The Mariah Owners Club - In stalling new bunks

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In stalling new bunks

I have a 2008 sx20 and it came with a dual axle trailer but the boat only sits on two bunks and kind of hard to get to sit straight on the trailer when pulling it out of the water. Is there a way and how do i find the setup to install new bunks (boards) for my boat to sit on?

Re: In stalling new bunks

Hi jdecoudres,

The purpost of the lower bunks is to provide support for your hull and not for straightening your Mariah while retrieving and even with four bunk trailers, getting your boat to line up can be a real pain, especially with cross winds.

I suggest you look into a set of trailer guide rollers or Load guide bunks. I have had Load guide bunks on all my trailers (4) for the past 25 years and they do make a difference by straightening the boat out and keeping it off the fenders. Now there is still a small technique to docking the boat but believe me, it beats having to get into the water or having several other people in the water to straighten her out.

These are the ones I have on our current trailer: click here. Most boat Trailer companies and parts suppliers should carry something like these.

Good luck,
WetWilly

Re: In stalling new bunks

K thanks i will look into them. So just haveing two boards that is mounted on end is good enough to support my boat?

Re: In stalling new bunks

I have a Mariah 202 with a tandem trailer and I was also worried that it only sits on two bunks. I guess from reading this thread thats OK?

Also the front has a 'v' section but it does not make contact with the boat.

The trailer is obvioulsy not a Mariah trailer so I wanted to check that there are no modifications I should make and obviously then trailer is OK for the boat.....are there check that I can make to make sure it is?

Re: In stalling new bunks

I just went through this very same problem. My original trailer is the heritage trailer and I live in Florida so my trailer rotted out and was forced to by new one so I found an aluminum continental I beam and baught it. The trailer only had two bunks on it but I wanted the 4 bunk system so the boat would be easier to load and level. I used the old trailer as a template and installed 4 bunks on my new trailer. I would like to tell you that this was kinda tricky to figure out the angles on the bottom of the boat and line it up but it can be done. I will upload pics later when I get home from work so you can see what I did, maybe this will help let me know if there are any questions I might be able to answer. Good luck Darrell:)

Re: In stalling new bunks

hi guys
what do you think of roller bunks . i an thinking of replacing the wood bunks with rollers. just to make it easier to load.

Ed Cossey { sonnyboy]

Re: In stalling new bunks

I wouldn't want rollers because I think they make the boat come off too easily. When I see a picture of a boat sitting on a ramp my stomach turns. Something else you might consider is the caps for your wooden bunks, like BUNKAPS or EZ Off Slides. I think the covers would take away some of the friction, but not all of it like rollers.

http://bunkaps.com/images/bigbihump.jpg

Re: In stalling new bunks

thanks Dredd

looks good i will look into that when im back in florida

Ed (sonnyboy)

Re: In stalling new bunks

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdecoudres (Post 19721)

I have been boating for 30 years and owned a propeller shop as well and it's always amusing to watch boaters pull their boat out of the water. the guides at the back of the trailer are great but the key is to where you place the trailer in the water. I have always driven my boats on the trailer and again it is where I put the trailer in the water. If you have a tandem axle trailer the best spot would be to bury the rear wheel and put about half the front wheel in the water. You can adjust as you become more familiar with it but for heaven's sake do not put the whole trailer in. Lots of luck.

Re: In stalling new bunks

al levy has a key point - ease of lining up the boat on the trialer is mainly dependant on the position of the trailer in the water.

If you have carpeted bunks, it's best to back the trailer all the way in to get the bunks wet, then pull out to the "sweet spot". However, finding that spot is the difficult part. With mine, it's just before the fender goes all the way under. It all depends on the slope of the ramp. If you have it correct, the boat will line itself up. Then you can either power on (highly frowned upon because it tears up the concrete ramps) or winch it up the rest of the way.

I've never used trailer guides, but I imagine they work quite well.

To Candanewell - the "V" at the front of the trailer is used for lining the boat up on a trailer with minimal bunk real estate. When the trailer is in the water, the bunks are so short that the boat won't even touch them at times. The "V" is there to keep it lined up until you get up to the strap/tie down. Then when you start pulling the boat out, it lays down in the bunks. It is not meant to support the boat, so your set-up sounds correct.

While more bunks are desirable, they aren't necessary. That's why a "cheap" trailer may only have 2. And why a Prestige or Heritage has 6. Yeah, more and longer bunks help line up the boat and support it better. But the reality is a boat can actually be supported by 2 points on the transom and 1 under the keel. I wouldn't want to store a boat for long periods like that, but they are strong enough. The transom and stringers are what matters, and even a decent boat can get be fine with only 2 bunks.