# Plastic/hard bunks....idea....?



## GreatWhite (Dec 1, 2010)

Hey Gang,

I see a few of you are going to solid, smooth plastic bunks.....easy to slide on/off....no weather issues....no water rot...etc.

Rather than buy the $$$$$ bunks, has anyone tried the fake wood and used it?

I know at Home Depot or Lowes they sell it for decking....it looks like wood, but is hard plastic....has some texture to it, but I am thinking a pass or two with 150 grit will smooth it enough..

It would be water proof....durable....smooth....

Thoughts?


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## 89Suburban (Dec 1, 2010)

Good question. I'd like to hear the comments on this one. I have the wooden carpeted bunks right now with the Cabellas slick kit on them. I know the bunks will need to replaced in another year or two so this thread will be helpful to me as well.

I know a buddy of mine that has those white, solid hard plastic bunks with the grooves in it and I don't hear any complaints from him about it.


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## RPjet (Dec 1, 2010)

The answer is yes and no. I know of two people that have tried this with mixed results.

One put this plastic decking right over top of new bunks with no carpet. It works........ however his boat now sits higher on the trailer and he has to back further down into the water to get the boat to float. So is the trade off worth it? In his mind he doesn't think so because he is thinking of tearing them back off and going back to bunk slicks.

The other friend tried using just the decking material and it is not working out at all! This material just doesn't have the strength to hold a boat without severe flexing. He is going to look into alternative ways to try to strengthen the bunks over the winter time, but at this time it just doesn't seem like it is worth all the hassles.

The first boat above is an 18 ft Tracker, so it is a heavy boat. The other friends boat is only a 14' or 15' boat and is not near as heavy. In my opinion it just isn't worth the time and expense to try something that just isn't going to work. It you plan on keeping your boat a long time try the 'ultimate bunk boards" - a little pricy but worth it in the long run because they will never need replacement. For shorter time frames just use wood and bunk slicks for easier launching.

Dave


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## PartsMan (Dec 1, 2010)

The rancher around here use a smiler plastic board in there stock trailers.
It has to be supported every 12". There is no grain so no stiffness.


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## lbursell (Dec 2, 2010)

As I am re-building my trailer, my intention is to use the decking material. My plan is to reinforce it from below with lengths of angle iron attached between the bunk brackets. Since I'm so new to all this, I'm willing to be the lab rat. If it turns out to be no good, replacing bunks is an easy fix. Still a long ways to go before I'm at that part of the build, though.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Dec 2, 2010)

There is a product that's made of the correct type of plastic that a 2x4 fits inside of for fence railing. You can cut it in half making 2 U shaped pieces.


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## richg99 (Dec 2, 2010)

One thing that I have done on a couple of boats... (I still have this application on a 16 ft Carolina Skiff trailer and will be doing next week on my 16 Lowe trailer)...

I bought a 4 x 8 sheet of PVC garden trellis from Home Depot. I cut the strips off to get the maximum lengths. Then, counter-sunk the PVC strips; screwed the strips onto the top of the carpeting...all of the way through the bunk. Secured it with a lock washer and nut. I used two strips on each 2 x 4 sized bunk.

At first, I started using just SS wood screws. After a little thought, I decided that using wood screws was dangerous. If the screw head backed out, even a little bit, it would scratch the bottom of my fiberglass boat. 

So...through-drilling and using threaded bolts and nuts was safer. This next week, on my newest acquisition...I am going to use SS lock nuts, instead of lock washers and regular nuts. 

regards, Rich


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