# New bunks and bunk wrap



## JL8Jeff

The old bunks that are carpeted on my sprint boat trailer are getting worn out and the carpet takes a couple of hours to drip off the water before I can put it back in the garage, so I decided to do some new bunks with the bunk wrap from Caliber. My center bunks are 8' long 2 x 4's so I bought the kit that has a 16' roll (it's flat and rolled up so I unrolled it and put weights on it for a couple of days to make it easier to handle) and comes with end pieces and stainless hardware for installation. I didn't think to take pictures until I was already started on the 2nd bunk but I took some at that point to give an idea of what's involved and what it is. There is a torx bit that comes with the stainless torx head screws. I wanted to go with this style because it wraps around and gets attached from underneath so there's no risk of anything scratching or digging into the hull. I haven't installed them on the trailer yet, I'll try to get that done this weekend. I might need to trim some where the bunk brackets will bolt to the bunks but I think I'd like to have the brackets help hold the wrap so I'm not sure. Here are some pictures.

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## richg99

Looks like it will be super. The amazing difference in putting a boat ON, and OFF with slippery bunks.... is a marvel to me every time I fish/boat.

I did something similar a few years ago. I am certain that your material will last longer than mine as it appears thicker. 

I am just at the end of the second season and the ends are starting to split a bit. I'll probably just do the job over, rather than trying to patch anything. 

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=40137&hilit=bunks


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## JL8Jeff

I put them on the trailer Friday and they work well, but the material is somewhat soft and the bottom of the sprint boat has welded on aluminum angle for strakes on the bottom and they are pretty sharp edges. I can see the strakes cutting into this material over time. I have the bunks centered between the strakes but our ramp is at an angle with current so loading a boat straight is not easy. I think this material will work great for true flat bottom boats and boats with softly rounded strakes. And I didn't have to wait 2 hours for the carpet to drip off before putting it back in the garage and that was the main thing I was going for.


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## richg99

*"has welded on aluminum angle for strakes "*

Wow, I am not too sure what would hold up to that setup. 

Near the end of the article that I LINKED, one of our guys had purchased, or was going to purchase, some 3/4 inch thick PVC, I believe. That might hold up better than the softer material that you are using. But, almost any plastic-type material ( or carpet, for that matter) would probably wear quickly with angle 
irons on it.


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## JL8Jeff

Took the boat out for a run today and it really made a big difference with the unloading and loading. I'm so used to cranking away on the winch with the carpeted bunks, it took me by surprise how quickly it slid up the trailer with the bunk wrap. My trailer has the side guides and it looks like I have the bunks centered between the strakes pretty well so I think it should hold up fine.


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## richg99

Good for you. Glad it worked out so well. I love mine.

One thing that I did find out that is very positive is....if you load slightly off-center by mistake, you then just pull half-way up the ramp. Because of the slippery bunks, you can easily push the boat to the side to have it align in the center. 

It helps a lot to stop partially up the ramp, because that puts much of the weight on the stern and the bow seems lighter.


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## bcbouy

funny.i just picked up a roll of the bunk glide polymer from caliber.it will be my sunday project this weekend.i lost both my bunks driving 90 kilometers down a forest service road after my boat floated away, so i'm giving the polymer glides a go since i have to put on new bunks anyway.the last ones were just screwed on to the brackets with galvanized self tapping screws.the new ones are getting s/s bolts.


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## Drock

I'd like to cover my 2x6" carpeted bunks with the vinyl gutter down spout because of the $15.00 cost and easy installation. I looked at them and searched and don't think it's available in 5.5" width and don't see how to make the 3x4" work.

I may be able to get a couple pieces of used trex wood decking my thoughts on that are;
1. can I counter sink screws to attach it without removing the carpet from the 2x6"?
2. is it as slick as vinyl or pvc since it is used as decking is it slip resistant?

The pvc garage door trim looks like a good idea if I spend $40.00

What about the lattice Rich, did you rip the 4'x8' sheet into 3.5" or in my case 5.5" strips and how did you attach to bunk? 

