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Bunk trailer needed with lifting strakes?

Dan S

Dan S

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Minnesota but boat in NW Wisc.
I'm thinking of getting lifting strakes. Are there two per each toon or are they just on the outside of each toon? Do you need a bunk trailer if there's two on each pontoon or is there plenty of clearance?

Dan S.
 
There are two on each toon, inner and outer. I think a scissor trailer would still work as the stakes do not stick out past the 25" diameter. I have a bunk as I think they ride better.
 
I agree with the bunk being better but my two buddies share a scissor trailer "up at the lake" and I'll be the third. Saves $
 
Measure twice, cut once.
 
I have a bunk for mine. Plenty of clearance and good ride.
 
Closed or open strakes in freshwater? Does it really matter?
 
Open for fresh. Unless the boat will be sitting and you have zebra muscles then maybe sealed. I have sealed but I have the saltwater package in case I ever get enough smarts to move south.
 
No zebra or salt in our future. it would be nice if the just capped them all and not add so much to the price. Thanks for your input. I added open strakes.
 
Anything else we can help you spend more money on?
 
Dan S said:
 it would be nice if the just capped them all and not add so much to the price. Thanks for your input. I added open strakes.
Click to expand...
Open strakes are two piece and closed are a three piece design.
 
Ah, 2 pc vs 3 pc. makes sense now. things aren't always what they seem especially when you're ordering a pontoon boat. as far as spending money, I'm doing a pretty good job as it is but thanks for the offer. Ha, ha.....
 
Just remember the open strakes will bubble when you come off plane as they fill with water.  This is no big deal, but unless you know better, you'd think you punctured a pontoon.  Now you know.  First time I noticed it, it caused an early end to boating for the day and a quick return to the dock.  Just an FYI.

As far as other common "big duh" moments, if your motor won't start, shift into neutral!  Tuck that one away in the back of your mind.  It will happen sooner or later.  And if that doesn't work, make sure the emergency stop switch isn't open.  I learned that the hard way too.

Actually, I learned all of these the hard way.  So, FYI.
 
Commodore,

Thanks for the tip regarding bubbling of the strakes. It probably would have freaked me too. What about siliconing or screwing a small piece of triangular aluminum at the front of the strake so as to help minimize this? I know some may say, why didn't you just buy sealed strakes? well you've got to draw the line somewhere I guess. Aleady $5K over budget and my wife's been great about it.
 
 I know some may say, why didn't you just buy sealed strakes? well you've got to draw the line somewhere I guess. Aleady $5K over budget and my wife's been great about it.

Just keep going till she freaks.    :p
 
There are big drain holes in the stern end of each strake. 2 inch hole.

They are welded to the pontoons every couple feet, and can bubble anywhere they are not welded. You want them to vent and drain quickly if they are not totally sealed.

I wonder how much weight in water they hold. They'd be full of water on acceleration from standstill and probably don't start draining until you are up on plane...
 
The strakes are 6 inches on a side. Assuming each strake is 15 feet long x 6 strakes, I calculate there are 650 lbs of water in the strakes at rest.

That's like three people over 200 lbs that you have to accelerate every time you throttle up... They eventually bleed out, but that's a lot of extra weight.

I'd get the sealed strakes.

Which would also give you 650 lbs of extra buoyancy at rest.

Dang! I should have gotten sealed strakes. Isn't the upgrade around $200???
 
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Actually, I think only my two outer strakes have the holes on the tail ends. All the inside strakes are wide open if I remember right. Must be just for looks.

The front ends are all closed.
 
Pretty interesting thought Dan. That is a lot of dead weight till it empties out.
 
Once the boat start to get moving it is being sucked out of the holes though. It is almost like being under a vacuum.
 
They won't start to empty until it planes up and the front of the stakes are out of the water enough for air to come in. Otherwise it's just sucking in more water. I start to plane at 11 mph. I'm guessing they aren't mostly empty until a few seconds after that. Could hit 20 mph before most of the water is out.
 
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