Budget bunks

[GT1000000]

Hello,

Got a nice used trailer for my bass boat and now I am making up some new bunks...

I will be doing a total of about 48 linear feet worth of bunks...

Keeping in mind that I don't have a lot of $$ to throw around...

I have four questions...

1- Can I make the Bunks out of regular 'ol pine 2X4's? I plan on giving them a couple of good coats of oil based paint before covering them in glue and carpet...

2- Can I use an inexpensive outdoor grade carpet with a rubber backing from someplace like Home Depot?

3- Can I use a good quality Contact Cement, like that made by DAP or Weldwood, to attach the carpet to the bunks?

4- How much glue should I need?...I am guesstimating about 36-40 square feet times two, so about 80 square feet...
That includes, 40 for the wood and 40 for the backside of the carpet...

Thanks for any and all input...

PS- I am well aware that you get what you pay for, and I don't expect these to be the best or last for decades, I just want some decent bunks for now, and a couple two or three seasons down the road, I should be able to "upgrade" to better quality materials...:redface:

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Budget bunks

I used pressure treated 2x6's black outdoor carpeting from Mills Fleet Farm, and monel staples with my Arrow T-50 stapler.

let the wood dry in the sun for about a week or so before mounting on the trailer.

Lowes or Home Depot will have similar stuff.

 

[kmarine]

Re: Budget bunks

I recomend glue and staple, the staples will rust out if you dont use stainless steel staples. any contact adhesive will work. I prefer carriage bolts to lag screws. they last longer.

 

[Harritwo]

Re: Budget bunks

I used 2 x6 Pressure Treated, Weldwood Contact cement, and rubber backed outdoor carpet from Lowes. Then i used the Monel staples for my T-50 and used 1/4" x 1-12" galvanized lags to install. Less than $100.00 total. (I have 4 bunks 8' long on my trailer)

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Budget bunks

Galvanized carriage bolts, with galv. nuts, lock washers and flat washers already purchased for the galvanized trailer and the T-50 Monel Stainless Steel staples are in the house...

Will there be any kind of galvanic corrosion problems with PT lumber and a galvanized Trailer?

If not, then 2X6 PT will be added to the shopping list...

 

[90stingray]

Re: Budget bunks

GT... I like to use roofing nails on the ends to hold all the folded material down. But other than that, you are right on track. If you use a 2x6 a 12" wide carpet will leave 2" on the bottom of the bunk to breathe and help it dry out. My Stingray is carriage bolted down where my Glastron uses lag screws... they both work perfectly. I like to router the edges... or at a minimum the end where the boat loads, to keep the sharp edges to a minimum so it doesent wear thru the carpet. I didn't use PT lumber since its so wet and most adhesive wont stick to wet lumber.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Budget bunks

Why are you putting bunks where rollers should be. :facepalm: Sorry GT, couldn't resist.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Budget bunks

Why are you putting bunks where rollers should be. :facepalm: Sorry GT, couldn't resist.

Because you still need yours...LOL

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Budget bunks

Because you still need yours...LOL

lol, just hold off man, I will let you know when i am done with them. Shouldn't be more than about 25 yrs.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Budget bunks

lol, just hold off man, I will let you know when i am done with them. Shouldn't be more than about 25 yrs.

Oh OK, I'll wait...

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Budget bunks

I recomend glue and staple, the staples will rust out if you dont use stainless steel staples. any contact adhesive will work. I prefer carriage bolts to lag screws. they last longer.

Stainless is only 304 stainless. they rust out after a short time. you need Monel to staples.

GT1M - never seen a bunk with anything more than staples. gluing would be the belts and suspenders. yes, the pressure treated wood can be a concern with some hardware. you could use regular white wood which would last about 10 years.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Budget bunks

Thanks again for all the help...

I got information pertaining to using galvanized hardware on my galvanized trailer using PT Lumber and it is what is recommended, so I am good to go there...
Bought:
2X6 PT Lumber
3/8"X16 Galv. Carriage Bolts w/ Galv. flat washers, lock washers and nuts
Monel Staples
Outdoor Carpet w/ rubber backing
Outdoor Carpet Adhesive

Pre-assembled the bunks to the trailer...gonna let the wood dry out for a week or two, then bevel the loading edges, round over all the top edges, glue and staple the carpet on...


This is what it looks like so far...

 

[90stingray]

Re: Budget bunks

Change those inner fender carpets while you have the boat off. Makes it nice and easy.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Budget bunks

I've used PT wood and the black indoor/outdoor carpet runner from Home Depot successfully for 8 years now. The wood has held up and so has the carpet. I attached the wood with galvanized bolts and the carpet with 1" galvanized roofing nails every few inches, no issues with it detaching or corroding.

Good luck!

 

[novakm]

Re: Budget bunks

I'd skip the carpet. A local lake here boned carpet due to concerns about invasive species, so I removed the carpet and replaced it with some 1/4" thick UHMW plastic. I was amazed at how well it worked with my aluminum boat. The boat slides right off, and is easy to winch on. With the carpet it was much harder. Its like having rollers without the maintenance. Nothing sticks to UHMW so I used countersunk brass screws to hold it to the wood. The plastic cost about 50 from the local plastics house, and it took less than two hours to cut it to size and screw it down.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Budget bunks

Bunks DONE!