Okay thanks for your thoughts.


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## richg99

Lots of questions here....

* I looked at them and searched and don't think it's available in 5.5" width and don't see how to make the 3x4" work.* You are correct. 3x4 gutter downspouts won't work for a 2x6/

*I may be able to get a couple pieces of used Trex wood decking my thoughts on that are;
1. can I counter sink screws to attach it without removing the carpet from the 2x6"?* ...I don't see why not. The only issue that I see would be that the Trex is probably 3/4 inch thick, so you will be raising your bunks by 3/4 of an inch. That means you will have to back your vehicle in more to launch from the same place as before. Also, you would want to taper the forward edge of the Trex so your boat wouldn't have to deal with a sharp "drop off" when launching or recovering.

*2. is it as slick as vinyl or PVC since it is used as decking is it slip resistant?* It's been a while since I looked at Trex (they dramatically changed its formula after a lot of complaints) so I cannot properly answer this question with any personal knowledge. In my opinion, though, I think it will be plenty slippery as is. The "wood grain" that was on the original Trex wouldn't stop my boat from sliding.

*The PVC garage door trim looks like a good idea if I spend $40.00* Yes, but it has the same issue as the Trex. It is 3/4 of an inch thick, I think.

*What about the lattice Rich, did you rip the 4'x8' sheet into 3.5" or in my case 5.5" strips and how did you attach to bunk? * The lattice that I used on my very first venture into adding "slickness" came in 4x8 sheets from either Lowes or Home Depot. I ripped the diagonal strips to get as long lengths as I could. Hence, the longest strips were about 1 1/2 inches wide and about 5 feet long. I used two or three strips (wide) on each bunk. To mount them, I countersunk Stainless Steel screws. After thinking (and worrying) about that mounting system, I went back, pulled the SS screws out and put Stainless steel bolts and nuts in their place. I worried about the screws working their way back up and ruining the bottom of my (then) fiberglass Carolina Skiff.

As far as covering 2x6 bunks, I have thought about buying some vinyl siding, which comes in 10 or 12-inch widths. I'd rip the siding into approximately 7 or 8-inch strips. Then if a smart guy could figure out how to heat a long wire; lay it on the vinyl for a while, he could bend the PVC siding so that it would have a 90-degree bent edge on each side. It would then look, and act, just like the vinyl guttering. I believe it would be a bit thicker than the PVC guttering, too, but not as thick as the 3/4 inch found on Trex or the PVC boards.

Since I don't have 2x6 supporting bunks right now, I haven't pursued the vinyl siding bit.

Hope this helps.


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## richg99

Drock, some additional thoughts...

#1. I changed the message above, with regard to using vinyl siding, to cutting 7 or 8-inch widths rather than just 7 inches. Might as well have more nailing area for no more cost.

#2. If one wanted to experiment with the vinyl siding, I think a "fold" or "groove" could be fashioned by....clamping a thin straight edge on either side of the 5 3/4 or 6 inch width.... ( you'd have to check your own bunks to see how much width was needed due to carpet, etc. )..... 

Once the straight edge was in place, I think you could run an electric soldering gun tip down the line. You'd probably have to move slowly and carefully, and fold the plastic as you go. Kind of a job for two people, I'd imagine. Anyhow, that process, if it works, would allow you to make any width vinyl sheeting in the configuration of the one-half gutter downspouts that I previously used.

#3. There is a material called CoroPlast that is mostly used in the sign-making industry. Think Political and Real Estate signs. I've seen it as large as 4 x 8 right after elections. I don't know what the losers do with the signs after they tear them back down. 

Anyhow, the Coroplast is made up just like corrugated cardboard. Hence, it has a natural folding-line built right in. It is thin, and the "tubes" would no doubt collapse, but I doubt if it is any thinner than the gutter downspouts. 

You can get some 2 x 4 pieces from almost any gas station. Cigarette and Beer companies give Convenience stores all sorts of signs and then they ask the stores to discard the signs when the promotion ends.

