Roller or Bunk Guides

[TSCTSC]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what bunk or roller guides are good to install on my trailer to help keep the boat loaded straight in unfavourable conditions, short of getting a bunk trailer? I have tried the Shoreland'r bunk guides and am very unhappy with them. They sit too low, too weak (currently one of them is bent), and a freaking pain to take on and take off. Perhaps I am thinking of one of those pole guides, but are they better? Just worried that the smaller surface area on the plastic pole pipes might scratch the paint on the boat etc.

Thanks

[Deitz Dittrich]

there are aftermarket things you can add to the trailer to help in this... Its a matter of finding the one that works best for you and your boat. you may want to look at a product called Rope-a-boat.

[delmuts]

if you go down to the bottom of this page; click on pg. 17 . there was a discussion that mite be of help for you there too about bunk or roller trailers.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Here is that post that Del was talking about.

However, not sure if that is what you were looking for. That was more of a rollers vs bunk thread...

[musky hunter]

I have the same problem on my roller trailer. It has a rubber keel plate up front, and unless the boat hits that dead on it doesn't always center up. The trailer also has guide-on's, which are made out what seemed to be fairly stout steel, but they just bent over while trying to load in a crosswind. I'm down to adding an additional center roller and maybe two outer rollers to center the V of the bow better. The Rope-A-Boat system looked like it would work, but I've never seen one in use so I cannont comment on it. Converting a trailer to a bunk from a roller would be a lot of work and one would have to ask if it just wouldn't be easier and maybe cheaper just to trade trailers to the kind you want rather than convert one. I feel your pain.

[barnyard]

If you need guide ons for your trailer, you are probably backing in waaaaaay too deep.

I have a roller trailer and can load it straight, alone, in crappy conditions all the time, any time. I have hit the back of the rollers at a 45 degree angle and still got the boat on straight.

With my trailer, the key is to only submerge the 1st set of rollers. If I have too much of the trailer backed in, the boat floats all over the place.

When the farthest back set of rollers are the only ones in the water, the trailer guides the boat to center. If I miss one of the keel rollers (that has happened a time or 2), I just let off the throttle, let the boat roll back a bit, correct and drive it up.

Most of the time, I drive up to within 5 inches of the winch stand. The landing at Rainy River was perfect, even with a poor running motor, I was able to drive it up to the stop.

I have read some folks advise that you only back in as far as a fender or somewhere on the wheel or stuff like that. The best indicator are the rollers.

The landing in Cold Spring for the Horseshoe Chain as a very steep drop. Most of the time, I can load perfectly with my rear bumper 5 feet from the water. The rear rollers are submerged, so it loads perfect.

If you come up for carp, I'll take you on the river in my boat ans show you what I am talking about.

Tom B