Bunk or roller trailer for shallow launch.

Just got a new 16′ alluminum boat with a bunk trailer and hate it so far. Got the bunk slicks but they don’t help. We launched well enough with me in the boat and my buddy backing way in-trouble is half the time I fish alone-friend said you can tie to the dock and back way in, but I sometimes go to a lake w/o a dock. I know you bass guys with big fiberglass boats swear by bunks-i also see you guys mostly in lakes with deep launches. Bunks stress the hull more evenly-I DON”T CARE!I want to launch easily now.
So the sales guy who has been great wants to take me out and give me some tips-very nice; still think I am going to want the rollers-Ideas. (Boat is great BTW)

I picked up a z launch recommended by someone here. I thought it was a joke, but it is actually really good for launching solo. IMO it’s worth the 35 bucks. I have rollers, but it might be better for bunks.

If your mind is closed to bunks then get some rollers. However, get a 25′ to 50′ rope and tie a hook or clip to one end. At the ramp unhook your boat straps, clip the launch rope to your bow eye. Tie a loop in the other end of the rope and either slip it over your winch post or the handle of the crank. Coil the rest of the rope and set it at the junction of your trailer where the sides come together for the tongue. Get in the truck and back the trailer in, the boat will float free and the momentum will carry the boat away from the trailer. Pull the trailer ahead until the winch post is out of the water. Put the truck in park and go grab your rope and tie the boat off while you park. Easy, peesy.

When loading be sure to back your trailer all the way in submerging the bunks completely. Now pull ahead to the loading point and drive the boat on. Boat will load 100% better with wet bunks.

You absolutely couldn’t pay me to ever have another roller trailer. But, you need to get use of them if you are coming from a roller trailer.

I have a 14′ aluminum boat and nearly always fish alone. The trailer that came with the boat had bunks and was very difficult to work with so I replaced the bunks with roller bunks. May be over kill but I used four roller bunks. I also use a remote control electric winch so I can use it from the cab of the truck. When launching with no dock I just back up to the bow, hook the cable to the boat and winch it snug to the bow roller. Then back in as I winch the boat in. It’s a bit tricky to start with, but once you get the hang of it, it works pretty slick. With a dock, I just stand on the fender and hook the winch and winch the boat up. It’s just a cheap Harbor Freight winch and noisy, but better than the alternative.

My old boat had a roller trailer, and now I’ve got a 17.5’ glass boat on bunks and wouldn’t trade it for the world. It’s literally impossible to NOT load the boat straight. I also fish solo probably 50% of the time.

IF you know the landing well, the above tip above submerging the bunks is valuable. If not, use extreme caution as you’d be surprised how common it is to drop an axle off the concrete at landings. Most are poured just long enough to get by.

Thanks for all the tips-keep them comming!

Tim,
Where are you located? Maybe someone with a similar boat, on a roller trailer, could meet you at your problem launch ramp and give you a chance to see one in action?

HRG

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Roller trailers are not that hard to line up if you do it right. Bunks are nice though.

How shallow of a landing are we talking about it? Shallow water its nice to have a roller trailer for them.

Have you looked at roller bunks?

https://www.etrailer.com/Boat-Trailer-Parts/Dutton-Lainson/DL21755.html

I bought a used boat/trailer combo with roller bunks like the ones linked to above.

I am not smitten with them because I believe they don’t provide as much support as bunks.

I plan to replace the roller bunks with wood bunks with slick bunk covers.
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=40137

I mentioned this to a friend that did this to a his pontoon trailer bunks and he loves it.

tim hurley wrote:

Got the bunk slicks but they don’t help.

Surprising! I have the teflon slides on a bunk trailer / 16 foot jon boat. (Fairly heavy boat for it’s size) Boat slides right off with very little effort.

Product Description:

https://www.cabelas.com/product/E-Z-Slide-Trailer-Pads/737191.uts?slotId=0

These get a very high customer rating. Even on large boats like yours. Curious what brand you went with?

-J.

Many area launches can be quite shallow, and can see bunks being a bit tough getting use to. What kind of tow vehicle ya got? Able to back in far enough ?

Did I miss the boat pics or what? Don’t recall seeing the new rig on here

Mine has bunks and the teflon slides and its a one man deal.

I think too many people don’t really look to find the easiest way to launch/retrieve with what they have. One tough launch or loading and their off to the races looking for something different and supposedly better. Marine dealers have a pretty good idea of what works best for their different boats. The last thing they want is customers coming back bellyaching about this and that with the trailer so its unlikely the boat was sold with something that fights. Like anything there’s a learning curve and often those places without a clean landing area and without a dock are often best suited to be fished with a canoe, but only experience will tell you which those places are. In the wrong place a trailer can be one horrendous pain in the a$$.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Like anything there’s a learning curve and often those places without a clean landing area and without a dock are often best suited to be fished with a canoe, but only experience will tell you which those places are. In the wrong place a trailer can be one horrendous pain in the a$$.

Agreed. Every boat+trailer I have ever owned required a learning curve. It probably took 10+ times to get it totally figured out. So many variables that can change each and every launch/retrieve. You need to learn what to look for. No one can tell you exactly what to do.

Dutchboy wrote:

If your mind is closed to bunks then get some rollers. However, get a 25′ to 50′ rope and tie a hook or clip to one end. At the ramp unhook your boat straps, clip the launch rope to your bow eye. Tie a loop in the other end of the rope and either slip it over your winch post or the handle of the crank. Coil the rest of the rope and set it at the junction of your trailer where the sides come together for the tongue. Get in the truck and back the trailer in, the boat will float free and the momentum will carry the boat away from the trailer. Pull the trailer ahead until the winch post is out of the water. Put the truck in park and go grab your rope and tie the boat off while you park. Easy, peesy.

