Bunk Board Replacement

[Ed G]

Hey Guys,

I have a '94 170TF. I have the standard tracker trailer. The longest bunk boards on the trailer are totally rotten. Last time I put the boat in, the boards came loose and floated to the top of the water. I had to tie them on to keep them from floating so I could get my boat back on the trailer. Anyway, I went to the tracker marine parts department here in Springfield, and they wanted $47.00 for the replacement boards, precarpeted. WOW! Are they nuts or what! Anyway, I decided to just buy the carpet and the boards and do it myself. I didn't really want to mess with it, but at that price I have to. Why in the world are those replacements priced so high. It just seems a little crazy to me. If anyone has any advice for me when doing it myself, I would appreciate it. I wasn't sure if I should staple the carpet on, or glue it, or both. Thanks for your help.

Ed

 

[Bill McElroy]

Ed,...it's a very easy job,...go to the Grab Bag section on this Website's menu it's located under "trailers") and check out the step by step instructions for bunk replacement from John Foster...follow that and you'll be done in no time!! John did a GREAT job with his!!

Mac

 

[JEFF WHITE]

take the boat to the local lake,take it off,and using a cordless drill put the new ones on.



go to lowes,home depot,and buy the boards,pressure treated,or regular ones,and stain them,varnish them,whatever to waterproof them.using stainless staples,staple one side of the carpet on the board,roll it around the board,keeping it tight,and roll it to mate with the one side you already stapled.then take the razor knife and cut through both pieces of carpet since they are overlapped.then pull the carpet back off,leaving the stapled side in,and put the waterproof glue made for the carpet on it,stretch it and put a few staples in it to hold it down.tuck the ends and staple them to the ends.some will say to leave the bottom open for drainage,sounds like a good idea,i had a set on i made for 2 yrs which were not pressure treated,and they didnt show any signs of rot.



when putting the boards on the trailer there is a few diffrent ways of doing it.1st is jacking up the boat off the bunks with a floor jack and a good piece of wood,hardwood,not pine.the jack head will sink into the board if you use pine.place the boat back down on the board(s) and using a galvanized or stainless screw a #14x3/4" long,screw through the mount into the board.make double sure on the length of the screw so as not to do a stupid thing like screwing the boat to the bunks!sound stupid,but i bet a few have done that!



the other option is if you know where the boards will go,take the boat to the local lake,take it off,and using the cordless drill,drill straight through the board,countersink the hole side to the boat,and using a 1/4"x2"stainless steel caridge bolt,nut,washer(fender or nomal one)lock washer,bolt them down to the trailer.use locktite on the bolts/nut,and double nut the bolt with loctite red on both.



what you do is up to you!my 2 center boards are bolted,the outers are screwed for the time being.making 2 boards up this winter,see if i can use 2x6"s,got them on the center boards now,a little extra support i think.

 

[Staci Matheis]

I recommend leaving the underside uncarpeted - allows for quicker drying.



me!

 

[Steven Atwell]

That's ridiculous, those bunks should cost around $30 give or take.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

They do sa, give or take another $17.00 LOL. I'm sure that does not include shipping either. As is always the case, it is cheaper to do it yourself but for those not so inclined the manufacturer is more than happy to do it for you.....for a price!! Remember though, somebody has to cut and attach the carpet, cut the wood, supply all the hardware, have the capital investment of tools and equipment, retirement plans and hospitalization for the worker then package and mail the end product. LOL!!



TOXIC

 

[Steven Atwell]

You can buy replacement bunks from any dealer for quite a bit cheaper, I'm not sure how long your's are, but here's a good place:



http://www.4trailerparts.com/html/prodList.asp?subcat=h_bunks





I bought a brand new 93" bunk for my 19'3" Gambler 2 weeks ago from the 'original' trailer manufacturer (Ameratrail) for $20. It had the original carpet and carpet color. I watched him make it in front of me as well. $47 is a rip off for a 17' boat trailer.................sa