Trailer Bunks & Rollers

I do not like the current setup of my new to me trailer. Currently the boat sits on the keel roller closest to the winch. It also seems to be obnoxiously high. Not sure if this was by design or not. Are these roller necessary? What could I do to safely load without damaging the boat. Is there another option instead of the roller? Could I add another set of bunks? Also the bow stop/ winch seems to be all sorts of wrong.


Are you finding it difficult to load? If not, id leave it. I actually like the front winch set up. The angle of the roller stays away from the bow eye. :man_shrugging:

1 Like

Moved to the correct forum.

I’ve added wedge bunks on two trailers to avoid the roller. Not hard to do, just tedious. Just use aluminum braces and stainless hardware. Countersink the holes for the bolt heads to be recessed on top of the bunks. Cypress or cedar is ideal for the bunk planks but PT lumber will work also.

Agree with @PanaceaFlats the winch stand looks OK to me.

2 Likes

Not necessarily, not sure if this sounds backwards but, the angle of slope at the ramp we frequent is very small. The furthest roller (circle in red) doesn’t like to roll with the boat on it. It does however spin very freely when the boat is off. I’m worried I will damage the bottom due to this. I float the boat onto the trailer. It is more difficult than it should be to guide it onto that roller as well.

^^^ this.

Guide bunks in the front make loading a breeze even in wind and current. You only have to get the bow in the right zipcode and it tracks it straight in.

That roller is gonna gouge your hull if you come in giddywompus (technical term).

Is there room to put two more bunks that run further forward? If nothing else, get either a much wider roller or just a carpeted wood plank to support the bow.

2 Likes

In regards to the winch. I should have mentioned, when loading, I have to stop the boat short of the bow stop, because the bow stop is above the bow eye. I have to pull my truck forward a few feet to change the angle. Then winch the boat on the last couple of inches. (Wish I could describe the boat ramp better). It’s just a pain, and would rather figure out a way to resolve this.

** If I was to back the trailer in less initially, I would not be able to get the boat on the roller circled in red as it would be sticking out of the water by probably 3”.

If I lower it by a few inches, I’m not sure that it would clear the trailer frame or not.

Is that the right size trailer for the boat? I see a few issues….

And I am not dogging it, I just haven’t seen a setup like that and it raises concerns if it were me.

That is a stern heavy boat and the engine is pretty far away from your last cross member.

The bow eyelet is above the front roller, not under it. The strap and eyelet should be under the bow roller so when you winch it, the bow is snug and the eyelet stops against the roller.

That prevents the bow from bouncing. Currently, you have a lot of rear weight off the trailer and the eye above the roller, I would think the boat bounces a considerable amount when trailering.

I’ve seen straps break from not being snug against the eyelet. And with the weight at the stern, the boat could come off the trailer.

I am not trying to be dramatic, I just know that I would change that setup based on what I know. Someone else here will definitely spot check my POV with their own thoughts.

Check out these pics of your model and look where the bow roller, eyelet and rear crossmember are at for reference to my comments.

3 Likes

Good pointers and i can see the differences in the trailer @coconutgroves pointed out.
That majic tilt trailer at the hinge will definitely hit the bow upon loading without the roller. Uneducated suggestions. Cut a v shape in a 4x4 covered in carpet bolted near the U shape of the tilt section. And the pointers on the winch, it appears the whole roller and winch could be unbolted and flipped upside down then moving the winch to the other side of the horizontal beam. Might solve the eye being over the bow winch wheel?

1 Like

I used the term wedge, V-bunks are the same. As others pointed out, if you can add those forward, the hull should self load, even if you’re off a bit.

@coconutgroves and @PanaceaFlats have some viable solutions for the winch.

It looks like the bunks are short and the roller was a quick solution, so my opinion that trailer wasn’t configured for your boat, adding the roller was a workaround.

If it was my trailer, I would add longer bunks and have the support the boat at the elevation you want. Get rid of the roller, it’s a gouge waiting to happen.

1 Like

That Continental trailer should have a tag on it towards the tongue. Post the model number in here if you can.

@MaverickMA @Zika is something like this what you are talking about?

@Loogie I agree the bunks need to be longer

@coconutgroves C412-1200

2 Likes

Looks like a jet ski trailer. You could extend the tongue about four feet to get the transom over the rear cross member. I would put a small carpeted bunk crossways a few feet back from the bow.

2 Likes

That’s a 17’ skiff on a 14’ boat trailer.

If it were me, I’d get a trailer that is made for the size boat you have. Too much can go wrong with a trailer that is only worth a few thousand that can seriously screw up a much more expensive boat.

1 Like

This is actually the 14’6 Native SUV.

I’d get a different trailer altogether. I’m in agreement with @coconutgroves on this one, on all the point he’s made. That trailer is just to small.
Someone didn’t wanna spend the money, and picked up a $1000 trailer from billy bobs trailer sales, that’s more suited to skies and yakks.
I’m a make it work guy myself, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Yes, only on my latest I angled the bunks into a V towards the tongue.

Is this the Native that was listed on here and PFF? Looks familiar.

1 Like

@MikeCockman yeh, I’m leaning more towards just making it right. The trailer is a 2012, as is the boat. I do believe this is the original trailer for it, which I find odd. Just a guess though.

@Zika
Yes it is. Sold my skimmer skiff a few months back. Saw this and jumped on it. I am very happy with it so far. Not to knock the skimmer, but. It is a vastly better hull than the skimmer. It looked naked without the poling platform and I needed one for the way I fish. That’s been addressed though. Ankona put in contact with the guy who builds them for them and he got me squared away.

2 Likes

That’s too nice of a boat to keep that trailer under it. Replace it if you can. It’s too short, wrong bunk setup and the winch post stop is upside down. You can correct 2 out of 3, but being too short would be the game changer.
I’m kinda like @MikeCockman, I’m a tinkerer, I like to make things work. Modify and overcome, if you will. But IMHO you will be better served with a different trailer. Don’t waste your time and money on this one.

2 Likes