Looking to re-carpet the bunks on a 18 foot Ranger Trail trailer. (4 bunks)
Any recommendations on a decent brand? Any to stay away from?
Amazon reviews are all over the place! Any Prime deals I can take advantage of today?
Thanks!
-J.
Following – how bad do you let them get before replacing? I know I can see wood on one spot on one bunk.
If I see wood on mine I replace it. Which reminds me, I have one I need to replace! 
Yep, One spot I can see the wood bunk. Time to replace!
-J.
I dealt with this problem twice last season.
Seemed to rip in one specific spot on the right bunk near the back when I loaded. Its possible that the weight of me causes issues to that side when I’m by myself so I stood in the middle of the boat instead when loading and it hasn’t ripped since.
I don’t think there is a specific style of bunk carpet that works better than others. Just make sure its wide enough to cover the whole bunk. I made a mistake when I initially bought a roll and applied it the wrong way, trying to do a “patch” instead of actually re-doing the bunk.
Also, make sure you have a good staple gun with the right length staples that are stainless steel (rust resistant).
Its kind of a crappy job but it will only get worse the longer you put it off. And if you keep putting it off, the bunk wood will rot and wear down quicker. Here is the bunk carpet I used, I bought it at West Marine but Amazon carries it as well.
It’s not too bad of a job. I did mine on the fishing boat 2 summers ago and it has held up well. I went with what seemed to be the nicest stuff on Amazon at the time. I launched the boat on a weeknight and left it right on the dock (watching if someone would come). I quickly removed the bunks in the lot and took some pictures and measurements. I replaced the carpet and boards in the back of my truck within 30 minutes and had them back on. A second hand is nice to have depending on the length of the bunks to hold carpet as tight as possible and straight. As someone else said, get the correct staples.
Look at the Gatorbak products. Not as cheap as carpet but much better.
Look at the Gatorbak products. Not as cheap as carpet but much better.
I looked into the Gatorbak. Nice stuff there. However, they recommend new bunk wood on the install. So the two together would be betting pretty pricey!
If I had a new boat, I would get them installed for sure.
-J.
When it came to replacing the bunks on my Shorelander trailer for my Lund I used
Caliber Bunk Wrap. You need to be carful at the ramp because the bunks are slippery.
Not sure why you would need new wood on Gatorbak unless the current stuff is not solid and strong.
X2 on the gatorbak. Great product!
Another suggestion I failed to previously mention on this. When you load up, back your trailer all the way into the water so that the entire bunk gets wet. The boat tends to slide on much easier to a wet bunk, rather than a dry one that has been sitting in the parking lot for a few hours baking under the sun.
May be a dumb question, but can use a regular staple gun or do you need a powered version?
May be a dumb question, but can use a regular staple gun or do you need a powered version?
A regular one works, that is what I use.
Buddy of mine got a set of the Pro-Tech Tuff-Bunks and really likes them. No carpet to install. They are kind of like the Trex deck material. I thought it would scratch his boat but not a one. Spendy but I will get those the next time I need to redo them.
Just want to share what I do to my bunk carpet each year. About this time of year when the sun and temps are at their highest. I let the sun dry off the bunk carpet, while I’m out fishing, and then I spray a full can of 100% silicone into my bunks. When I did this on my last boat, fiberglass StarCraft walley boat, I had to be carful as my 2 bunk trailer identified it’s self as a roller trailer for a short spell. My current boat, WX 2100, has a 4 bunk trailer and all it does is make them less sticky. I think it may even allow the bunk carpet to last longer. When I first got the Skeeter I could hardly winch the boat up on the trailer they were so sticky and the boat so heavy. I have a Drotto on the trailer now so it’s not as big of deal. But soon I head to Algoma and they freak out if it even looks like you are about to power load.
I bought my carpet from Sparta carpets .com they have carpets with backing or without,different density and widths and lengths. Free shipping and they will send out samples. I used 1/2 stainless staples on 8- 2×6 foot bunks. Hope this helps
I’ve done two sets of bunks on different trailers. I just went to MENARDS and picked up some Marine Carpeting, that they cut off of the 12 ft. wide roll. I did one 8 years ago and one 3 years ago and have no problems with either set of carpeting on the bunks. I did put new bunks on, too.
I like my Ultimate Bunk Board-One solid piece, no maintenence
I like my Ultimate Bunk Board-One solid piece, no maintenence
X2
I like my Ultimate Bunk Board-One solid piece, no maintenence
And no carpeting correct?
May be a dumb question, but can use a regular staple gun or do you need a powered version?
When hand stapling anything I always have a small hammer handy.
No carpet and if your boat is light it will slide off like fried eggs on a new teflon pan!
How are the solid bunk boards for freezing temps? Rainy river this spring I had problems the second and third morning of trip with being frozen to my trailer. Not a good feeling holding that access up at daybreak waiting for carpet to thaw.
Can’t stand making people wait ever- Anyway no problems in freezing temps, is smooth with less surface area than a carpeted surface, so works great in that situation too.
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