Launching with bunk trailer

At some point we will have open water and I have to break in my new boat. I have my first bunk trailer and was wondering if I can take the safety chain and strap off before backing into the water or do I have to leave it on until it floats then get out and unhook them and push it off? I have always had rollers before but went bunk this time due to recommendation from dealer and what I saw online when reviewing for my purchase. I’m sure it will be easy once I get the hang of it just trying to reduce the learning curve a little ahead of time.

Think about it for a minute. Are you wiling to risk damaging the boat for what is a couple of minutes work? Save a few minutes VS thousands of dollar’s worth of damage? Seems like your question answered itself. Personally, I wouldn’t take the risk. Nothing ruins a day on the water faster than a bad day at the launch.

I take the strap off when I am backed up at the ramp, there is no way the boat is going anywhere with dry bunks. I used to have a roller trailer and I was scared to do it at first but you will find out it is not going to budge. It makes launching so easy just back up unhook the strap back it in the water and it floats off. The only draw back is shallow launches and can be harder to get it back up on the bunks flush with the front roller. If it is a really steep I may wait until closer to the water but it still should not go anywhere until in the water. PM me if you want any other tips for loading or unloading.

Personally, I would leave the chain on until I learned how it does at various launches. I’ve had both styles and even with bunks you can find a launch or two that is steep enough to allow the boat to slide as you back in. It only takes a few seconds to hop out and undo the chain once ready to back into the water … and after you do it a few times you will figure it out. Also, I found on some launches it was tough to get the boat off the bunks and end up spraying the bunks with silicon spray which lets the boat slide easier. They also make bunk pads made out of recycled milk jugs that make it easier to get off and on the bunks. I recently replaced my bunks with roller bunks … the old back doesn’t enjoy pulling the boat up onto dry bunks anymore. Good luck with the new boat/trailer.

I’ll often unhook mine as long as it’s not a ridiculously steep ramp and I haven’t just sprayed my bunks down with silicone spray…I don’t think it would ever move regardless, but that silicone can make the bunks pretty slick at first!

Owned bunk trailer for 20 years. To start I would go in the water the first time with the straps off of the rear once in the water unhook your front strap and see how the boat lets loose. Me personally if the landing is flat I always unhook both if it is steep I always wait time the tires are in the water. Also I will depend on who is backing the rig in. If you have a driver that likes to slam on the brakes I suggest not undoing the winch till your in the water.

I usually leave my strap on till I have the engine started.

I have 4 bunks under my WX2100. They are very sticky. I even spray silicon on the bunks each year to make it slide a little better. That said I still back my trailer half way into the water before unhooking my straps. I really don’t want to end up on Utube in a compellation of boat launch failures.

If you do most of your launching alone, I found this be very helpful after I installed it last year.

http://www.drottoproducts.com

I was skeptical at first, but it was as advertised.

Otherwise, before that I always backed the rear of the boat in prior to unstrapping.

I watched a handfull of boats slide off a bunk and fall onto the ramp when the wet bunk carpet turned to ice.

Personally, I back the trailer until the trailer tires are just getting wet. Then unhook and go from there.

-J.

So if fishing alone then no I would not. You go to far boat will definitely push off and float away.
If fishing with someone else back in and before his feet get wet and the boat is floating have him unhook and get in the boat and back him in the rest of the way.

I’ve seen boats slide off bunks more then once because the guy couldn’t wait 2 minutes to unlatch then. Both tines in colder icy conditions.
I ran a bunk trailer for a long time and it was never a issue putting in the water and then un chaining

If you are ever at a landing when a bass tourney are launching boats you will never see anyone backing down the landing with their chain or strap still hooked to the boat. As many times as I’ve been at bass tourney’s I’ve never seen one slide off a trailer yet. Not saying it cant happen, but never have. I know on all the boats I’ve owned with a bunk trailer I always unhooked the chain and strap before I started to back the boat in. I either had a rope tied to my boat and the dock or had a 2nd person sitting in the boat. Back in. hit the brakes and pull out. There is a reason why I’ve seen 20 boats with bunk trailers unload and or load boats in the same time as its takes 3 or 4 roller trailers to do so. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with roller trailers ( there are also a few advantages to them ) just saying they are not as efficient loading or unloading as most landings.

I have 3 different scenarios based on who is/is not with me. My plug is in, gear stowed, transom straps undone before pulling up to the actual launch with each of these scenarios.

1. If fishing alone and nobody is anywhere near the launch, I leave mine hooked backing down the ramp and just unhook as I climb by and into the boat from the tongue/steps. That part takes 2 seconds and barely breaks my stride. Once in, I start the motor, and glide off gently to the dock to tie off and park with a couple of those quick bungy ropes. I’ll leave it idle while parking close by. The whole process takes ~100 seconds from backing down the ramp, launching, parking the rig, and heading out to fish

2. If someone is with me who is a regular I back the boat down to where I can just get in without getting wet. Unhook chain and strap as I crawl in, have them back me in the rest of the way until I raise my hand. Idle off to the dock and they park the rig. This process takes about the same as number 1 but allows me to organize the boat if needed while they park.

