Bunk Rollers and aluminum boat

[mdunn]

Tagged this question on to someone elses thread and thought better of it and decided to start my own.
My primary launch has a pretty decent incline when the tides around 4-8 feet but higher then that and it's less of an incline and I have to back the truck tires deeper into the salt water in order to get the stern light enough to push off the bunks.
Boat's an aluminum 17.5 Smokercraft.
I like the looks of these http://www.iboats.com/products/16/38499_dutton_lainson_roller_bunks.html
but don't want to wrinkle up the hull using rollers.
Do these "bunk rollers" solve that?
Thanks

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Bunk Rollers and aluminum boat

I dont know if you have tried it, but they do make some spray on slippery stuff for bunks.
I would also think that the rollers would help alot.
I have an EZ-Load trailer and i never even get my feet wet loading or unloading.

 

[mdunn]

Re: Bunk Rollers and aluminum boat

Thanks for the reply.
I guess I'll stick with the bunks and keep my rubber boots.
I like the idea of rollers and wasn't sure what the term "bunk rollers" really meant but now I see that's just another way to mount rollers.
That's what it looks like to me anyway.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Bunk Rollers and aluminum boat

Cabela's sells some black plastic bunk covers that just slip over each bunk and you tack them on the sides with roofing nails. they're cheap enough, easy to install and your boat would slide on much more easily. they would also protect your bunk boards from the weather and cracking. they look good to me especially for an aluminum boat that might not do well with a roller. my boat is an aluminum jon boat with .100" inch thick hull and I think those rollers might not be so good. Check Cabela's catalog for info and prices.
Good Luck!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Bunk Rollers and aluminum boat

Even though you showed an iBoats product I would advise against them, not because they are a bad product because they do have applications -- just not for most V-hulls. Flat bottom boats (or those with relatively flat bottoms) can take advantage of these roller bunks. V-hulls on the other hand have varying contour hulls and the roller bunks cannot proper support that hull design because they siimply don't bend. I've had them and even on a small aluminum V-hull they did not work well. The second aspect of this is the small roller diameter can dimple the bottom of a tin boat.

 

[mdunn]

Re: Bunk Rollers and aluminum boat

Even though you showed an iBoats product I would advise against them, not because they are a bad product because they do have applications -- just not for most V-hulls. Flat bottom boats (or those with relatively flat bottoms) can take advantage of these roller bunks. V-hulls on the other hand have varying contour hulls and the roller bunks cannot proper support that hull design because they siimply don't bend. I've had them and even on a small aluminum V-hull they did not work well. The second aspect of this is the small roller diameter can dimple the bottom of a tin boat.

Yeah, roger that.
I'm staying with the bunks. It works.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Bunk Rollers and aluminum boat

I've been trailering boats for 41 years. I've used these rollers on wood, aluminum and fiberglass boats. If I bought a new trailer and it didn't offer full rollers as an option, I changed them out right away with aftermarket parts. I wouldn't have a trailerable boat without them.

My current fishing boat is a 2009 aluminum Starcraft on a load rite with bunks. The very model you cited above is what I replaced the bunks with. Goes off like greased lightnin. The family boat is a 1984 Stingray fiberglass and the hull has not been damaged yet.

These units are adjustable. They need to be set to contact the hull flat while on the trailer. As the boat rolls off some of them will not make contact as the hull profile changes, but so what? The key is that when properly adjusted you can move each roller by hand, indicating that there is minimal force on the hull at any point.

Just my opinion.