Could use some wisdom

[Jim Robeson]

Yesterday I was going to put my boat on the trailer and take to a storage unit. While doing this I had my brother-n-law back the trailer in the water while I put the boat in the water. Before I could get the boat on the trailer my brother-n-law noticed that the one of the bunks had come loose from the trailer. In inspecting the bunks he noticed that all were rotten. So he pulled the trailer back to the house and I put the boat back on the lift. In doing so, I failed to blow out the engines yesterday before I left for the day. It's 12 degrees today and I am worried that I could have really screwed up here by not blowing out the engines.

Am I worried about nothing or is there something I should do before I fire the engines again?? I still have to get my boat on the trailer because we have sold our lake house and dock. I also have made new bunks to replace the rotten ones.

Which also brings up a point for all of you that don't keep your boat on the trailer...don't forget to check those bunks!! I just cringed at the thought of what could've been if that one bunk hadn't come off.

 

[Bruce]

The water boxes do not hold that much water I believe you will be fine.

This thread may help with the bunks https://jetboaters.net/threads/replaced-bunks-on-mfi-trailer.1927/

 

[Jim Robeson]

Thanks Bruce! I am finishing up the bunks now. Went with just about all you used. But decided to go with stainless steel lags.

 

[jawsf16]

I check my bunks every few launches because several guys have reported nearly recovering on a bunk detached or floating away. SO glad y'all caught it before putting a gouge in the boat!

Water should be fine as long as you don't leave it long term. Not that much water and it will take some time at that temp to freeze all the way into the engines. Just get her out as soon as you can.

 

[Ronnie]

The engines are self drainjng so you should be fine.

I had a mounting hole in one of my rear bunks rot out once which let the rear of the bunk detach from the mount and float freely. Thankfully I saw it as I prepped the trailer to recover the boat. I ended up using a tie down strap to hold everything together for the ride home and back the following weekend.

Glad your BIL identified the problem before you found out through an insurance quote estimating what a big hole under the water line costs to fix. If it was my BIL id buy him a drink.

 

[Julian]

No issues with water in the waterboxes....they are round, even if they freeze it will have nothing to press against.

 

[Jim Robeson]

Thanks all for the response. Made me sleep a lot better last night. Still can't believe how bad those bunks were...heck the lag bolts weren't even galvanized. Wouldn't have thought that trailer manufactures would put out something like that. And I'm not 100% sure that the wood was even treated lumber. Oh well, lesson learned and thankfully not the hard way.

Thanks again @Bruce , @Ronnie , @jawsf16 , and @Julian !!

 

[justason]

The engines are self drainjng so you should be fine.

Good question @Jim Robeson @Ronnie can you elaborate on this please? what does self draining mean, and where does it drain to? just "out" ? I understand and agree with the waterbox statements.. I often wonder about the water in the pee hole coolant lines, primarily in the hoses closest to the engine blocks.
when i start up and blow out my engines, does ALL that water comes from the waterbox only ?

other area I consider is the ballast bag at the PUMP itself....seems no matter how often I drain it...there's always more in there

 

[Gym]

@Jim Robeson. The bunk issue is caused by the carpeting covering the wood not allowing the wood to properly dry out. I had the same issue a few years ago. @justason the water just gravity drains. The lowest point is the water boxes so nothing is left in the motors to freeze. The water boxes only hold 20-25%of their capacity so any freezing would have plenty of room for expansion preventing any damage. Unless you had tow valves installed and they were closed you should have no problems.

 

[Julian]

Good question @Jim Robeson @Ronnie can you elaborate on this please? what does self draining mean, and where does it drain to? just "out" ? I understand and agree with the waterbox statements.. I often wonder about the water in the pee hole coolant lines, primarily in the hoses closest to the engine blocks.
when i start up and blow out my engines, does ALL that water comes from the waterbox only ?

other area I consider is the ballast bag at the PUMP itself....seems no matter how often I drain it...there's always more in there

Gravity drains all the water out from all the hoses, so the only place where water remains is the water boxes. There might be a little in the pee hole tubes, but it will be a tiny amount, and will be in the lower 1/4 of the hose unless your hoses have a serious droop in them. If the hoses are old and getting stiff, I suppose the rubber might crack, but not critical (IE if it does, you still have cooling, and no engine damage).

