Florin {VACATIONER} Posted September 7, 2004 Posted September 7, 2004 Jan, I tend to agree with Craig on this one. His trailer is a nice one, and his bunks are fully adjustable. That would be the cat's meow if you can manage that. Mine are not adjustable at all, so I'd better get them right the first time. That's why I left them longer to start with... easier to cut them shorter after the fact as opposed to welding on some more pipe. He is right about the keelbox as well. You only need the 2/3 at the front.... Why????? Because when the trailer is backed in the water, the aft part of the keelbox is submerged in the water so deep, the keel won't come in contact with it until you're about 1/3 in on the trailer... So then the first 1/3 is just firewood as far as I am concerned. I wish I knew this BEFORE I made it...I would have saved on carpet too... but this is the school of hard knocks hehehe. Cheers Quote
Jan Williamson Posted September 7, 2004 Author Posted September 7, 2004 I am going to try to trade the rollers for carpeted bunks. I'm thinking of getting the bunks all cut shaped and carpeted, shaping and drilling the new connecters (1/8 by 1" steel) in other words get everything ready, and then when I take the boat down to the lake to "launch" I'll then trade out the set-up while the boat is in the slip. Thank you for all your input and pictures. Mine won't look as good as Florin's :oops: and I haven't seen Craig's yet, but I think it will be better than what I have! Quote
Craig Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Jan your trailer has all you need for the basic frame. It looks lik it fits the boat well and can be easily modified. Below are some links to photos of my trailer. The guy who built it misquoted the price and then didn't build what I had speced. As such it needed some modification to be usefull and is a bit too high. Anyway, as Florin says the after part of the keel box is just there, it doesn't really function. The same can be said for the front third of my bunks. That is the ski jump looking part in the photos. ( They are gone now by-the-by) I thought I needed to support the rocker but it was not necessary as the keel supports the front of the boat. The curved portion just ate paint while loading and increased the drag winching her up the last couple feet. Reviewing your photos it appears that the box could be bolted to the tounge with some long U-bolts and then use two cross member aft for support. For fresh water you could use two dexion channels and bolt them to othe trailer rails as crossmembers. That would hold the weight of your boat just fine. If the roller mounts are adjustable use them for the bunk boards. It doesn't matter if the rock, they will level out with the weight of the boat anyway. Here's the photos. Hope they are of some help... http://members.cox.net/~loveylou/Trl1.jpg http://members.cox.net/~loveylou/Trl2.jpg http://members.cox.net/~loveylou/Trl3.jpg http://members.cox.net/~loveylou/Trl4.jpg Quote
Jan Williamson Posted September 8, 2004 Author Posted September 8, 2004 Craig! What a great looking boat and trailer. :shock: I like your colors! Thank you for the pics What is exactly is dexion channel? I had some steel cut today to make some bunk extentions brackets that will attach in the same bolt hole as the roller bracket. The middle ones need to be a little taller anyway (boat to close to the fenders). Then I can just attach the carpeted boards to the new angled brackets. I am hoping this will work, so I don't have to hire a welder. The roller brackets are not only on a piveting arm(fore and aft) but they also pivot side to side. Each set of four rollers move independantly. So I hope my boards flex Thanks again. Quote
Frank Hagan Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Jan, West Marine sells the bunk extension brackets like Craig has in his photos ... I used them on my trailer to create bunks the right height. The bottom of the Weekender is really strong, so it probably doesn't matter, but I have my keel resting on the keel box, with the bunks just there to support the hull and keep it from tipping side to side. That made adjusting them really easy. The keel is the strongest part of the boat, but its hard to argue that supporting it from the 1/2" ply is a bad thing ... these boats are built like tanks and light besides, and either way of supporting the hull is probably acceptable. Without a keel box, you'll need to temporarily support the boat if you remove the rollers in favor of bunks, at least until you can get the bunks in there. Quote
Craig Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Jan dexion is perferatorated steel channel. You cut it to length with a shear and the holes are uniforn so you just bolt it together and make what ever you want from it. It was a military thing but there is still tons of it floating around. Handy stuff, Your plan sounds good. If you have trouble getting the height just right use wooden shims under the angle brckets for the bunks. Remember an man on a fast Dol[hin will never see it.... Quote