Have fun with all of this. Your query caught me on a night when I couldn't sleep at all. I drove to the bay and back yesterday (160 miles) and drank too many diet cokes and iced teas...all full of caffeine, it seems.

rich


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## JL8Jeff

Caliber makes the bunk wrap for 2 x 6 bunks https://www.easternmarine.com/caliber-bunk-wrap-kit-23052 which looks to be in the $42-$65 range or you might want to look into some vinyl fence post in 6 x 6 to cut in half. The vinyl fence post won't have the grooves in it though.


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## Drock

Lucky for me you couldn't sleep Rich.
Thanks for all of the insightful ideas. I like the vinyl siding idea, I looked at that and could not see a way to make it fold around the side of bunk, I'll look at it again with your idea on making a groove for a fold.

Jeff the bunk wrap from Caliper is not a bad price and the most straight forward route and if not for already spending more than intended on this boat and now trailer repair would like go for it.

I've been offer the Trex board so that may be what I use I'll let you know.

Thanks Rick and Jeff for your input.


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## richg99

You will probably spend more for the Stainless Steel bolts and nuts than for any material that you choose. 

If you go with the Trex, you might get away with counter-sinking Galvanized bolts to save some money.

By using the 3 x 4 Gutter Downspouts, I was able to just nail them (on the sides) with aluminum nails. Cheap!


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## Drock

That's another thing about the downspout material that makes it so perfect for a bunk cover on a 2x4 board.


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## JL8Jeff

So I finally got around to making the new 4' bunks for the sprint boat trailer. I used the Caliber bunk wrap for the 8' bunks but I didn't want to spend that much money for the 4' bunks and have an odd amount extra material left over. So I decided to try the 4x3 plastic gutters. I think it came in a 10' length so I cut it down to 50" so I had overlap on each end (I now wish I had left a lot more overlap so it could wrap under the bunk and be screwed from underneath). The 4x3 gutter material is thicker than the 2x3 so I went with that for the extra wear. I actually jammed the two 2x4's inside the gutter together (that is not an easy task so I wouldn't recommend it) to help the gutter conform to the 2x4 better. I let it sit out in the sun for about a week to see if that would help. Then I screwed each one on (screws are angled up to hit the middle of the 2x4) and then cut the gutter in half with a utility knife. The 2x4's are actually 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 so you need to squeeze the 4" side in a bit to try and get it snug. For now, I'm just going to let the overlap hang the way it is so there's no chance the boat will snag on it, I think it will be fine since they are usually under water while loading the boat. If this works out well, I might take the rollers off my other trailer for the Lowe 1652 and go with 8' bunks.

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## richg99

Nicely done. You will like how easy it is to load and launch your boat, I am sure.

I think the difference in how tight the 3x4 gutter downspouts fit on my boat, compared to yours, was that I already had carpeting on my bunks. I just put the gutter downspouts over the old carpeting and all. That extra thickness helped.


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## JL8Jeff

richg99 said:


> I think the difference in how tight the 3x4 gutter downspouts fit on my boat, compared to yours, was that I already had carpeting on my bunks. I just put the gutter downspouts over the old carpeting and all. That extra thickness helped.



Yeah, that should make it fit better but my bunks had a double layer of carpet and the bolt holes were stripped out already. It would take almost 2 hours for the bunks to drip dry before I could put it back in the garage so I didn't want any carpet on the bunks. The side guides are still carpeted but they don't usually get wet so they really aren't a problem. I got them put on the trailer today in the garage with the boat still on the trailer so I will need to do some final adjustments when I can get it put in the water again. This weather pattern is horrible right now with rain popping up so randomly and the river is on the rise right now.


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## richg99

If you still have a problem with the 3x4 fitting (without carpet) you can always just insert a piece of lath to make up the space difference.

I did that on one boat.


