Anyone ever try " Liquid Rollers" on their trailer bunks?
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/use...?pid=11393
I researched this a little on the WWW, everybody seems to like it. Others are using silicone spray from Home Depot, Pam cooking spray, Armorall, or other generic slippery stuff.
I was wondering if it would damage the (oil based)paint on the bottom of my Weekender.
joel
The best thing I ever used on trailer bunks was melted parafin wax! You melt some in a pot and brush it on the bunks, then with a torch, go over them lightly and it melts right into the wood surface. Slick and no friction, what a difference. No damage to the boat either.
Joel this stuff is toxic as all hell if you read the MDS. It is made for gelcoat and I really can't predict it's effect on paint. I float the boat up on the bunks and only winch the last 12" or so. To get her on the trailer and the keel box I ned to walk out on the bunks a little ways so this would be a big no no for me.
Craig, I had a feeling there might be a down side to this as well. Thats why I asked. My Weekender sits a little high on the trailer. I don't like to get my little Toyota truck too far into the water. I'm affraid I wont get it back out! I have only been able to get the back third of the trailer wet
I am also thinking about a possible extension on the trailer tongue. It might be something removable. I have looked at the sliding extension that are available. They cost as much as my trailer
hock: I think I can make one for less than 100 bucks
Something like this:
http://captainslog.janktheproofer.com/tr...ension.htm
or
http://votaw.org/papaw/gallery/tongueextension
joel
Sailboats "float" onto their trailers, while PWC and many powerboats "drive" onto the trailer. The difference is the powerboat literally forces it way up the bunks. This is about the worst thing you can do to a wooden boat. It depresses the planking, which tests the pull out strength and grip of each fastener, eventually causing lots of leaks and popped planking.
Sailboats and displacement powerboats float onto their trailers, in a distinguished, civilized fashion, owing to their station in life. This means the trailer bunks need to be immersed deeply enough to permit the belly of the boat to clear when you float over the trailer.
Most bow sprit equipped boats need to have trailer tongue extension. A few feet added to a tongue can make a huge difference when launching the boat. I have a detachable one I made for the Chris Craft (28' powerboat), but most are just a welded on extension. Any fabrication shop can put one on your trailer easily enough or if you can weld, it's not hard. Use a half lap joint to increase the length of the weld area or additional side plates (over the welds) to keep things stiff.
The telescoping tongue Joel linked to, is similar to mine, but I don't like the swing out version in the lower link, which looks pretty Mickey Mouse to me. My 3 ton Chris Craft, would snap a setup like that clean off, the first time I used it.
Joel I have seen those exensions and they work great. The second is on Travis Votaws boat and it is much like singed cat, better than it looks. The Princess Sharpie it carries is fairly light and the swing extension is up to the task. My trailer was a custom job that was NOT built to my specs. I wanted the 30' length but didn't want it to set so high The extension that slides in the trailer tube I think is the best design as it should be easy to use and no stroage problems. In salt it might be an issue scraping the zink off.
Mine telescopes like the second, but I have two. One is about 4' longer and I use this for short trips to local lakes. On longer trips I use the short one, which makes turns easier and the tongue weight is better. I park at the ramp, lower the jack, unhook and pull forward. I slide the short one out and the long one in. It has a single 3/4" diameter pin that holds it to the trailer tongue. When you drag a big boat around, you want it as close to the back of your rig as possible. On small boats, like Weekenders and Vacationers a permanently fixed extension works just fine. On my Chris Craft, the trailer and boat combination is about 35', so a few extra feet matters.
My experience (I've only been out twice now) is that I was able to get the trailer far enough into the water to where it was able to float off the bunks, but the front part of the keel still had a good bit of weight still sitting on the trailer. I was able to pretty easily grab her at the bowsprit and raise a little and push her off with very little weight on the bunks. However, getting her back onto the trailer, it was some serious cranking because of the resistance from the keel. I recognized early on that an extension just might be the ticket as what was really needed was to get the trailer further out into the water. I really like that telescoping insert extension.
I have the great fortune of having a "scrap" metal and all sorts of other hardware facility near me. It really is quite a treasure trove. Today I went looking for a square metal shaft as described above, but I didn't see anything the right size. However, I got to thinking....(be very afraid!!!) The overall shaft could be made of wood with metal plates attached to each side on both ends. It would appear that the most critical part would be when it is tucked back in and you're trailering. Of course with the boat's center of gravity being back near the wheels, there isn't all that much downward load on it. All the stress is on the horizontal pull of the truck. And with metal plates attached to the sides, this should help to disperse the load to a larger area than just the two through bolts. Any thoughts on this?
I would look futher for some square tubing. The wood shaft might work but I wouldn't be confortable riding down the road with one. I would scrouch up at every bump or hump in the road. Bud