Whats the consensus using plastic slips under an aluminum painted hull!

[Expidia]

Years ago when I purchased my 2007 rig new I was going to screw on the 4 plastic slips on the bunk carpet. But I remember Amazon had a disclaimer not to use them on painted hulls. Is this still the case? I had to move my rig a few inches forward to adjust the tongue weight and make room to attach an auto tiedown for the bow hook. Since my hull has rivets all along the transom and the transom is now a couple of inches before the end of the bunk I'm sure it will eventually wear or tear carpet which happened on my first set of bunks that rotted out after a few years and I replaced them 6 years ago with Cypress Clear a harder wood then the crap that came on the trailer.
It's aluminum. I can't see it anyway even if some paint scraped off from the slips.
Opinion to use them or not.
Thx

 

[JimS123]

My opinion is don't, but not because of Amazon.

I once bought a brand new Starcraft tinny. It came with a bunk trailer. The boat was my fishing rig and it had to be a solo launch. I could not push that sucker off the crappy carpeted bunks by myself.

Since I had stellar performance on my FG boat with the Ironwood product, I bought a set and installed them on the bunks. I relocate the bunks so they would sit on flat aluminum with no rivets. Maybe not worse, but certainly no better. I ended up throwing the carpets and wood in the trash and installed full roller bunks.

I can't imagine what the difference is between gelcote and paint, but there must be something. My jetski and Boston Whaler have EZSlides on the carpeted wood and they both slide off like gangbusters...

 

[Outlw36]

not meaning to hijack this thread , this past summer I spent a few hours waiting for people to launch or recover their boat. Most had the same thing in common. Not backing the trailer far enough in the water. I go out by myself just about every trip. 19ft Bayliner Capri. The walk back and forth for the truck is only slow part for me.

 

[ahicks]

Thinking along the same lines here. If the boat is being launched and retrieved in water that's deep enough, the back of the boat should be floating, or nearly so, during that process. There's not going to be much weight on any sort of plastic on the very back of the bunk in that process.

 

[Expidia]

Thanks for the responses. Ya, I was thinking the same thing when I see people launching boats most don't back the trailer in far enough. I start with about 1/2 to 3/4's of the bunk "just under" the water line so I'm using the bunks as a guide and most of the boat is still floating lightly on the bunks. Depending on the launch situation I either run the boat towards the trailer and then cut the engine (I hate seeing boaters power drive their boats onto their trailers ripping up the integrity of the ramp under the water for everyone else). I run it up about 2-3 feet from the crank as thats how much trailer is in the water. Or I pull it along the dock by the bow line, aim it into the middle of the bunks and hop onto the bow, then step on the trailer and pull it a few feet away and hook on the crank line. Then when I step off the trailer and I'm only in 2 feet of water. If the ramp is busy I usually use the drive up an cut/raise engine method as the boat is gliding under no power towards the crank. This is just a faster method. But I also see a lot of boaters doing the opposite and leaving too much of the trailer out of the water. Tough to drive it on when they do that. I also replaced the black stock rubber trailer rollers and prefer to use the wide self aligning rollers front and back which allows the keel to self center has I'm cranking boat up. The reason I'm thinking of installing the plastic slips is more so for the protecting of the transom's end rivets from tearing up the end of the bunk carpet. A little end of bunk poking out also makes a handy step on each side of the boat. What I might do is buy the set of 4 and only use the bunk end ones as I like the boat to sit tightly on the bunks. Roller trailers always scared me as the boat can fly off easily especially backing down a steep ramp and forget to have the bow hook or post safety chain still connected . Just my opinion as I've seen it happen a couple of times to boats on the ramps over the years.

 

[ahicks]

I use the fenders as my guide. New boat or new boat landing, I usually start with them barely submerged and go from there. Easy to see.

 

[JimS123]

Thanks for the responses. Ya, I was thinking the same thing when I see people launching boats most don't back the trailer in far enough. I start with about 1/2 to 3/4's of the bunk "just under" the water line so I'm using the bunks as a guide and most of the boat is still floating lightly on the bunks. Depending on the launch situation I either run the boat towards the trailer and then cut the engine (I hate seeing boaters power drive their boats onto their trailers ripping up the integrity of the ramp under the water for everyone else). I run it up about 2-3 feet from the crank as thats how much trailer is in the water. Or I pull it along the dock by the bow line, aim it into the middle of the bunks and hop onto the bow, then step on the trailer and pull it a few feet away and hook on the crank line. Then when I step off the trailer and I'm only in 2 feet of water. If the ramp is busy I usually use the drive up an cut/raise engine method as the boat is gliding under no power towards the crank. This is just a faster method. But I also see a lot of boaters doing the opposite and leaving too much of the trailer out of the water. Tough to drive it on when they do that. I also replaced the black stock rubber trailer rollers and prefer to use the wide self aligning rollers front and back which allows the keel to self center has I'm cranking boat up. The reason I'm thinking of installing the plastic slips is more so for the protecting of the transom's end rivets from tearing up the end of the bunk carpet. A little end of bunk poking out also makes a handy step on each side of the boat. What I might do is buy the set of 4 and only use the bunk end ones as I like the boat to sit tightly on the bunks. Roller trailers always scared me as the boat can fly off easily especially backing down a steep ramp and forget to have the bow hook or post safety chain still connected . Just my opinion as I've seen it happen a couple of times to boats on the ramps over the years.