3. If someone is with who has little experience I back down until the trailer tires are just in. Jump out and unhook the chain and strap. Back in the rest of the way very close to the dock so that they can just grab and hold the boat from the dock as it floats off. I generally have the 2 temporary bungee ropes there too if they are more comfortable tying it up versus holding it. I go park the rig. This entire process takes ~120-140 seconds – or a bit longer than the first 2 as I’m usually double checking they have a good hole of the boat/ropes before parking.

It comes down to experience with your specific boat and trailer. Do it enough times and you’ll find what works for you. Practice makes perfect. After years of fishing alone I can unload or load my boat on its roller trailer in a matter of seconds. I have had many guys over the years stop what they’re doing to compliment me on how easy I make it look while they’re struggling.

Like mentioned, use discretion and leave it strapped if it’s cold enough for the bunks to be iced up. Same for ridiculously steep ramps with heaved concrete slabs. But for 99% of the time with a bunk trailer, unhook the chain and strap when you unhook the boat buckles and put the plug in.

I launch solo a lot and hook a 50′ rope to the bow eye when I unhook the winch and chain. I hold onto that rope (plenty of slack) with the truck door cracked while I back the boat in. Boat slides off the trailer and I hop out and tie the rope to the dock or pull the boat to shore if I’m launching at the beach. The only time it’s even a little tricky is if I need to tie up to a dock on the starboard side… just gotta hop over the trailer in that case.

I leave the strap and safety chain hooked up until the rig is in the water and I know the motor will start. Once the motor is running I will walk to the bow, lean over and unhook the strap and then back off the trailer. If fishing alone I back it in deeper so its definitely floating then unhook and slide it back to the dock to go park the truck. Either way, a few seconds of time is not worth dropping the boat or even having to worry about dropping the boat to me. Also avoiding another ‘if this then that’ scenario while trying to remember all the other parts of the process keeps it simple for me.

grubson wrote:

It comes down to experience with your specific boat and trailer. Do it enough times and you’ll find what works for you. Practice makes perfect. After years of fishing alone I can unload or load my boat on its roller trailer in a matter of seconds. I have had many guys over the years stop what they’re doing to compliment me on how easy I make it look while they’re struggling.

Yep. some with roller trailers are almost as fast at landings as others with Bunks. I’ve seen people with bunk trailers still use the winch to crank their boat onto the trailer ( Not sure why, but they do ) as long as someone figures out what works the fastest and gets the job done in a fairly timely manor, I don’t care what method they use or what type of trailer they have. It also doesn’t hurt to get out and lend a hand if you see someone who may be new or have others issues that may be the reason why they are taking longer than you think they should. I’ve backed in many trailers or helped many land a boat when I could see that they were having issues.

Thanks for the replies. It’s not that I don’t want to get back out and unhook, have been doing that a long time with roller trailers just wasn’t sure if it’s different with bunks. I always have someone with but I’m the one launching since the wife doesn’t want to back the boat in. She will get in the boat and drive it off just need her to try and drive it back on now since we always winched it back on with the roller.

As time goes by you will get more comfortable to launching.
There are times you shouldn’t unstrap before in the water snd there are times it’s fine to do so.

I have never had a boat slide off due to ice build up. But then again I leave it strapped in the front till in the water. But I have had my boat freeze to the bunks before.

You’ll like your bunk trailer. The main things that I’ve found with bunk trailers is to make sure the bunks are properly adjusted if your boat just doesn’t seem to load straight, don’t load your boat with the trailer too far in the water(mine loads best with the tops of the fenders just above the water) and wet your bunks prior to loading by lubricating them by backing into the water far enough to submerge your bunks. Once your bunks are wet, drive your trailer out of the water until it’s at your preferred loading depth.

I have carpeted bunks and I generally unhook my boat from the trailer at the top of the ramp if my bunks are dry and if the ramp is not too steep. If that voice in my head tells me otherwise, I leave the safety chain hooked and wait to remove it until the boat is just in the water but it’s still a fast process. My wife usually rides in the boat while unloading and backs the boat away(she drive it back onto the trailer when loading too) when it floats off of the trailer. I can back down the ramp, she’ll be backing away from the trailer and I can be off of the ramp with the truck and trailer again literally in seconds at many ramps we use.
I’ve never had a boat budge on a bunk trailer in all the years of unloading my boats with bunk trailers but in certain conditions, I know they can slide.

Launching a boat without problems is nothing more than using common sense and you’ll get a feel for how your boat unloads after you run it for a season.

I’ve had roller trailers in the past and I much prefer a bunk trailer over a roller trailer for how they load and unload.

