Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Welcome to Jetboaters.net!
We are delighted you have found your way to the best Jet Boaters Forum on the internet! Please consider Signing Up so that you can enjoy all the features and offers on the forum. We have members with boats from all the major manufacturers including Yamaha, Seadoo, Scarab and Chaparral. We don't email you SPAM, and the site is totally non-commercial. So what's to lose? IT IS FREE!
Membership allows you to ask questions (no matter how mundane), meet up with other jet boaters, see full images (not just thumbnails), browse the member map and qualifies you for members only discounts offered by vendors who run specials for our members only! (It also gets rid of this banner!)
My boat goes in once a season and come out once. I've never lubed the bunks in 10yrs but thinking of maybe doing it this time. My boat sits on the trailer in a heated building for almost 9 months so I think it gets a little sticky. We backed the boat in today and maybe too far and the trailer floated, so maybe a little sticky. Any thoughts about lubing the trailer? I looked up on here and the web and silicone and other products were mentioned.
I’ve researching this issue because our boat seems to stick to the bunks, even when launching. I had the Ultimate Bunk Boards on my old boat, but wanted to the carpet bunks a shot before I swap them out. I’ve read where others use silicon or other spray on products, but decided to give Gulf paraffin wax a try to next time we go out.
Talked with my friend this morning about your issue, he thinks that your bunk carpet could be dirty, he suggested your bunk carpet may be contaminated and that you should take the trailer to the coin operated car wash and clean the bunk carpet thoroughly.
Mine gets stuck at the front of the front bunks where it’s most angled so I’ll spray that area and anywhere that I see wear marks on the carpet with regular silicone spray once or twice a season and it does the trick.
I don’t want it too slick so I’ve never tried one of the dedicated products.
Mine gets stuck at the front of the front bunks where it’s most angled so I’ll spray that area and anywhere that I see wear marks on the carpet with regular silicone spray once or twice a season and it does the trick.
I don’t want it too slick so I’ve never tried one of the dedicated products.
From what I’ve read, keep the winch strap on your boat when launching and go easy on the throttle during recovery until you have a better sense of what to expect. I’d also appreciate hearing about your experience. Good luck!
Your trailer "floated?" That's a new one for me... I've always go in deep enough to see the boat start to float. Then a bit more to watch the boat get level with the water, then slightly more giving the boat a little bump with the bow roller to push back. At that point my wife and daughter have the boat by the bow and stern ropes, and I can slow roll the trailer up the ramp.
Your trailer "floated?" That's a new one for me... I've always go in deep enough to see the boat start to float. Then a bit more to watch the boat get level with the water, then slightly more giving the boat a little bump with the bow roller to push back. At that point my wife and daughter have the boat by the bow and stern ropes, and I can slow roll the trailer up the ramp.
According to my wife who was watching the boat as I backed it in, yes. I've never had this happen before. Probably dirty bunks that others have mentioned.
Talked with my friend this morning about your issue, he thinks that your bunk carpet could be dirty, he suggested your bunk carpet may be contaminated and that you should take the trailer to the coin operated car wash and clean the bunk carpet thoroughly.
So update, I pulled a good boner. My wife said the straps were not undone and thats why the trailer floated. We had another couple point it out as we were launching.
In this case you really ought to keep the winch strap tight aa well and then just unhook the hitch. Take the trailer out for a spin to show it what it’s been missing!
In this case you really ought to keep the winch strap tight aa well and then just unhook the hitch. Take the trailer out for a spin to show it what it’s been missing!
So update, I pulled a good boner. My wife said the straps were not undone and thats why the trailer floated. We had another couple point it out as we were launching.
I recently applied silicone spray to my bunks. Huge difference! I used to put the trailer in fairly deep, but I would still have to use a lot of throttle in reverse to get the boat off the trailer. As mentioned, leaving the winch strap and safety chain connected are a must. After I back in the trailer, I unhook the strap and chain and jump on the bow. The boat then slides off the trailer and basically launches itself. Also, it takes much less effort to winch the boat up after loading.
I recently applied silicone spray to my bunks. Huge difference! I used to put the trailer in fairly deep, but I would still have to use a lot of throttle in reverse to get the boat off the trailer. As mentioned, leaving the winch strap and safety chain connected are a must. After I back in the trailer, I unhook the strap and chain and jump on the bow. The boat then slides off the trailer and basically launches itself. Also, it takes much less effort to winch the boat up after loading.
I’ve never lubed the bunks but I’m going to give it a shot. This boat is hardest to load for me. Probably lure the the bunks on my lift too so the boat can shift into position easier
This is first boat where even if I’m on board we leave winch strap attached when backing into water. And that’s because the bow bounces up and down backing down the ramp. I have 350lb tongue weight on trailer, but I can literally pickup the bow by hand 8-10” if the strap is off. Has anyone else noticed this? It’s weird to me and certainty I’m not saying I can pick up 350lbs,
The previous 3 boats I had I would unstrap everything get on board and somebody would back trailer til boat floats and I’d drive away.
I appreciate the idea of bunk lube but I just can’t imagine using it. On the ramps I use, the boat would slide back and make the chain or winch strap taught.
When I launch my boat, I take off the safety chain and leaving the strap attached I release the ratchet on the winch and pull down enough strap to reach the trailer, re engage the ratchet mechanism, then I back it down the ramp and into the water far enough that it floats off and back and the winch strap halts its movement.. get in and start the engines, release the winch strap then dock the boat using nothing more than idle reverse, unless the dock is long enough then I just attach the dock lines to the dock, release the winch strap and then go park the truck and trailer.
When I load the boat I put the trailer in a position where the hull is guided by the bunks towards the last bit of going onto the trailer, this is usually about where the manual says to put it with the water just over the front fenders, then a short blip of the throttle to push the bow onto the bow roller. If its windy then the trailer is not put in as far so the bunks grab it sooner, I hook up the winch strap and pull it taught, leave the boat in idle ahead, and slowly back the trailer down to let the boat push itself further onto the trailer, then use the winch to snug it up into the bow eye, turn off engines and slowly pull the trailer out allowing the boat to settle onto the bunks properly. If the boat isn’t set perfectly and is off to one side a bit, then a quick stop from 5 mph usually sets it correctly enough to start the 10 min drive home, by the time I’m home its on the trailer perfectly.