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## bcbouy

one thing i've notice with the polymer glides,if you travel down gravel roads little pebbles like to get stuck between the drain channels,even tho i have rock tamers on the truck.mine look a little chewed up near the bow.oh well,still better than carpet by a long stretch.


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## richg99

That's an interesting observation. I never thought about it. My tinny gets dragged onto concrete ramps from time to time. If I saw similar scratches, I'd blame the ramps.

The gutter downspouts do have slight "grooves" (probably to give the PVC some strength...).

I wonder about filling the forward end of those grooves with some caulk or 3M5200. Just ten inches or so. That would stop any pebbles or sand from entering the channel. Just a thought. rich


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## JL8Jeff

richg99 said:


> If you still have a problem with the 3x4 fitting (without carpet) you can always just insert a piece of lath to make up the space difference.
> 
> I did that on one boat.



Or if you can find a true 2 x 4 that measures 4" wide it would give you a wider bunk and keep a tight fit.


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## richg99

*"Or if you can find a true 2 x 4 that measures 4" wide"*

Ahhhhh....I started fixing things and building things Circa 1960 or so. 

Even then, a 2x4 measured 1 5/8ths by 3 5/8ths ( If I remember that correctly). 

A number of years later, "they" changed the measurements to 1 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches.

A true 2x4 probably hasn't been available since the 1940's. I doubt that you can find one at any typical lumber yard today.
rich


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## LDUBS

This thread has a lot of really great info -- thanks everyone for sharing. 

PS: You can always rip it down to 4" from a 2x6 (still won't really be 2x4, but it is the "4" part that counts in this case).


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## richg99

LDUBS * "You can always rip it down to 4" from a 2x6 (still won't really be 2x4, but it is the "4" part that counts in this case)."*

You often contribute a good, simple solution. 
Thanks, rich


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## vfourmax

bcbouy said:


> one thing i've notice with the polymer glides,if you travel down gravel roads little pebbles like to get stuck between the drain channels,even tho i have rock tamers on the truck.mine look a little chewed up near the bow.oh well,still better than carpet by a long stretch.



I did some bunk upgrades on my trailer recently and used the vinyl post sleeves which is a bit thicker than the downspouts and which is a smooth finish and does not have the channels. Also available I believe in both 4x4" and 6x6" configurations which may work for those using a 2 x6" bunk.

Seems to be working well so far and I like it better than the carpet.


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## chadzeilenga

Hi All,
Has anyone ever used the UHMW Polyethylene material for bunk slides? You can find it on McMaster-Carr for reasonable prices and it has a slippery surface by design.

https://www.mcmaster.com/8702k436


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## chadzeilenga

Hi All,
Has anyone ever used the UHMW Polyethylene material for bunk slides? You can find it on McMaster-Carr for reasonable prices and it has a slippery surface by design.

https://www.mcmaster.com/8702k436


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## JL8Jeff

chadzeilenga said:


> Hi All,
> Has anyone ever used the UHMW Polyethylene material for bunk slides? You can find it on McMaster-Carr for reasonable prices and it has a slippery surface by design.
> 
> https://www.mcmaster.com/8702k436



That might work but you would need to countersink the holes for screwing them down to the bunks and that might not be enough material.

I did end up putting new bunks using the downspouts cut in half on the trailer for my Lowe 1652 and got rid of the rollers. The boat sits lower and is much easier to line up and load vs the rollers.


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## richg99

I've read, but have no personal experience, that rollers are bad for tinnys. Especially bad for riveted tins.


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## jethro

Regarding using Trex boards for bunks... I have installed a lot of composite decks over the years and fair warning, it's basically soft plastic and it needs to have support every 16" or it will sag in the heat. It's amazing how soft it gets in the heat. Now, I have never used it for bunks, but I would caution you against it.


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## 1960 yellowboat

My bunks are 8 ft long and made from regular 2x4's. I covered them with polyurethane covers that were pre-formed to fit a 3 1/2 inch wide 2x4 exactly. Got them at Mikes Trailer supply in Homosassa Florida. You should be able to get them by you too.


