Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

I have an older trihull that's still on it's original trailer, the trailer is fine but a bit light in my opinion for this boat. I have a few other trailers but I need to set them up to fit the trihull.
The current trailer has full rollers in pairs. I have never really liked the way it sat on those rollers, they don't conform to the hull evenly no matter what.
My choices are either go with a similar set up, or a set of bunks that would cradle the hull the best. I have also seen those roller bunk strips, and was wondering if they may work on this set up?

I have also always been concerned with a full roller trailer since if one roller falls off or breaks, it means almost certain hull damage. While with bunks there's nothing to fail so long as the wood isn't rotted. I think the roller bunks may be an option since they offer ease of loading, the same linear support of solid bunks, and if a roller fails, it won't create a spike to jab through the hull.

I got lucky the last time out with the old trailer, a roller broke apart while loading, but I caught it and stopped. I happened to see the pieces floating by as I pulled up and I back off again. I was able to drop that roller pair on its support and load missing one roller to get home. I looked to see if I could by those old style rollers, but they seem to be extinct these days. That trailer used the old white smooth rubber rollers with the plastic bushings. They are mounted in pairs instead of the now common set of four in a group of eight. The boat's not that heavy and I have never had trouble loading it, so any type of trailer would work.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

Roller-bunks do not conform to the hull any better than a straight bunk. My last two trailers have been full rollers while all the previous have been bunks and one roller-bunk which was absolutely the worst trailer investment I ever made.. I prefer the full roller over a bunk style and have never ever seen a broken roller on a roller trailer. I've seen some terribly neglected trailers, both roller and bunk however. Apparently you have a glass boat and in that case I would suggest a bunk style trailer.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

My boat is glass, I was thinking about using the roller bunks simply since I have a set here to try. The area of the boat that will or should contact the trailer is straight and is the area between the center and outer hulls. The rollers sort of catch part of each angle of the trihull and don't really cradel the hull at all.
I have seen many roller trailers either break or loose a roller, all it takes is the end cap to rust off and the roller is gone. I have a trailer out back that has only a two or three rollers left, but the rest of the trailer is fine. On my last trailer with rollers, I drilled the roller axles for cotterpins. The rollers on my current trailer are some sort of soft white rubber, they are very soft like a pencil eraser. The are molded over what looks to be a harder plastic hub and they have a PVC bushing and are on a 1/2" steel shaft. Nothing is galvanized or stainless steel so rust is a real problem. The trailer is a 1971 like the boat, and was at one time painted to match, it's pretty much all surface rust now. In my opinion this trailer isn't really any good for much more than a bass boat, but I guess back then they felt lucky?
It originally had 8" wheels, I swapped them for 12" wheels when I first got it. The fenders are attached to the axle flange, not the frame, so they ride with the suspension and are made of fiberglass. The lights are made in England and are tiny 2" round glass lenses made by Lucas.
The boat is a '71 Duo Trihull 3V7 with a Merc 120. At about 1850 lbs, it's the limit of that trailer, if not a bit beyond.

I want to either put that boat on a heavier single axle trailer or a light double axle. I have both here but have to configure either for a trihull. I have another similar trihull that sits on a two axle bunk trailer and that trailer works very well but can be tough to load at low tide. I figured that a set of roller bunks may help there without the support problems of rollers?

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

I always preferred plain bunks. I think the boat centers on them easier and they support the hull more evenly. With good carpeting and liberal wax, they glide as smoothly as rollers. Just MHO.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

Frank Acampora said:

I always preferred plain bunks. I think the boat centers on them easier and they support the hull more evenly. With good carpeting and liberal wax, they glide as smoothly as rollers. Just MHO.

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I have the EZ Roller Trailer with 24 rollers for a Glass Boat. It has three cradles that float as well as all rollers. the trailer was bought separate from and before the boat was picked up at the Marina. It took me originally about five launches each time moving the rollers after the boat was off the trailer and after marking where to move them with a pencil on the frame. It lines perfectly now every time. However the Boat seems to set awfully high on the trailer. My question.

