rollers or bunks for aluminum

BIGcarpy50

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
268
i just bought a boat and i think it came with a different trailer, it has rollers on either side in the back of the tralier and i was told that they could losen the rivets, should i remove them and go with bunks, or can i keep them it will probably make the boat easier to load since i fish by myself alot.
 

12vMan

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 4, 2008
Messages
1,536
Re: rollers or bunks for aluminum

Unless they are really working the sides of the boat, I would suggest leaving them, especially since you're on your own most of the time.
 

hankll

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 10, 2006
Messages
224
Re: rollers or bunks for aluminum

If you are talking about the vertical guide on rollers then I'd not worry about them. You will need them to load up and as far as loosening rivets, just smacking waves while running down the lake, that'll loosen them eventually. If you don't hit the rollers hard, you should be all right.
 

reelfishin

Captain
Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
3,049
Re: rollers or bunks for aluminum

I doubt they'll do any damage, but if it makes you feel safer you could switch to pole type guide ons with PVC pipe, they contact the rub rail not the hull sides. They also allow you to high mount your tail lights up out of the water.
 

BIGcarpy50

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
268
Re: rollers or bunks for aluminum

sorry for the confusion but they are below the boat, not guide ons. i think the tralier is from a fiberglass boat.
 

j_martin

Admiral
Joined
Sep 22, 2006
Messages
7,474
Re: rollers or bunks for aluminum

On any boat, rollers should be positioned to load the boat, making it easier. If the boat shape allows it, bunks should be used to support it.

The reason is, when you're going down the road, it has bumps in it. When the trailer bounces, most of the resistance to the motion is the weight of the boat. Rollers have small contact surface with the boat, and the momentary pressure of the bounce can be high enough to do damage to the boat. I've both owned and seen other aluminum and fiberglass boats that were damaged by rollers.

My trailer, for a 150 hp bass boat, has keel rollers to help pull it on if it has to be dry loaded. The last foot going forward the boat rises up onto bunks. Lashed down, one keel roller is touching, the others are 1/4 inch from the boat. Setup is 20 years old, and no bottom damage to the boat.

I had an aluminum flat bottom boat (16' Quachita) once that I bought real cheap. It was beaten to a pulp. When I looked at it, I found that all the damage was from trailer rollers.

I fixed the boat, and built up a bunk only trailer for it. Used it for years, and sold the boat for more than I paid for it.

hope it helps
John
 

BIGcarpy50

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
268
Re: rollers or bunks for aluminum

thanks i think i found what i needed
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,771
Re: rollers or bunks for aluminum

Damage to an aluminum boat from a roller trailer is generally professed by someone who has never owned one. Probably 90% of the aluminum boats sold up here in the north country ride on roller trailers and live many years with no rivet problems. Rollers, like bunks need to be adjusted for the boat. If they are not it doesn't make a bit of difference -- you can damage the boat. Shorelander, EZ-Loader and host of other quality trailer builders would not be in business if roller trailers damaged boats. Up here, bunk style trailers are used with glass boats. Rollers are used on everything else. The only reason bunks are popular with glass boats is that they don't leave black marks on the hull. I've owned both -- I absolutely hate a bunk trailer and find a boat much easier to launch and retrieve from a roller trailer.
 
Top