Jan Williamson Posted September 8, 2004 Author Posted September 8, 2004 Frank, I'd like go with a keel box, for two reasons. To keep the marring down on my hull when loading, and in transit. Seems like it would not be that much work to install one. Craig, Dexion channel for the box :idea: I looked it up online, wouldn't that be easy. Not sure where I could buy 12 ft or so though. I'll either jack up the boat on the driveway to get the rollers out and put the bunks in, or wait till I launch then swap them out. I might be having to much fun with the boat though Quote
Florin {VACATIONER} Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Jan, We've had the same problem with our planned trailer mods... every time we wanted to just go to the lake, unload and then drag the bare trailer home for the mods the weather was just right for sailing and ended up postponing the mods for another day. I think what we'll have to do is wait for a rainy day, dump the boat and hope we won't feel like sailing in the crappy weather :-).... Our trailer is still waiting for the mods yet. Cheers Quote
Craig Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Jan the dexion is for the cross members only if you can find it. ( Scrap Yards ?) . Don't try top make the keel box from it. Sorry for the confusion. Quote
Jan Williamson Posted September 8, 2004 Author Posted September 8, 2004 And I thought I was going to get by easy....... Thanks for the warning :oops: Quote
Guest Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 Golly, Ms. Molly. I see a lot of stress over something that is fairly simple when you remove those darn rollers and replace them with the bunks. [spoken with a bit of a grin] Deal?? There are simple brackets that fit on even the long ones for a flat bottom boat and are also used on short ones too. I see no reason for all those suports, in my humble opinion. Find you a trailer shop or a bunch of boat sales places and go look at the examples under the new boats an new trailers. Here is a shot of mine. You may need some form of these using the pivot postion on the existing support. But these are easily purchased for your bunks. Then depending on your trunk support, even two cross braces, with deep notches will surely hold it in postion once you tie the boat down. Actually, you can probably try to do your bunks on while the boat is on the trailer, if you do one at a time, if the height of the supports are close when you exchange them. You have support for and aft on each side. If it would make you feel better, place a stiff knee under the corners with a cross brace at the bottom with a footed plate. [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin] Quote
Jan Williamson Posted September 8, 2004 Author Posted September 8, 2004 You just wait...... I am going to be bragging about how easy the dacron sails were to sew Thanks Oyster. :wink: I do plan on taking out the rollers. I just need to figure out the best way of attaching the new brackets. I think I'll just use the same bolt as the roller bracket went in, which means 8 brackets on each side. So I could do two 8 ft, 2x6s with four brackets attached on each board. I am jsut going to shape my own brackets, unless I come across them online. Quote
Tim Diebert Posted September 8, 2004 Posted September 8, 2004 I just read this thread for the first time....oh, well. Lot's of fine info as always. Now I will add my two cents worth if it is OK. My boat goes on and off the trailer perfectly. It took just a bit of fine tuning and farting around, but it is great....even in a cross wind. Rather than a whole box, I just have a simple wood thing that aligns the forefoot with the first keel roller on the trailer. Once the boat is a couple of inches into it, the tension from the winch line keeps it lined up and on square and straight every time. A whole great long box is overkill and added friction in my humble opinion. It abraids the keel sides as well. I too have one bunk one on each side. If you would like to see what I have done I will take a pic at your request. Quote
Tim Diebert Posted September 9, 2004 Posted September 9, 2004 On my trailer there are only two rollers on the center line, then two bunks. Once the forefoot is in the slot, crank it. Under all conditions it comes smoothly onto the trailer and is self aligning. Well, sometimes I have to give it a wee push to get the forefoot to sit in the middle of the front roller.... but only after Annie M. is on the trailer, up the ramp and being torn down. And if it is blowing huge (our ramps gets it on the beam), I get an innocent bystander to hold a stern line to keep the boat in line with the trailer. Pics of how my trailer is set up. Hope this helps someone. http://www.timtone.com/tt/ttphotos/Trailersettup.htm Quote
Jan Williamson Posted September 11, 2004 Author Posted September 11, 2004 Thank you Tim, That is quite a nice set-up. Simple too. Now I have to decide what will work best with my trailer. I have lots of options. Thanks to all for the great imput. I hope our other builders got as much out of this post as I did . Quote
adla Posted September 11, 2004 Posted September 11, 2004 Yeah...i got a goOd look at Oyster's old wood pile....and envy his scavenger ways.....it makes me want to look in peoples garbage.... i'm off to play with some of the salvaged mahogany my dad brought me over the summer.... a. Quote
capt jake Posted September 11, 2004 Posted September 11, 2004 and envy his scavenger ways..... And I have always been told I was the ultimate packrat! ;) Quote
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