Does a Boat set higher on a roller trailer than a trailer with just bunks? I also have an adjustable and unusally long tongue on the trailer which makes launching fairly easy at most launch sites.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

i've had all 3, and prefer regular bunks. also and extra long tongue. makes launching easier, and i tow with Suv's with hatches. i also have guide ons, i built by cutting and old trampoline leg in 1/2, the last 2 keel rollers are 12 " self-centering. makes easy loading on different depth, ramps. bow hit the rollers, centers, and you just drive up.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

I have had both, but prefer roller because I launch at several ramps that are not regulation and are very gradual and shallow. With rollers, the boat can be rolled off before the stern floats....The boat is then launched back farther in deeper water and does not require you to back your truck into the water. When I had bunker boards, I would have to back my truck to where my exhaust was starting to bubble just to get the stern up enough to push the boat off. Cranking the boat up is also easier in this situation with rollers.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

This is what the trailer has now, my question is whether or not I should toss the roller things and convert this to plain carpetted bunks?
The bunk rollers on this set up seem to bind more than roll. Since the load on them is not vertical, but on a slight angle, the rollers are forced to the lower side of the channel making them bind on the sides of the track or frame they are mounted on. It's nearly impossible to roll the boat on these, so I don't see any advantage.
I do prefer the support of straight bunks and the boat does set nicer on them.
Should I set up the bunks like they are now, or change them to an upright style on which the boat would rest on them endwise vs. flat? They are easier to adjust flat, but I think they give more support upright. They also don't have to be so long, these only contact the boat about 1/2" of their total length. I could do 8' bunk boards on end and they would do the same job. I also want to move the boat back a bit to balance the weight better, the boat that was on this trailer was way too far forward. The boat will overhang the rear member about 22" when I am done, and leave about 36" of unused tongue up front. The trailer was made for a 20' boat, but I plan to use it for my 19' Renken 900 Fisherman. It's a bit heavier than I need but will be super stable and give me some needed length to keep my truck out of the water when launching, the second axle also helps since the ramp I normally use has a nasty drop-off at the end, only one axle had to go past the end at low tide, where as with my single axle, I have to teeter on the edge of falling off the end of the ramp when the water is low.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

cbavier@charter.net said:

Does a Boat set higher on a roller trailer than a trailer with just bunks?

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Roller trailers have all that additional "stuff", so they're going to sit higher than bunk trailers with just the boards. The rollers pivot and tilt. They sit on a frame that pivots and tilts. In many cases, those frames sit on supports that also tilt.

This is about the only thing I don't like about my roller trailer. If the boat sat a foot or so lower, I'd be much happier.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

The Frames do Rock or tilt. There are three sets of Rockers plus the Roller Brackets with Eight Rollers on each Bracket which also rock and tilt. Then there are two or three Center Rollers the keel rides on. It's very well supported. It just seems to set high . The trailer is
a 5,000 lb trailer so I guess I did "Overkill" a little. I figure the boat weighs in right at about 3,100 Lbs fully loaded with gear and fuel.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

Owned both, prefer rollers.

Re: Rollers vs bunks vs roller bunks?

The problem I have with these roller-bunk strips is that the boat won't move on them, once there's any weight on them the roller shifts downward and binds against the metal frame. It your not in deep enough to float it off, it's not moving. I had a regular bunk trailer years ago and that boat could be rolled front or back by hand, if you pulled on and found out you weren't all the way up once you got out, you could pull it up by hand once on flat ground. The problem was if a roller broke apart while loading and you didn't see it, the resulting spike would gouge the hull. The trailer that the one trihull is on now is full roller, while they work well, they are a strange style roller and about 4 or 5 of them are broken with others sure to follow. They are the white rubber style rollers that mount in pairs on individual brackets. I think bunks would give better support as is the rollers are only a few inches in diameter, and only 2' wide. They appear to be some sort of soft rubber but it's hardened over the years. That trailer is slated for replacement anyhow, it's original to the boat and is at least 35 years old.
I am planning on putting that boat on a dual axle trailer that now holds my other trihull, which is lighter and really don't need a trailer as heavy as it's on, then I'll put that boat on anther bunk trailer I have ready, and then I plan to take the trailer pictured above and convert it to hold my Renken 19' V hull.
This swap around will put each boat on a proper trailer.
My main question I guess was if these roller bunks are all junk or are the ones I have here just low quality? I have three different styles here and they all seem to have the same problem. The one advantage I see with this type of roller is that if one roller fails, you don't have to worry about hull damage.
But if they won't function as a roller, there's no sense in having them? I suppose they would work fine if they were mounted totally flat, with no incline to either side. Then the rollers would not have the tendency to shift and rub the sides of the rails.
Each roller is nothing more than a rubber wheel with a hole in the middle, no insert or bushing at all, and the center shaft just goes throught the middle with a rubber cap/roller on each side. If they had a hub or some sort of bushing there would be a chance that they would actually roll. They spin free without load, but even a few pounds of weight cause them to bind. I think the boat would actually slide better on carpetted bunks than on rubber rollers that won't turn.