In some respects launching has to do with the depth and angle of the ramp. My experience is that most people back in TOO FAR, and thus have the boat floating when they pull it out. The, go back in over and over again and never get it straight. I never see anyone that doesn't back in far enough.

When I back in my winch stand is still above dry land, so I never get my feet wet.

It is impossible to have a boat fall off a trailer in the parking lot. Whether you have bunks or rollers, step #3 in the Trailer Boater's Manual says that the winch and safety cable do not come off until the trailer is in the water and ready to launch. If it happens, you must not have read the instructions or forgot #3. In that case you probably didn't put the plug in either.

As I have said many times before, grab a sixpack and a lawn chair and hang out at the launch ramp if you want to be amused all day long.

 

[Sprig]

Polyurethane bunks are great. Have them on my Rogue trailer which tows my 19’ Alumaweld. They never rot or break down. You never have to carpet them or replace them. When they get wet in the water they are quite slippery and the boat slides easily on and off the trailer. Unless there is a specific reason why they shouldn’t be used with a certain boat I will never use wood/carpeted bunks again. One of my boat trailers is 16 years old and the original polyurethane bunks still look almost new. They may not be for every boat out there but if you can use them I highly recommend them. They are more costly than the wood but worth every penny.

 

[Expidia]

Polyurethane bunks are great. Have them on my Rogue trailer which tows my 19’ Alumaweld. They never rot or break down. You never have to carpet them or replace them. When they get wet in the water they are quite slippery and the boat slides easily on and off the trailer. Unless there is a specific reason why they shouldn’t be used with a certain boat I will never use wood/carpeted bunks again. One of my boat trailers is 16 years old and the original polyurethane bunks still look almost new. They may not be for every boat out there but if you can use them I highly recommend them. They are more costly than the wood but worth every penny.

But isn't an Alumaweld boat unpainted?

 

[Sprig]

Correct my boat is not painted. I really honk polyurethane is the way to go. I would check with the company that makes them to see if they are not compatible with painted boats.

 

[ahicks]

Wondering outloud, I'm wondering if this plastic is so soft that you could imbed sand or other abrasives into it's surface?That would do a number on painted alum. for sure.

 

[Sprig]

It’s not at all soft. No way could sand or other abrasives embed in it. Here is what the web site says -

Lasts Virtually Forever​

Made from High-Density Polyethylene with an added UV stabilizer to resist fading. No more rotting carpet or wooden boards to replace every year.

Salt Water Resistant​

Tired of salt water rusting the staples out of your carpeted boards? Buy Ultimate Bunk Boards and you may never have to worry about it again! Our boards hold up in salt water just as good as in fresh water.

Easier Launching and Loading​

The ultra-smooth surface of Ultimate Bunk Boards makes launching and loading your boat easier than ever. Simply back your trailer to the desired launch depth, then unhook your boat and it will slide off your trailer with ease. Loading the boat is just as simple, you only need to idle up to the trailer and hook it up. No more need to throttle your boat onto your trailer.

Easy to Install​

Ultimate Bunk Boards are just as easy to cut and install as regular wood boards. You can even use your existing hardware as long as it is in good condition. See our Installation Guide for more details.

Won't Scratch Your Boat​

The smooth surface of our 100% High-Density Polyethylene boards ensures that Ultimate Bunk Boards WILL NOT scratch your boat.

 

[JimS123]

Yes, they are very hard. But they do "wear" a bit on the surface. The best way to describe it would be to use the analogy of chalking of house paint. There is a slight "dust" film on the surface that is easily wiped off. I see no affect at all on the boat's hull.

 

[Elkins45]

Wondering outloud, I'm wondering if this plastic is so soft that you could imbed sand or other abrasives into it's surface?That would do a number on painted alum. for sure.

I just replaced the carpeted bunks on my trailer with plastic slides. You can’t imagine how much sand and grit came out of the old bunks when I flipped them over. There’s no way the plastic slides will hold any more abrasives that carpet already does.