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## JL8Jeff

1960 yellowboat said:


> My bunks are 8 ft long and made from regular 2x4's. I covered them with polyurethane covers that were pre-formed to fit a 3 1/2 inch wide 2x4 exactly. Got them at Mikes Trailer supply in Homosassa Florida. You should be able to get them by you too.



Yeah, that's probably the same stuff I used in the first post. It's a nice kit but the material is a little soft and thin compared to the vinyl downspout.


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## jethro

I just made new bunks with 10 foot 2x6's and covered them with the Caliber Bunk Wrap. Nice piece of kit, looks great. Now to find a place to launch and do some wrenching in the parking lot...


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## bplayer405

jethro said:


> Regarding using Trex boards for bunks... I have installed a lot of composite decks over the years and fair warning, it's basically soft plastic and it needs to have support every 16" or it will sag in the heat. It's amazing how soft it gets in the heat. Now, I have never used it for bunks, but I would caution you against it.


I'm using composite decking for my old 16' Monark. I made a cross grid out of treated 2x4s roughly every 16" on a older fiberglass boat trailer that had rollers on it. I extended the frame rearward of the axle a couple foot and used a treated 2x12 across the back since most of the weight is back there. Ran the 2 deck boards up just beyond contact with the front of the boat. Used it now for 4 years with no issues. Boat loads easily with just the first few inches of the decking rails under water. This new material on this thread looks like it should work as well.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## richg99

Treated lumber...aluminum boat...not me.


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## bplayer405

richg99 said:


> Treated lumber...aluminum boat...not me.


My boat only touches the composite deck boards. Treaded lumber is the framing only.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## Lost But Happy

I have a question about bunk wraps and please pardon my ignorance as this is my first boat. :lol: 

After you attach the bunk wrap to the wood, how do you attach the bunk to the trailer? Do you make a hole in the wrap and lag bolt it? 

Currently, my trailer only has lag bolted wood bunks and I will be replacing them and would like to try out a bunk wrap. 




Thank you!


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## LDUBS

Short lag bolts from the underside (preferred). Or, carriage bolts from the top with nuts on the underside. Make sure you recess the carriage bolt head. I don't like this approach because the recess is a perfect place for water to gather and bad things to start happening.


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## Lost But Happy

LDUBS said:


> Short lag bolts from the underside (preferred). Or, carriage bolts from the top with nuts on the underside. Make sure you recess the carriage bolt head. I don't like this approach because the recess is a perfect place for water to gather and bad things to start happening.



Ah! makes sense now lol. Thank you LDUBS. :LOL2: 

The lag bolts from underneath would only be like 1.25" (using 2x4's) long? Seems a little short for them to hold up to the beating of loading/unloading and travel. I need to get under the trailer and get eyes on all what is down there.


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## LDUBS

1 1/2" sounds right. By the time you use a washer along with the thickness of the bracket, you should be OK on a standard 2x. Drill a pilot hole. I use them on the bunks for my 18' walk-thru. Never had an issue. 

I'm not a design engineer, so here is where I get to either sound brilliant or make a fool of myself.  It seems the forces would be more shearing (side-ways) than up and down. I can see how a short lag bolt might not hold, especially in wet wood, if there were constant force trying to pull it out. But that isn't happening -- unless someone had their tie-downs connected to the bunks instead of the trailer frame.


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## Lost But Happy

LDUBS said:


> 1 1/2" sounds right. By the time you use a washer along with the thickness of the bracket, you should be OK on a standard 2x. Drill a pilot hole. I use them on the bunks for my 18' walk-thru. Never had an issue.
> 
> I'm not a design engineer, so here is where I get to either sound brilliant or make a fool of myself.  It seems the forces would be more shearing (side-ways) than up and down. I can see how a short lag bolt might not hold, especially in wet wood, if there were constant force trying to pull it out. But that isn't happening -- unless someone had their tie-downs connected to the bunks instead of the trailer frame.






Excellent. Thank you kindly LDUBS.


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