Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

[Levinz11]

I have to do a quick repair job on 2 of my bunks today at the ramp. I have regular yellow pine cut to the appropriate length and galvanized lags. My question is.....Is the carpet purely for looks? Is there any downside to just leaving the bunks uncovered forever? Is it harder to winch a boat up wet 2x6's vs wet carpet?

 

[colbyt]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

My trailer does not have bunks; it has roller but having used scraps of carpet to move heavy items around the house a few times , my opinion would be that the carpet allows the boat to slide easier with less chance of damage. It will also retain the silicone spay better for an even better slide.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

depends on what you want the bottom of your boat to look like? CLEAN, new wood by itself probably won't damage a hull. But now add in a couple years of dirt and grime, and even a grain of sand between the wood and hull is going to grind away at your gelcoat. With carpet, that same grain of sand isn't held against the hull with pressure.

 

[Levinz11]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

depends on what you want the bottom of your boat to look like? CLEAN, new wood by itself probably won't damage a hull. But now add in a couple years of dirt and grime, and even a grain of sand between the wood and hull is going to grind away at your gelcoat. With carpet, that same grain of sand isn't held against the hull with pressure.

Makes sense. I guess I need to stop being so cheap.

 

[smoedog]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

goto lowes and get there outdoor carpet for .58 cents a sqft. I replaced the bunks and carpet on my 17 ft trailers with all new hardware for 30 bux

 

[joebob14]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

agread, I tried to cheap out with my bunks and quickly learned I had to back my truck three ft further down the ramp just to get the boat off the trailer. That only speaks for the extra resistance the wood has over carpet, not to mention like smokingcrater said, what happens when you get alittle sand on those bunks. The carpet is worth what little expense and effort it takes.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

Make sure you use treated wood.....

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

Make sure you use treated wood.....

Depends on who you ask. The chemicals used to treat wood can do a number on aluminum, fine if its a steel trailer with a glass boat, but a problem if either of those is aluminum. (It can also destroy the staples used to attach carpet, depending on composition)


In my experience, cheap commodity lumber will last just as long as green treated. Treated lumber is for installations where the wood is in constant contact with a wet environment. In a boat trailer it is dunked and then allowed to dry out.

 

[Levinz11]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

I used untreated pine. On my last set of bunks it wasn't so much the wood rotting as the lag bolts rusting to nothing.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

If I had to do any winching and sliding on, I would carpet. If the ramp allows a nice float-on to the bunks year round, wood on f/g fine.
My marine railway bunks are untreated pine, no carpet. The wood dries quickly and is 14 years old - looks really good still...

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

In my experience, cheap commodity lumber will last just as long as green treated.

Sounds like people using untreated wood are not having any rotting problems. I just thought that if the boat/trailer sat out in the elements all the time there would be a potential for rotting with untreated wood. If green treat is a problem, I wonder if "pressure" treated would be the way to go if a person was looking for a little extra security against rot?

 

[cribber]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

My treated carpet covered bunks rotted out with just three years of use from new. Last year I replaced them both with bunks I made from Cypress and carpet I bought here on Ioats. It cost me $68 for the wood and another $50 for the carpet and staples. Fingers crossed this setup will last longer than the supposed treated pine that EZ=Loader used.

Spend the extra for the carpet and use Monel staples.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

Spend the extra for the carpet and use Monel staples.

Just don't do pressure treated AND monel staples. They specifically warn against that on the back of the box, the chemicals love the taste of those staples!

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

Just don't do.................monel staples.

I hate those things with a passion... SS staples worked much better for me, opposed to monel staples.

Carry on....

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: Bunk Carpet. Need VS Looks

I put untreated under my aluminum boat. Instead of carpet, I used the plastic bunk slides that you can buy. No trapped water, so it dries out quickly and thus no rot. This was 2 or 3 summers ago, and so far no issues with rot. The end of one of my bunks has split a little, but no big deal.

TerryMSU