# bunks or rollers? not sure what to do?



## jfetter20 (Mar 17, 2011)

when i bought my trailer it originally had 3 sets of rollers across the center rib and two 3' bunks on either side of the boat to keep it centered left to right. so far , i have put the rollers back the way that they were and have raised the side bunks to give more support but im not sure if i should put bottom bunks on it or not? my plan was to put two on the bottom between the rollers and the sides of the trailer. is this something that is even neccesary? im afraid that if i dont , it will put to much stress on the center rib of the hull. my other concern is that after unhooking the winch at the boat ramp that it will roll off the trailer prematurely due to just having rollers? anybody got any input?


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## Dice1 (Mar 17, 2011)

Well I cant say much about this except that if the boat was a full Fiberglass like my Sunbird the bunks alone r no good. switching over to rollers soon as I can. But being the boat is an aluminum V hull depending on what is added later on the sides and the rollers should work fine. A good winch at the front will stop the premature leaving of the trailer.


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## Ictalurus (Mar 17, 2011)

Yes, you are going to want to add bunks to the trailer, slap some 6' on there. The rollers should be used to assist loading and unloading, not really ment to bear weight.


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## crazymanme2 (Mar 17, 2011)

I agree with Ictalurus.

Also if you just use rollers it will leave dents in your boat.


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## screwballl (Mar 17, 2011)

agreed.... mount bunks to carry the weight and use the rollers for a bit easier loading/unloading.


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## fender66 (Mar 17, 2011)

Ictalurus said:


> Yes, you are going to want to add bunks to the trailer, slap some 6' on there. The rollers should be used to assist loading and unloading, not really ment to bear weight.



+1. I've not been a fan of rollers. Then again...I've never had a boat that required them.


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## basstender10.6 (Mar 17, 2011)

rollers will be better for launching but for long term storage I perfer bunks, because they are better for the hull


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## Scottinva (Mar 17, 2011)

I have all rollers on my one trailer and love them. They are custom rollers and pretty much match the contour of my boat. They are great for loading and unloading, but you do have to keep the winch strap attached while backing down or pulling the boat out. On my older boat, I have bunks and I installed Glide Sliks on them to help with loading. They are pretty nice, but not as nice as the rollers.

Scott


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## Hanr3 (Mar 17, 2011)

Bunks or rollers is up to you and where you fish the most. Neither will damage the boat if installed properly.

Use bunks if your ramps are deep, or drop off quick. Bunks are used when you can float your boat on/off the trialer. They are a nightmare to push teh boat off or on.

Rollers work best on shallow water ramps, low angles. On these ramps you can't reasonable get the boat deep enough into the water to float off. So it has to roller off. 

Store bought bunks and rollers are about the same price.

Side bar, I have the same trailer. I rebuilt it a couple years ago, link to the thread in my signature.


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