Stanley wrote:

Thanks for the replies. It’s not that I don’t want to get back out and unhook, have been doing that a long time with roller trailers just wasn’t sure if it’s different with bunks. I always have someone with but I’m the one launching since the wife doesn’t want to back the boat in. She will get in the boat and drive it off just need her to try and drive it back on now since we always winched it back on with the roller.

As far as loading goes its a matter of trial and error till you find the sweet spot. I’d take a day early in the season and find a landing without much boat traffic and figure that out. On most of the bunk trailers I’ve had it seems like the best starting point is back it in until just the top of the boat fenders are out of the water. Come in slow and allow the boat to self align before slowly powering it up. If you need a ton of power to get to the hook. you need to back in a little more the next try. Once you find the sweet spot. make a note of the water on the bunk or on the trailer fender for reference. If you wife does not want to learn to back the boat, then teach her to power load it while you back it in. I would take her to a open parking lot someday and bring a few 5 gallon buckets to set up. Start by teaching to back up while looking over her shoulder. Progress to showing her how to do so by using the mirrors. Or skip the over the shoulder and just go to the Mirror method. After I got good with the mirrors I never do it any other way. Its not to hard to learn. Just tell her whatever side she is seeing to much trailer is the way she needs to turn the wheel. After a while you get use to forcing it to far to one side just so she see your target better. good luck and have fun with the new boat.

Stanley wrote:

Thanks for the replies. It’s not that I don’t want to get back out and unhook, have been doing that a long time with roller trailers just wasn’t sure if it’s different with bunks. I always have someone with but I’m the one launching since the wife doesn’t want to back the boat in. She will get in the boat and drive it off just need her to try and drive it back on now since we always winched it back on with the roller.

Just remember to have patience with her Stanley. My wife is really good at driving the boat on and off the trailer now but she’s been doing it for a long time.

I launch solo 90% of the time. What I find works well for me, is unhooking the chain, then unlocking the strap but keep it hooked, unwind about 10-12 turns to give myself a couple feet of slack (but not enough to fall off the trailer if something happens) then lock the winch. Simply back down to float the boat off and slowly pull back forward enough to jump on the trailer tongue and hop and into the boat without getting wet. Unhook strap and away you go.

The only real risk here is IF the boat BOTH slipped off the bunks AND the strap snapped.

Karry Kyllo wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Stanley wrote:</div>
Thanks for the replies. It’s not that I don’t want to get back out and unhook, have been doing that a long time with roller trailers just wasn’t sure if it’s different with bunks. I always have someone with but I’m the one launching since the wife doesn’t want to back the boat in. She will get in the boat and drive it off just need her to try and drive it back on now since we always winched it back on with the roller.

Just remember to have patience with her Stanley. My wife is really good at driving the boat on and off the trailer now but she’s been doing it for a long time.

My first boat (still have it) is a pain to load and unload. It is a roller but old (87) and the boat gets stuck on the 2 keel rollers so I have always dealt with it, it’s also a tiller and she didn’t like driving it. Our last boat was a wheel boat so she was more comfortable with that and would drive it while I got the truck. She did come in hot one time and took out the side decal with the guide lol. So now with her being more comfortable driving the boat I think we will get a good system down. My plan is to get the boat out as early as possible to break in the motor and learn what works best. Luckily we have a boat access 1/4 from the house and should be able to get some practice in before things get busy.

Stanley, something that has not been mentioned here yet is this: when you are loading back up, I would back your trailer in so that the bunks get fully wet and then move forward to the spot to load your boat. Bunk carpet can rip sometimes and its more likely to do so when its dry versus wet.

I’ve had to replace some bunk carpet on one side more than once, but once I started making sure the bunks were fully wet before loading, I haven’t had any carpet rip.

If you have front steps it is super simple and foolproof to launch by yourself. Just screw a rope tie to your upright post on the steps about 6 to 12 inches above the top of the boat deck height. When launching, just tie a rope from your boat to the rope tie on the post and leave apx 3 feet of slack. Unhitch your boat strap and back in slowly once you are by the water. Once you see the boat start to float stop, get in the boat and start up, walk up and disconnect from the post and back off. Super simple but must be by a pier to get in or out of the boat from.

I was in the same scenario about 3 years ago with only having experience with roller trailers. My dad and grandpa had only ever owned roller trailers. The thing is Id rather take the extra time and not unhook until im in the water for that one time it wants to slide. When loading it or unloading remember its a learning curve and try different things what works better for you and your rig. I have had great luck load and unloading my boat. When the acess gets dry last year it can be a challenge.

had both…..and never going back to a roller. i also leave my safety chain on until my boat is in the water, then push it off, tie and park truck. easier with 2 people that know what they are doing. i still get in and out in around a minute by myself

All wrong.
Anyone that suggests practice before opener is dead wrong. The only true way to learn is a nice spring weekend on the river or on walleye opener. Nothing teaches you faster than that kind of pressure.
P.S. this only applies if you are a decent human being and actually care if you are holding others up.