Bunks or rollers

[JordanB380]

I have a vario by indespension and i had a 4m sib on it and now ive bought a 3.8m rib abd i was wondering if the bunked trailer would be fine or am i better off getting a roller trailer?

[simsy]

I find the bunk trailer fine for my light 4.1m rib, with 30hp 4 stroke.

Getting off the trailer seesm easy. Getting back on in very shallow water sometimes requires the raising of the trailer nose to get the boat started on the bunks before winching.

Boat will not roll off the bunks easy if unstrapped, which on a light boat is a slight bonus.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by simsy

I find the bunk trailer fine for my light 4.1m rib, with 30hp 4 stroke.

Getting off the trailer seesm easy. Getting back on in very shallow water sometimes requires the raising of the trailer nose to get the boat started on the bunks before winching.

Boat will not roll off the bunks easy if unstrapped, which on a light boat is a slight bonus.

I'd agree....When I've had smaller Rib's and Sib's, Bunk Trailers worked Fine

[Exe treme]

As long as you are fine with launching, you are probably better off with bunks as the load is spread rather than having a couple of pressure points.
Ribs also tend to be easier to push off than Sibs as there is less friction (weight dependent of course).

[9D280]

In summary:

Bunks:
Support the hull better, but are a PITA to launch with unless you can get it in deep enough to float it off.

Rollers:
- the opposite of that!





My old SR4 was on a bunked trailer. Total @rseache to launch. Got the " new" boat on a bunk trailer - same thing. That trailer was well past it's use by date & is now doing service as a sdinghy club safety boat launch trolley.

I bought a swing roller trailer to replace it and I think in the last 5 years I've only had to un-hitch it from the car once to recover, and that only 'coz the slip was living up to it's name & I couldn't trust the handbrake. (people with 4x4s were also using ropes if that puts things in perspective!)



My thought, FWIW - if you launch & recover a lot, and / or use shallow slips a swing roller is likely going to be the preferred option.

[beamishken]

I think its a matter of preference I've used many different trailers & I wouldn't go past a bunk trailer far les to go wrong, no rollers to sieze or fall off & have the boat damaged on the remaining metal supports

you get a higher legal payload as they are lighter & quite often the boat sits lower to the road anyway so you don't need to go in as deep -we used to trailer a 25 foot cruiser that weighed 3500kgs with a light bunked trailer maybe weight isn't an issue but depending on the car you have added weight could mean you need a braked trailer


with a small rib you could probably push it off a bunked trailer anyway.we can with ours!

I've seen a lot of people trying to winch boats up roller trailers & there was so much tention on the strap it would take there head off if it let go bad practice to be in the snap back zone far better practice to get the trailer deeper & use the winch to snug the boat up to the snuffer block

only my opinion of course