Ballast and Shower lines and bags are something else entirely. These should be drained and/or removed as much as possible!

 

[JetBoatPilot]

This is a good read here. Glad I read it. See, even when you thought you'd read it all, this board teaches you something new!!! You guys rock!

 

[Jim Robeson]

Well, got the new bunks installed and the boat out of the water. But it wasn't smooth sailing...see what I did there....plugs were fouled so I had to change them just to get the engines started. Then the starboard cleanout plug wouldn't latch. So I take it apart to find ice on the inside keeping it from functioning correctly. So, get everything back together and over to the trailer into 15-20 mph winds. Took me two stabs but she is safe and sound inside a storage unit until I find a slip and lift.

Thanks again for all the advice. And @JetBoatPilot hit it on the head, you can always learn something here!!

 

[jawsf16]

Frozen cleanout plug?!?! Its always something...

Glad you got her out safe and sound.

 

[justason]

Well, got the new bunks installed and the boat out of the water. But it wasn't smooth sailing...see what I did there....plugs were fouled so I had to change them just to get the engines started. Then the starboard cleanout plug wouldn't latch. So I take it apart to find ice on the inside keeping it from functioning correctly. So, get everything back together and over to the trailer into 15-20 mph winds. Took me two stabs but she is safe and sound inside a storage unit until I find a slip and lift.

Thanks again for all the advice. And @JetBoatPilot hit it on the head, you can always learn something here!!

Interesting. Our answers here focused on the health of the engine, overlooked the water that typically pools over the plugs ! glad it all came together for you in the end. Now to sit back with a beer and boat magazine and make that shopping list for spring !

 

[PEARCE]

I had to deal with the rotten bunk board issue on Labor Day weekend this past summer. I had one of the rear ones fall off right after launching and had to pick it up in the middle of the parking lot. The boat stayed in the water till Monday afternoon. I got the bunk back in place and held on with twine. I had to move the truck and trailer around a little to a different spot. In that moving the other rear bunk decided that it was done too and decided to let go. I had to do the same treatment to it with the twine. We got the boat loaded and sitting where it needs to on the trailer for our 2.5 hour drive home. I just thought that was the end of my trailer issues for the weekend. WRONG! My 18 month old trailer tires decided that they were done too. I had one blowout about 40 mins from the lake on the interstate. I had a spare and changed that one. The boat was riding fine on the tied down bunks so we were good to go. I kept my speed in check the rest of the way and didn't want to risk another blowout. We were about 20 mins from home and the second one on the same side blew. I pulled into a large travel stop gas station with a Sonic and I dropped the trailer and the family and told them to get dinner. I ran home and got my second spare and got back to the trailer and got it changed. I was exhausted by the time we finally got it all home. So I've got new bunks AND new tires for the coming season. My bunks that rotted were the originals BTW so I think they served me well.

 

[Jim Robeson]

That would have made me very nervous @PEARCE . Don't know that I would have even wanted to leave the parking lot with my bunks just tied on with twine. Glad to hear that you made it back.

I have to say that I was truly surprised to find the lags had rusted completed and the wood to be rotten. I can only imagine that the trailer manufacturer didn't use treated lumber or galvanized lags. The dock that I just sold has a lift that has been in the slip for over ten years and they as good as they were the day I first installed the lift. I just wouldn't think that a boat trailer manufacturer would have done something like that.

 

[PEARCE]

@Jim Robeson the twine was just to keep the bunks in place while it was in the water to get the boat on. Once the boat was loaded the bunks don't move. I was very glad we made it home that night. I needed to go to work the next day to get some rest. The boards were completely rotted where they attached to the trailer and the bolts were completely rusted. I have only boated in fresh water BTW. I can only imagine what the saltwater guys have to put up with.