Surprise bunk board replacement

[tdonoughue]

So, I discovered that here in Texas, any trailer with a weight rating of more than 5k must be safety inspected annually (they are now tying it to the registration, so this old law has come to many people's attention of late). I hooked up my trailer (with boat) and went down the road to the inspector to pay my $7 for him to check the lights.

While waiting for him to do his thing, I got a good walk-around on the boat on the trailer. Normally it is in a stall, so I don't get a good chance to look around at it. I walked to the port side and notice the bunk board is sagging away from the hull. Uho. So I poked it with my finger. I disliked the crackling sound it made as my finger went through the fabric and (alleged) wood. I also disliked the nice scratch I saw from the forward all the way to the bunk board...

So, when I got back to my storage location, I dropped the boat in the water and went shopping. At Lowes got some 2x6 boards and a $16 roll of 6x8 outdoor carpet that seemed to fit the bill. Went back and pulled the rotting board (9/16" bolts; one forward and one aft) and took off the fabric ...



I think she's dead, Jim.

The 9/16" bolts bolt into a bracket that screws to either side of the board (Philips heads x 2). You can see the bracket in the middle of this picture.


I laid out the old fabric to use as a template. Sliced the carpet to size.



Of course, the original fabric is about 8'6". So I lined that up to one side and used the remnant to cover the end. I copied the cut pattern on the end, so I had the same tabs.

I replaced the screws holding the bracket with stainless steel screws (deck screws). Attached those to the 2x6x8, then wrapped the carpet. Stainless steel 3/8" staples were used in copious amounts. Basically wrap and staple.

Installation was reverse of install...


Only did 2 and ran out of time. The next two next week.

End of report.

 

[BigN8]

Yep. Been there done that. I used the outdoor carpet and stainless steel staples. I think the original bunk boards are only good for about 5-6 years.

 

[tdonoughue]

...or 3, in this case...

 

[4x15mph]

Great write-up. It looks great and maybe the trailer inspection is really a good thing.

You mentioned using stainless steel staples but for those in salt or anyone that wants rustproof, go for the Monel staples which are made for marine applications

http://www.amazon.com/Arrow-508M1-Genuine-Rustproof-000-Pack/dp/B00166NCGG

 

[Ronnie]

Nice work and illustrated write up.

I had to replace a bad board once, did it the same way as you did. Just launched the boat and did all the work in the parking lot. It goes smoothly if you have all the tools and materials ready. The hot sun motivated me to get it done quickly.

 

[jetboater4life]

I did the same as those above. Beached it near the ramp and replaced and carpeted the bunks.

 

[MrMoose]

Nice write-up and pics Tim. Did you use pressure treated wood?

 

[Evil Sports]

3 years, thats sad

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

What type of lumber did you go back with? I would have gone with some form of treated lumber at a minimum. Do you think the factory original lumber is treated?

 

[tdonoughue]

I have read varying opinions on the treated versus untreated. I went with the untreated. We will see how that goes. Besides, they didn't have untreated 2x6x8 there at the Lowe's I was at, so that made the decision pretty easy.

Caveat on the 3 year life span: This is my first boat, so I learned to put my first boat on this trailer. I can't swear that I didn't have a bit of a miss on a try or two. It would not be beyond reason that I hit a bunk with the keel or too hard one time and cracked the wood. Once cracked, I bet it would rot rather quickly. The other side was much better than the one side.

At any rate, we will see how it goes. A pretty easy job all-in-all.

 

[maboat]

Varying opinions? Who would be *against* pressure treated wood where the function is being dunked in water on a regular basis?

 

[ripler]

That pic looks familiar, 2 years ago I went to replace the carpeting and when I removed the carpet that's what I found also, the carpet was actually holding the wood together. @Englewoodcowboy I don't think the factory wood was treated. I replaced mine with treated lumber. This year I had a problem with the bunk boards wearing away the gelcoat from my keel on both sides.

 

[farrelltravis]

Had to replace mine about a year ago. Not too bad of a job.

 

[Noko]

I made something similar to mount my amp to. I used contact cement and staples. Some adhesive on the side that doesn't touch the hull might help too.

 

[BigN8]

Go with treated. No question.

 

[tdonoughue]

Opinions have been voiced that pressure treated tends to warp and that available at the box stores is of lower grade, generally (#3). Untreated rots faster without warp, it is said, and is available commonly in better grades (#2 and #1).

So, I opted for the untreated because a) it was available and b) cheap. Yes, I may need to redo sooner. Hopefully I keep a closer watch next time and spot the issue before it becomes so bad, so I can plan better and hunt for somewhere that might have a better grade lumber pressure treated. But not unhappy at all with my choice, presently, given the circumstances.

 

[Evil Sports]

Too bad trex is so soft

 

[jetboater4life]

Too bad trex is so soft

I am using carpeted UBBs and it is as soft as trex. So far no problems.

 

[Evil Sports]

Didnt people here show those UBBs ended up removing gelcoat

 

[maboat]

he said he carpeted the UBB's