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Bunk Replacement

Remediation

Remediation

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Lake Cumberland KY - White Oak Community Dock
Launched the boat on Saturday morning and realized that the bunks on the trailer are falling apart.  Got the boat trailered on Sunday barely.  Now i need to replace the 2x4's next week end.  The question I have is on a 25' boat trailer what length of boards do they use.  I can not imagine that it is a 24' 2x4.  The boards are attached with lag screws.  There is no logical place I can see that you would splice shorter pieces.  I want to take the pieces down with me.  Need help.  Don't want to get there Saturday and remove everything to see how it was put together and not have what I need on hand. 
 
Remediation am I missing something; why not just measure the current ones
 
The bunk is 24' long.  I can not tell if it is one piece of wood.  If it is where do I get a 24' 2x4.  
 
Can you see where the boards are fastened to the trailer? If one support has 4 bolts and the others have 2, that would indicate a joint/splice. Can you run your fingers along the carpet from the top and feel a seam? What about the trailer manufacturer? Can you call them and see what they use?
 
Each bunk support has 1 lag bolt going into the wood so I don't think there is joint.  I don't remember the manufacturer of the trailer and it is 4 hrs away.   
 
20' is probably the longest you'll find at most true lumber stores depending on what part of the country you live in. I would tend to think you have a joint/seam somewhere along your bunks. If you can't see the joint they must have wrapped them once they were installed, that's going to make it a real PIA to swap out at the boat ramp. 
 
I just replaced the bunks and carpet on my trailer last summer. My boat is 22 feet long. I swear the bunks were only 20 feet long and I bought 8 10 foot 2x4's at Lowes and I ordered bunk carpet online. (The bunks for the center tube were in great shape so I didn't replace them) I wrapped each board with new carpet and used SS steel staples. I positioned 2 carpeted boards on the trailer and butted them together and used a heavy duty SS steel plate to splice them together using galvanized lag bolts. The splice/butt is NOT on the support. Same as the original. I then positioned the now 20 foot carpeted board on the trailer and attached them using galvanized lag bolts. My suggestion to you is to drill another hole in the trailer support so you can attach the board using 2 bolts instead of one.  I can take pics of the spliced/butted bunks if you'd like. My trailer is across the street from our house. The boat is in the water.....


You can use 2 12 foot 2x4's and butt them together........
 
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I tore my worn carpet off and put on plastic 1x4s in its place last year.  They work great.  Since they don't stay wet like carpet, the 2x4s will last longer.


The 2x4s underneath on mine were one piece. I highly doubt yours are 24 feet long. The nose cones are 4-5 feet long.
 
kaydano said:
I tore my worn carpet off and put on plastic 1x4s in its place last year.  They work great.  Since they don't stay wet like carpet, the 2x4s will last longer.


The 2x4s underneath on mine were one piece. I highly doubt yours are 24 feet long. The nose cones are 4-5 feet long.
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Did you use a specific type of plastic wood, always look for options but wasn't confident what would work. 
 
You still need regular wood 2x4s. The plastic boards go on top of that to replace the carpet. They are nice and slick when wet. Little effort is needed to load the boat.  I mentioned it since your wood bunks will last longer. Can't recall the brand.  I bought them from Menards, but they are sold at most box stores.
 
By the way, my bunks are 20 foot.  I had it written in with other measurement notes I took once.
 
As a contractor that builds new homes for a living. I would never go to a big box store for lumber in most cases. You should call a real lumber yard to find long lengths of treated lumber. Most likely won't find 24' 2x4's. But should find 2x8's or 2x10x24's that you can rip down to 2x4's. Just another idea to stay away from splices. Good luck with your endever.
 
1Blderbob said:
As a contractor that builds new homes for a living. I would never go to a big box store for lumber in most cases. You should call a real lumber yard
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Thanks!


I can't stand these big box stores!Sure, it's nice to see the selection they offer, but the quality at REAL lumber yards is better! 
 
My bunks are 2 x 8 with some kind of poly surround on the boards rather than carpet. 2 x 8 boards on each side has got to make hitting them easier when trying to drive up on the trailer from the water.
 
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I used a lumber yard for my deck supplies and the 2x10's were anywhere from 9 1/8" to 9 1/2" They were all over the place. So based on my experience the "lumber yard" isn't always the best. Wood is wood and it will do what it wants.
 
lakeliving said:
I used a lumber yard for my deck supplies and the 2x10's were anywhere from 9 1/8" to 9 1/2" They were all over the place. So based on my experience the "lumber yard" isn't always the best. Wood is wood and it will do what it wants.
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Not all lumber yards are equal! That's why a good contractor tends to favor certain lumber yards and not others. They buy lumber at different mills and not all mills are equal.And the big box stores buy in bulk and pretty much buy the lowest price they can find on the market.As you can see,no LOVE for big Orange or Blue.
 
1Blderbob said:
Not all lumber yards are equal! That's why a good contractor tends to favor certain lumber yards and not others. They buy lumber at different mills and not all mills are equal.And the big box stores buy in bulk and pretty much buy the lowest price they can find on the market.As you can see,no LOVE for big Orange or Blue.
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Exactly! 
 
We have a 2575rcw and our longest bunk boards are ~19', one piece, no joints. They do not extend the entire length of the toons. Pics are in my gallery of the boat on the trailer. Yours should be similar but obviously, may be a different length depending on the trailer manufacturer.


Also, my understanding is you do not want to use treated lumber due to the chemical reaction it may have on the toons. If you use plastic bunk covers I would think you would be okay but something to consider.
 
gnc1017 said:
We have a 2575rcw and our longest bunk boards are ~19', one piece, no joints. They do not extend the entire length of the toons. Pics are in my gallery of the boat on the trailer. Yours should be similar but obviously, may be a different length depending on the trailer manufacturer.


Also, my understanding is you do not want to use treated lumber due to the chemical reaction it may have on the toons. If you use plastic bunk covers I would think you would be okay but something to consider.
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That's correct. Just good old southern yellow pine! Nothing treated!
 
update:  Took the bunk off and it was rotten in 2 sections.  Called Lumber King in Somerset KY and they stock 20' 2x4 in Spruce.  $10 each.  Need 19'8".  I am going to order some slide pads to install instead of carpet. The welds on the toons destroy the carpet. 


Looked at the carry capacity tag on the trailer.  4000lbs.  No wonder the trailer is self destructing.  That somebody would sell the previous owner that undersized of a trailer is almost criminal neglect. 
 
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