[buddyboy]

http://www.easylaunch.co.uk/

Anyone ever used this on their bunk trailor. Is it any good.

Coming from the rugged coast line of the west of Scotland and being restricted to the number of slips to launch from.
Finding it hard to find many good areas to get the trailor in deep water to launch easily.Usually end up with water up to the exhaust of my 4x4 .

Even after getting my boat floating still find it very hard to push it off(heart attack getting closer at every launch)

Firstly,at what height should my carpet bunk be(i notice it can be adjusted). At the moment it seems to be at it's highest level. Not sure if this maybe causing me problems launching and causing too much friction.

On the video of above product the water is hardly over the wheels and there seems very little stoop on the ramp.
I have an SX18 and much the same size as the boat in the video but i could never get mine in the water like that so easily.

Help

[Captain Steve]

After owning a Ford F150 with a poly bedliner, this seems plausible. I could move heavy objects around the back of the truck by sliding very easily. Polyethylene can be very slick as stated in the advertisement.

Best of luck from the lower 48 colonies,

[bakdraft]

Interesting... As I have a roller coaster I am not in a position to try them.

I wonder how it copes with salt water though. When dried out this may act as grit inbetween the nice polished surfaces

[John Morgan]

I’d be afraid of it damaging the gel coat. But I’m one of those guys that won’t run my boat up on a sandy beach.

[22empire]

You can actually buy this material from steel or industrial material companies. It come in sheets in standard sizes. And in nominal sizes, of 1/4" to 1/2" and even thicker. If you don't have a problem cutting it yourself and and measuring the size you need than it is a good DIY project. I am very familiar with using these types of materials in an industrial setting. They are very slippery and wear resistant. A couple of concerns you might want to give some thought to. The slippery nature of this material may allow your boat to slip around on the trailer while under tow. So you would have to make sure you have good tie of and transom straps. Also steel are hard abrasives can get imbedded in ti so you would want to keep an eye on that as is could slowly wear at the boat. Actually it is a good idea that I had never thought of. Just make sure you go in eyes open and knowing the material and the effects of the low friction.. One other thing, Polypropelen is UV sensitive and will brake down over time. So it would have to be replaced every so often. Depending on its exposure. The Nylon and Delrin (trade name) are more expensive but will last longer.. Oh yah they are also available in different colours. Black, Red, Blue Etc. Hope this is a little helpful

[WetWilly]

Hello buddyboy,

Those low friction strips would definitely make loading and unloading much easier but as bakdraft and 22empire mentioned, any hard substance like grit (sand, salt, road grime, etc) could become embedded in the strips which in turn would become sandpaper and cause possible damage to your gelcoat.

22empire was correct again about the UV and securing your boat very well, it even stated on the company's site. From the site's description, it appears that they're high density polythene (HDPE), so I would hope they're treated with UV inhibitors, but you should inquire to be sure and HDPE doesn't like high heat.

As for your bunks, I recommend adjusting them so your hull is as low as it can get without contact on any part of the frame or wheel fenders or the outdrive to the ground. Our bunks are set so the keel is about 32mm (1 1/4in) above the rear cross members of the frame and the wheel fenders. This definitely helps to "float " our Talari off without having to submerge the trailer so deep and as an added bonus, the lower center of gravity helps when towing.

WetWilly