When loading be sure to back your trailer all the way in submerging the bunks completely. Now pull ahead to the loading point and drive the boat on. Boat will load 100% better with wet bunks.

You absolutely couldn’t pay me to ever have another roller trailer. But, you need to get use of them if you are coming from a roller trailer.

I couldn’t have said it better 110 percent true

It always amazes me how difficult people can make launching and loading a boat.

Find the correct trailer depth. Power off, power on.

I have a 17′ glass boat on bunks and launch/load solo at least once a week all season. Bunk trailers are great… just takes some time to figure out what works best for your boat/trailer.

My method is to unhook all trailer straps and clip a 50′ rope to the bow. Keeping the door cracked I hold onto that rope while I back the boat in until it floats and it moving away from the trailer. Put the truck in park and hop out to tie the rope to the dock or beach the boat if there’s no dock. Go park the truck and that’s it.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

It always amazes me how difficult people can make launching and loading a boat.

This.

Wide range of feelings when the discussion is bunks or rollers. I have both style trailers, (several rigs) under the same and also different style hulls. Each rig, has it’s own unique “sweet spot” when it comes time to launch and load.

Generally speaking I prefer a roller set up when launching into shallow water situations. Heck there are some accesses I use, where one can back halfway across the river and never get the bunks wet,,,,,,,,,,,roller trailer to the rescue!

Bottom line, dance with the trailer you got! Try different methods, depths, procedures and find what works and what doesn’t FOR YOUR RIG. Then do what works.

This is what I use to launch solo. I clip it to the front eyelet. Unhook the safety chain and the ratchet strap. Pull enough rope off the coil to hold the coil while sitting in my drivers seat. Back the boat in with the drivers door open. Once it starts to float it put the truck in park and pull the boat to shore with the long rope. It works very well.

https://www.amazon.com/Shoreline-Marine-Anchor-16-Inch-75-Feet/dp/B009CDXGZ2/ref=sr_1_38?s=boating-water-sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1528210100&sr=1-38

Tie a knot to the end of a long rope. Hook/clamp at the other end to attach to boat. Close the end with the knot in your tailgate, back up slow until boat launches off trailer, slowly pull ahead until you can grab rope from tailgate without getting feet wet. done deal.

I’ve had two roller and many bunk trailers. I prefer the bunk type for drive on use, better support of the hull,and less chance of boat coming off the trailer unexpectantly. That being said roller trailers are much better for shallow and unimproved launches. If you don’t travel a lot of rough roads and do long road trips and if you do use shallow access a roller is meant for you. The last roller I had was the best one. It had stabilizing pads up front. Most of the load rested on keel rollers and rear roller bunks. The pads kept the boat centered and stabile.

I have a 16 foot Lund and an old Spartan roller trailer. I back in very little, my hubs usually aren’t even getting wet. I hook a leash rope up to the bow cleat, unhook the safety chain and winch strap, and roll ‘er into the water. Takes about 2 minutes to launch.

Getting out is as easy too. Back in about the same depth. Hook up the leash rope and shove the boat behind the trailer. Pull it up against the first set of rollers, hook on the winch strap, and crank her up. Takes less than 5 minutes and I’m off the ramp.

I think the best advice given here is to experiment with different depths and techniques to figure out what works best for you.

S.R.

Carnivore, like the idea of stabilizing pads-what brand was that? Sounds like rollers work better for launching (shallow) and bunks center up nicely for loading. If its an unimproved launch I want to launch-carry in and I’ll carry in
Bumped into a few bucks, my wife actually talked me into buying a new boat and I can pretty much get what I want-so this is a nice problem to have, I have been very lucky. Thanks for all the great feedback, keep it commin’.

For shallow boat launches , can’t beat rollers , don’t have to back your truck in nearly as far . Don’t unhook boat til it’s in the water , then push it off , using guide rope to bring it to shore . Easy. Like fishblood says , we make it too hard . Power on and power off when you can.

I am a big fan of bunks for larger boats. Drive right one. And these are the heavy boats you need to worry about full support. But for a 16 foot aluminum boat? Come on, this boat is designed for rollers. This is the boat you are going to take to those smaller lakes and rivers with bad launches.

My guess is the dealer talked him into bunks. I really hate when dealers have their own personal opinions and push them on buyers.

Hot runer-your boat looks a lot like mine- would love to see you launch into shallow water-I live close to Roseville Mn.—-
Have heard that rollers are better at a shallow launch and have heard bunks are almost as good if you do “xy and z…_’ So I am leaning toward switching, even though it will be a hassle and an expense. For those who think I have a closed mind-well probably true. Thanks for all the ideas.

Tim,
I was in the same situation as you, a resort I used to go to had a pretty pathetic excuse for a “ramp”, there were times that I could have the FRONT tires of the tow vehicle in the water, and the hull would still not float off.

Anyway, with a full-roller, with any amount of angle, you can push the hull off and let it splash. Upon return though, you’ll probably get your feet wet attaching the winch strap, but the winch will easily pull hulls like our’s back up onto the trailer, submerged or not.

Of course, the trailer should be wide enough to allow the hull to fit down between the fenders, so you can start with the hull as low as possible.

HRG

I might go with Ultimate Bunk Boards-anyone have experience with them?

A dealer in Northern Wis has nothin but rollers under all their Lund boats their reason was we had a drought a number of years back, they ordered all their boats with rollers and never looked back.