Fitting 180 fisherman to bunk trailer

tomc585 · #1 10-15-2018, 04:23 PM

Hi all, I have a 1985 180 CC that i need to fit to a float on trailer. I was wondering if anyone has this setup. What i need to know is where to start with the height and width of the bunks. This trailer has no keel rollers, should i add some? The boat is still in the water so i dont know how wide the strakes are. I believe there's double stringers and i'm supposed to locate the bunks between them. I dont have a picture or name of the trailer yet but will get that info up soon. Just need a starting point and once its on the trailer in the driveway I can fine tune it then based on the trailer guides i've googled.
Thanks all.

Destroyer · #2 10-16-2018, 02:48 AM

Hi Tom. Welcome to the site. Really not sure of the proper spacing of the bunks since we don't have any dimensions to go by. I'm going to make an assumption here that you have a total of 4 bunks. (2 for each side) Then, if it was me, what I'd do is leave the outside two loose and set my center bunks (one on each side of center) about three feet apart total (one and a half feet each from centerline) and high enough that I know that the boat won't hit the trailer axle or the cross member(s). Then I'd pull the boat onto those bunks. Make sure she is stable. Take some measurements now that you can actually see and measure the bottom of the boat. Put the boat back into the water, set your 4 bunks to the measurements you just got, then pull the boat back onto the bunks that should now be at or near the proper placement. Observe the results and if you're happy with them you're all set. If you need to make further adjustments you can either launch the boat again or do it in your driveway. But this should be a good starting point. BE CAREFUL ....NEVER put your body between the boat hull and the trailer rails when making adjustments to bunks or rollers. It only takes one mistake to crush your body and kill you almost instantly!

tomc585 · #3 10-16-2018, 01:05 PM

The Trailer only has 2 bunks, using a photo i found in another thread its the same boat under restoration and shows double stringers. should I place the bunks in between each double or under the outer stringers which have cross braces and would seem more stable being wider.

Thanks for the welcome and replies

Destroyer · #4 10-16-2018, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomc585

The Trailer only has 2 bunks, using a photo i found in another thread its the same boat under restoration and shows double stringers. should I place the bunks in between each double or under the outer stringers which have cross braces and would seem more stable being wider. Thanks for the welcome and replies

Actually, all my trailers are roller so I really can't help you with your question. Some of the other guys here (mostly the southern group) are more qualified to answer your question. [As a group we've found over the years that roller trailers are used more often in the northern states and bunks are used more often in the southern states. The reason seems to be the angle of the launch ramps. The north has steeper ramps and so rollers make more sense].