Splash sheilds cut, waiting for hardware install and new carpet...

Brakes Serviced and Tested...A-OK!

Brake line re-mounted...

Bearings Serviced!

Lights-A-OK!

Just about ready to roll...

Thanks to all for your ideas and suggestions...

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Budget bunks

Well it has been over a year since I finished this trailer, but I neglected to put up some updated pics of the finished product...

Carpeted the inner wheel wells...






And here the boat sits on its newly refurbished ride...




After a few months, I found that the master cylinder on the surge brake was leaking and the reverse lockout solenoid was not functioning, plus the emergency brake cable was completely missing...instead of buying some replacement parts to rebuild the old unit, I found a good deal on a Brand new unit and got it and installed it...
What a difference it made...I could actually feel the trailer brakes activating...

Old Master Cylinder removed...



New actuator assembly...



Installed and bled...

Next up on the shopping list...
New radial tires
New LED lighting
New spare rim + tire + bearing assembly and mount

Might be another year or two before I make those purchases, but I'll be sure to pop back in and update when I do...
Best regards
GT1M

 

[nmscuba]

Re: Budget bunks

I have a question. When we do our wood floors in the boats everyone seals them with epoxy. Why not do the same thing with Bunks? Wouldn't that make them last a lot longer? Then put those glide sticks over them instead of carpet?

If so couldn't we use other wood that would be better?

 

[lokonn]

Re: Budget bunks

Great timing on the trailer update. Was just thinking about how to finish inside of fenders. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Budget bunks

I have a question. When we do our wood floors in the boats everyone seals them with epoxy. Why not do the same thing with Bunks? Wouldn't that make them last a lot longer? Then put those glide sticks over them instead of carpet?

If so couldn't we use other wood that would be better?

Hi nmscuba,
First off, epoxy is generally used by aluminum boat guys, and polyester resin is used mostly by fiberglass boat guys...
Mine is a fiberglass boat and my explanation below is directly related to that type of construction...
If you are talking about an aluminum boat, some or most of my reasoning may not apply...

The cost vs. lifetime of the bunks is the real question...
Yes, you could coat in epoxy then apply glide sliks to better quality wood...but I think the cost would Far out weigh the benefit...in my case, anyway...
In my case, I could have coated them with Poly resin and cloth {must add cloth/mat, because poly resin by itself is basically useless, except as a pre-soak for wood prior to applying a layer of material}, but there really is no need for the added expense and time involved, since I used PT wood, which is already treated to be decay resistant...and cheap...

Let me explain;
If the only thing you need is the wood [maybe a 12 foot long 2" X 4" piece of what, Hickory, Maple, Mahogany, Oak= big bucks], epoxy and glide sliks...
And you need, say, just two bunks that are 6 feet long each, the only additional item you would need is some kind of UV resistant paint to topcoat the epoxy, since it is not UV stable...
Those items together would probably run about 100-150 bucks...and if everything works in your favor, they might outlast you...

Remember, that is for JUST two, 6 foot or so, long bunks...2x4's at that...

A note on the glide sliks, they are only about an inch and a half wide, they come in a package of 6 pcs. that are each 2 ft. long, and I noticed they tend to crush under the weight of my particular boat...
Plus the original trailer I used them on had the bunks at an angle, Front to Back, and a couple of the sliks got torn off by the strakes and left exposed screw heads to scrape the hull...meaning that unless they are installed on bunks that run parallel to the hull, they would not be a good choice...I also don't like the fact that the hull is being supported by such a thin profile, not that it really matters...On my new to me trailer, the bunks do run parallel to the hull, so the sliks would probably work fine, but I would need at least an additional set to help spread the load over only the entry portion of the bunks...more $$$...
Also, they are NOT recommended for riveted aluminum boats, as the rivet can rip them off the bunks...

To continue...
In my case, I needed a boat load [pun intended] of bunks as you can see in the pics...
I used 6 each, 2" X 6" X 12 feet, PT boards...
I would have spent easily over a 50-75 bucks just for enough epoxy to properly coat them all...not to mention the added expense of a more exotic wood...
I also needed all the mounting hardware for the bunks...16 each, 3/8" X 2-1/2" long, Galvanized Carriage Bolts, Washers, Lock Washers and Nuts...
Taking into account the inexpensive exterior grade Home Depot carpet I bought, 2 Yards X 12 feet long, plus 1 gallon of #6700 Exterior Glue...
Plus a box of Monel staples...
I spent a grand total on all of the supplies of about 100 bucks...
Benefits I see...
PT wood should last close to, if not more than a decade...
They provide over 20 square feet of even support for my hull...a nice and comfy ride for my boat...
The addition of beveling the edges makes for a really smooth and virtually damage free loading/unloading...
The bunks will only see a few minutes of water during each launch and retrieve, then dry out completely, since the wood is exposed underneath...
My hull is also painted, and I feel the carpet will be much gentler on the finish than any sort of hard plastic, including rollers...
When the time comes for a replacement, the cost will still be cheap and fast...

To sum it all up, yes you can spend more and get better, longer lasting products, in most cases...but sometimes it makes sense to just get the most expedient, least expensive materials possible {Hence, the title of my thread...} to do the necessary job and, if done right, can not only save you money, but might last almost as long as the more expensive stuff...