Trailer Bunk/Roller Adjustment?

I've reviewed a number of posts on this subject and want to find out if I have it right.

My boat is an aluminum Bayrunner, 15 ft. 6 in. long - a "V" in the front, transitioning to a flat bottom aft. It has an aluminum keel section, 2 inches deep, running from the bow to about 18 inches short of the transom - from there it tapers away to almost nothing at the transom.

Trailer is a small Dilley, two bunks and three rollers - one roller at the transom, one a little forward of mid-ship, right where the bunks end, and one at the bow.

So, if I understand the posts I've read correctly, an aluminum boat with a keel should be supported mostly by rollers on the keel, with the bunks providing only enough support to keep the boat aligned. However, on my boat, because the keel tapers away as it approaches the transom, there is no keel for the rear roller to support (it currently supports no load with the boat on the trailer). In my situation would I rely on the bunks for support of the aft portion of the boat and the bow roller for the forward portion, with the middle roller just kind of helping out with the bunks? Or, should I use the middle roller to support the boat above the forward end of the bunks (which would put a lot of the weight on the aft portion of the bunks and no weight on the forward portion of the bunks? Otherwise, I'm not sure exactly what the middle roller does.

Should the bunks be parallel to the trailer frame or should they slope towards the rear of the trailer for easiest launching/retreival?

When it stops raining I'll get a picture that should better illustrate this.

Re: Trailer Bunk/Roller Adjustment?

rely on the bunks for support of the aft portion of the boat and the bow roller for the forward portion, with the middle roller just kind of helping out



Bunks support most of the weight and provide stability.
Rollers aid in launch/load a little.

Rear roller keeps the hull from scraping on the trailer frame during launch/load, especially in low water conditions.

Re: Trailer Bunk/Roller Adjustment?

Think of it this way. The bunks and rollers on your trailer form a triangle. The bunks extend just past amidship. Two roller are positioned from midship and forward bow. Third roller does not make contact because there is no keel just the bottom.

Bunks should then be supporting all the weight of the rearward portion of the hull. The two forward rollers should then evenly support the weight over them. You do not want more weight on one roller than the other. Balance the load.

Re: Trailer Bunk/Roller Adjustment?

roscoe said:

rely on the bunks for support of the aft portion of the boat and the bow roller for the forward portion, with the middle roller just kind of helping out



Bunks support most of the weight and provide stability.
Rollers aid in launch/load a little.

Rear roller keeps the hull from scraping on the trailer frame during launch/load, especially in low water conditions.

Click to expand...

Ditto and ensure the bunk is long enough to support the whole transom....couple of inches too long would be tops.

Mark