keel rollers

[Bayou Dave]

I just replaced all the bunks and rollers on my trailer. When I put the boat back on the trailer I left the bunks loose so the boat would settle where it wanted to. The bunks look fine, but the hull doesn't touch any of the rollers. There is no adjustment with the rollers. With the hull not touching the rollers it is a bear to winch the boat even one inch, due to friction of the boat on the bunks. Should the rollers assist the hull or are they there only as guides when retrieving the boat from the water?
Also, does the bow eye look lilke it is placed properly?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: keel rollers

the roller is there to guide on initially. you have a bunk trailer, you need to dunk it in farther.

regarding your winch and bow eye, you should under-wind the strap. it should be a straight pull to the winch.

 

[alldodge]

Re: keel rollers

Agree they should not touch when boat is loaded. The rollers need to be there to protect the keel when boat is being loaded or unloaded. If the rollers where not there your keel would hit the frame and mess it up

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: keel rollers

the roller is there to guide on initially. you have a bunk trailer, you need to dunk it in farther.

regarding your winch and bow eye, you should under-wind the strap. it should be a straight pull to the winch.

That makes sense. Thanks...

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: keel rollers

nothing wrong with the rollers touching and helping to support the hull but since your trailer is non adjustable it would involve cutting to get them to touch.

Instead of that go to the hardware store and get a can of silicone spray lube. launch the boat and park the trailer till the bunks are completely dry and then spray em down good..... let them dry again and then load the boat on your totally new trailer... repeat every few months when it starts getting tough to load.

after applying absolutely DO NOT unhook the winch before backing into the water or try to pull up the ramp without hooking it or BAD things happen

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: keel rollers

BTW if you don't want to launch the boat just jack it up and spray the bunks under it n let em dry.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: keel rollers

BTW if you don't want to launch the boat just jack it up and spray the bunks under it n let em dry.

I actually did spray the bunks while the boat was off the trailer. Didn't seem to help at all, but I may not have used enough of the product. I will give it another shot when I launch it in a couple of months. The amazing thing is that this is a galvanized trailer that came with the boat way back in 1987. How it has not rusted out yet is beyond me.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: keel rollers

on my 30' trailer I use a full can... it's really important to have the bunks completely dry before spraying and again before dunking

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: keel rollers

I agree that the silocone will make a huge difference. I also agree that you may not have the trailer deep enough.

You can also install guide slicks on top of the bunks. TACO Poly 2' Trailer Glyde Slicks - 6 Pack P05-06W - iboats

 

[AgnotGt]

Re: keel rollers

I just replaced all the bunks and rollers on my trailer.

If you don't mind me asking, what wood did you decide on for the bunks? My choice here on the west coast is either pressure treated pine or something untreated but more expensive.

My setup is very similar except I don't have that roller guide under the transom. That's the one thing I want to add.

regarding your winch and bow eye, you should under-wind the strap. it should be a straight pull to the winch.

The former owner of mine had the winch strap going over a bolt like that and it shredded the strap.... "straight pull" is what you want.

.

 

[limitout]

Re: keel rollers

wouldn't hurt to buff and polish the hull with a good coat of wax to help it slide, you would be surprised how much friction you get from a film of scum on the hull. also that carpet doesn't slide as well as the black fiber cloth they use to wrap bunks in so even though its better cushioned with carpet it has more drag on the hull because of it.

as for the bow eye, unhook and move the strap over that cross bolt so its more in a straight line and that alone will remove a whole lot of the struggle of getting the boat on all the way. as for how its set up it looks like the positioning of it is just fine. the strap should be pulling close to straight and level with just a little downward angle but nothing as dramatic as what you have there. the way you have it its pulling more down then forward so the boat isn't being held in place as secure as it should be and could even shift backwards an inch or so under the right conditions.

the rollers are just there (like bumper guards) for keeping the keel off of the frame and centered while you get it onto the trailer then the bunks take it from there.

your winch has a little rust on it so why don't you swap it out for a larger one that will make winching the boat on a lot easier. not sure what size you have there but with winches I say go as big as you have room for and can afford. the struggle you have winching it up is most likely because the winch is barely big enough for the load or possible has rust inside of its bearings.

 

[alldodge]

Re: keel rollers

Silicone spay is a lubricant just like oil. I personally don't like the idea of pouring silicone in the water, even if it is sprayed bunks which then leaches into the water.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: keel rollers

If you don't mind me asking, what wood did you decide on for the bunks? My choice here on the west coast is either pressure treated pine or something untreated but more expensive.

My setup is very similar except I don't have that roller guide under the transom. That's the one thing I want to add.

The former owner of mine had the winch strap going over a bolt like that and it shredded the strap.... "straight pull" is what you want.

.

I used pressure treated 2x6's. I picked through the pile and made sure they were straight.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: keel rollers

I used pressure treated 2x6's. I picked through the pile and made sure they were straight.

Were the old bunks 2X6"?

 

[gm280]

Re: keel rollers

I have to agree with a few comments on here about your winch setup. That IS one of you main problems right there. You are not applying your efforts straight to the boat and therefore it takes a lot more effort to simply winch the boat on the trailer, even for the last few feet. Fix that winch strap angle so it goes straight to the bow eye first, then spray the entire can of silicon spray on all the bunks and back your trailer in the water just a little further and I guarantee you it will work like warm butter... But be fore warned, if you take the winch strap off the bow eye before backing up to launch your boat (after doing the above fixes) you may lose the boat on the ramp. So leave the strap on until you are over the water... Seen it happen...

 

[bassman284]

Re: keel rollers

Actually I think the strap coming off the top would be OK if you weren't routing it under that bolt. Put it over the top of the bolt and see what happens.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: keel rollers

Silicone spay is a lubricant just like oil. I personally don't like the idea of pouring silicone in the water, even if it is sprayed bunks which then leaches into the water.

All of the solvent evaporates and the silicone that is left is inert...

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: keel rollers

The old bunks were 2x6's.
Even though it has been tough to winch I have never taken the winch strap off until the stern is over water. I have seen too many horror stories about that here on iboats.
I will move the strap so it gets as straight as possible and use a whole can of silicone.
Will experiment with how far to back it into the water to get the best results.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys and Happy New Year!
Dave

 

[JimS123]

Re: keel rollers

Forget the silicone unless you want to have a constant PM task. Put a set of glyde slicks on the bunks and forget about it. That will also make the carpeting last longer.

 

[gm280]

Re: keel rollers

I read about pollution the water using silicone spray. Well like previously stated it does evaporate leaving only the slick silicone itself which water rolls off. But seriously, what do all 2 cycle engines disperse in the water, or even the chemicals on the metal, wood, fiberglass and carpet on the actual bunks do? Nearly everything put in the water leaves something behind...