Find me the slipperiest bunk carpet!

[Speedling]

Here's the deal, my carpet is getting worn out pretty badly on the bunks. It's also pretty hard to get the boat on the trailer partly due to the roughness of the carpet, and partly due to the bow stop roller needing to be welded yet.
Anyways, a lot of the places we are boating lately have a no power loading policy, which is making it very hard for me and the wife to get the boat on the trailer, even with all the tips and tricks we've been told.
So, find me something slippery!
Gonna be putting it all on in about a month or less hopefully.

 

[Julian]

I only ever crank the boat on the last foot...not hard. Are your ramps super steep?

 

[Speedling]

Not overly steep. It's hard enough to crank that my wife can't do it. I have to put the throttle forward past where no wake would be, and hop down and crank the boat on, it's that hard.
Sometimes we start extra far in the water, hook it up and drag it on a little further, but then the bow is below the rollers, but then there is a little less cranking to do when she pulls forward a bit.
Even to get the boat off the trailer, I have to gas it with the boat, and she has to get the trailer all the way into the water and stop hard to try and slide us off. It's kinda overkill for what we should have to do.
I do plan on buying a new winch, which will help, but the carpet needs to be replaced, so I figure why not get the slipperiest stuff I can! We're too tired and lazy to do all this work every time, especially with 3 kids under 5 years old!

 

[ToddW850]

I coat mine real good with a lubricant spray like T9 or Yamalube. I'll spray it on real good before I retrieve the boat at the launch. You will definitely be able to tell a difference.

 

[mattschepker]

Lee,

When i bought our boat 3 years ago, I to had a hard time with the boat launch and retrievel. The boat would not want to slide on the bunks so i bought LIQUID ROLLERS. Its a spray that you apply to your bunks which i only sprayed once in three years. I only sprayed the back half of bunks and its slick!!!! you dont want to unhook the winch line unless your in the water because you boat will be on the ground. Now when i load the boat on the trailer, i have to keeps throttles in foward so the boat stays against the bow then i hook the winch. i need to replace carpet this year and when i do i am going to use liquid rollers again

 

[Speedling]

Perfect. So some new basic carpet and some Liquid rollers sounds like a winner to me!

 

[mattschepker]

Follow the directions on can. Lee, remember dont unhook the winch line until your in the water. I had a close call once

 

[Speedling]

Follow the directions on can. Lee, remember dont unhook the winch line until your in the water. I had a close call once

I can't even imagine that with as bad as it is right now!

 

[Jump Right In]

The liquid rollers stuff is amazing. And YES, please heed the advice to not unhook the winch. The first time I went to the ramp after lubing my bunks, my boat did slide off, but thankfully i was back up fast enough that it ended up in the water. If the boat had an outdrive, I would have had a very, very bad day!

 

[mattschepker]

I can't even imagine that with as bad as it is right now!

i put a heavy dose on the back half. if you find you need more, spray 3/4 of the bunk

 

[jetboater4life]

i put a heavy dose on the back half. if you find you need more, spray 3/4 of the bunk

I put the spray on the part of the bunks closest to the winch. The bunks closest to the taillights don't contact the boat during launch and retrieval.

 

[mattschepker]

I put the spray on the part of the bunks closest to the winch. The bunks closest to the taillights don't contact the boat during launch and retrieval.

I meant to say front half. Thanks for reminding me. that was 3 years ago

 

[TonkaTuff]

I keep debating on something like one of these:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/product.do?part=40169&engine=msn&keyword=bingPLA

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro...de-Ons&i=73391&r=view&aID=603E&cID=BING_73391

http://www.westmarine.com/taco--trailer-glyde-slicks--P017_513_002_006

http://www.wholesalemarine.com/boat...t-8-piece.html?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=bing

 

[jetboater4life]

I'm not sure any of those are better than UBBs. I guess you get the support of the wood but still get the contact with the boat like UBBs. I ended up carpeting my UBBs because my gelcoat was getting scuffed up. Maybe an advantage is they are cheaper than UBBs?

 

[TonkaTuff]

That was my thought... The benefits of the UBBs but at a fraction of the price.

 

[Wayloncle]

Reading this thread makes me think I might be doing something wrong. The ramps I use in my marina are steep, I don't mean the whole thing is steep, like on one ramp my front crossmember on the trailer drags on the crest of the ramp. On that one, my truck is pretty much level and my 65" guides are barely out of the water. It's all level and then it just drops off into the water all of a sudden.
The other ramp inside the members only area that I've been using recently is better but it is still steep. My problem is I have to put my rear truck tires in the water and I still have to push the bow over the roller. Now I'm thinking I might be having that problem because I try to just float the boat onto the trailer, if I left the trailer out of the water more, the boat would slide up the bunks a little and keep the bow over the roller.
I didn't like putting much pressure on the winch and bow hook but maybe that's what I need to do.

Does that make any sense?

 

[jawsf16]

@Wayloncle I recommend backing in until the fenders are just covered, or if it is real steep. About a foot to a foot and a half of bunk board is out of water. Usually best to dip all the bunks then pull forward so they are damp. Power on just slightly, you won't hurt the bow stop. If you have a two man crew, have one at the winch while you goose power so they can cinch it up. Steep ramps coupled with deep trailers make it near impossible to load these boats.

 

[Gym]

@Speedling as far as a new winch is concerned you may want to consider the Fulton F2, 2 speed winch. The low gear is slow but would be much easier for your wife.

 

[txav8r]

Everytime I read these types of posts, I am glad I spent 3 years with the UBB's. I know they still scuff, but so does the carpet, and I hated not being able to get the boat all the way on the trailer. I tried furniture polish, liquid rollers, all of them. You had to use it almost every time you launched, and I actually think that the petroleum solvent in the spray softens the gelcoat! There is no perfect answer but the slicker the bunk is, the easier it is. It was never so slick I worried about if shifting, once the bow stop post was welded. It was necessary to leave power on to attach the winch, and you had to hold the crank handle when you unlatched the winch, because the boat would slide back about a foot or foot and a half. But I liked the ease of loading/unloading with the UBB's...I just didn't like the continued scuffing.

 

[Speedling]

@Speedling as far as a new winch is concerned you may want to consider the Fulton F2, 2 speed winch. The low gear is slow but would be much easier for your wife.

Yeah, it was on the Christmas list but didn't get it. Just passed my birthday too. I have my anniversary at the end of the month...