) is telling him what he's doing wrong. After listening to the winch cycle for about 20 minutes winching the aforementioned floating water hazard onto the undersized break back roller trailer, they finally pull away from the ramp (meanwhile at least 20 other people have loaded and unloaded their boats in the adjacent ramp). About the time they crest the top of the ramp, you hear something break, the whizzing sound of a winch in high speed, and the crunching sound of water logged fiberglass hitting the asphalt. The following arguments and actions tend to be along the lines of a three stooges movie :fight:. This is a scene I've seen to often


In all seriousness, when I worked at the Sea ray dealership, I launched and loaded probably an average of four boats a day, With the bunk trailers, I was always able to safely launch and load the boat by myself. With roller trailers, we always had something go wrong, granted these trailers were used and abused, but they gave us a lot of issues. Rollers are very expensive, especially if you get the non marking kinds. the hardware on a lot of trailers is proprietary and expensive(odd brackets and pivots). We also had quite a bit of damage from roller trailers to the boat hulls, We ended up converting all of our rollers(except for the biggest trailers for 35'+) to bunks. The only reason we left the big trailers roller was they usually fit the hulls better and gave us clearance for the props. When I bought my V, it had a heavy duty single axle roller trailer under it. I don't know if it was the original one or not, but there was no way it would sit level and even on this trailer, I tried to adjust the rollers, but there was no way to get it to fit with out one set of rollers sitting on a strake. I gave the roller trailer to my father and bought a used galvanized tandem axle bunk trailer. the boat sits at least a foot lower, and sits even now, with nothing resting on the strakes.

As far as advantage to one style or the other, it boils down to what fits your boat, what makes loading and unloading your boat at your particular ramp easy and safe

[bgreene]

Oh yeh......welll I've had both roller and bunk in the past and when I decided to buy my first ever NEW trailer...............drum roll........I went ROLLER !!!

Hey.........whatever " floats your boat " ...... !!!

For the assorted conditions I find, assorted ramps, low and high tides...... the roller works better for me.

Destroyer - wow, good to see you all fired up on this thread ! Gotta love the enthusiasm !

[tartuffe]

^^^ Spare's post +1

Especially the part about taking forever. He's guiding his boat on and getting it all lined up blah blah blah, good luck doing all that when you are loading on the Intercoastal with a stiff wind, a tide change, and a 50' Jarrett Bay or the like cruising by at 25 knots heading back to the docks, not to mention the 10 fishing boats lined up behind you.

I'm sure rollers work great on Golden Pond but they ain't worth a squat in my world.
:booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty:: booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::b ooty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty:

[phatdaddy]

here, this will save us a lot of keyboard time

http://www.thehulltruth.com/trucks-trailers/441344-bunk-vs-roller.html

[RABBITFISH]

Just mt 2 cents..

See the attached photos, when shopping for parts I noticed that even though there were multiple rollers to support the boat I saw that where the cross members attached to the actual trailer frame the entire load rested on four bolted connections where they were allowed to pivot. Had one of these bolts snapped I can not begin to imagine what type of damage I would have sustained. The new bunk trailer I have now has over eight connection points to the trailer frame and I feel a lot better about the weight distribution on it...

[tartuffe]

That is one shiny hull

[bgreene]

^^^ Spare's post +1

Especially the part about taking forever. He's guiding his boat on and getting it all lined up blah blah blah, good luck doing all that when you are loading on the Intercoastal with a stiff wind, a tide change, and a 50' Jarrett Bay or the like cruising by at 25 knots heading back to the docks, not to mention the 10 fishing boats lined up behind you.

I'm sure rollers work great on Golden Pond but they ain't worth a squat in my world.
:booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty:: booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty::b ooty::booty::booty::booty::booty::booty:

Tell that to the guys who trailered over 1 hour to be at the ramp at 6am .....wait on line, then find they can't launch till the tide comes in !!!! That " Aint Worth Squat " in MY world !
..........Except for the roller guys who launched easily and caught the early bite on big Stripers.

[cterrebonne]

all our ramps down here are steep as you can make a ramp it seems. I prefer bunk trailers opposed to roller trailers. Main reason right now I wouldn't have to make a jig to put my boat on to repair the stringers. lol Roller trailers do come in handy when you have to crank your boat 6 inches closer to the bow stop.

[bgreene]

Sorry.......... I have to baby sit friend now........sitting at the ramp with his bunk trailer - only another 2 HOURS and we'll be able to launch it.

[macojoe]

I am not in the best of shape right now as you guys know, Kenny is now 76 years old with a bum knee. I have always had a roller trailer, and besides the first junk I got with the wellcraft I have had no issues!
I do not have or want any kind of brakes!! They all suck, and give more headaches then benefit!
When we get to the ramp Kenny gets the truck, I stay with the boat, Kenny backs in till I yell stop, then I drive it on trailer not with a ton of power, just enough to get it to go on trailer. Kenny then hooks the cable and hand winches it till he can get the safety chain hooked, no matter if its up tight or not thats as far as he goes, he then drives up the ramp, were I get out and winch it the rest of the way if any. While I am doing that Kenny pulls the plug and were are gone, all takes 5 to 10 min.no matter what tide or wind!

[bgreene]

I am not in the best of shape right now as you guys know, Kenny is now 76 years old with a bum knee. I have always had a roller trailer, and besides the first junk I got with the wellcraft I have had no issues!
I do not have or want any kind of brakes!! They all suck, and give more headaches then benefit!
QWhen we get to the ramp Kenny gets the truck, I stay with the boat, Kenny backs in till I yell stop, then AI drive it on trailer not with a ton of power, just enough to get it to go on trailer. Kenny then hooks the cable and hand winches it till he can get the safety chain hooked, no matter if its up tight or not thats as far as he goes, he then drives up the ramp, were I get out and winch it the rest of the way if any. While I am doing that Kenny pulls the plug and were are gone, all takes 5 to 10 min.no matter what tide or wind!

Nice - you have a system......reduces the risk of ramp accidents too.