Boat trailer question

[RUGER]

I have been needing to replace the carpet on the boards that are on the side of my boat trailer.
I don't know if you call them bunks or what when they are on the side but I am talking about the ones with the red arrow below.

Anyway, The wood is a treated 2X6 and it appears it is still in good shape but it has about 15,281 nails, staples & tacks in it from years of people replacing the carpet and just laying it over what's there.
Would you go back with just another treated board or would you go with that plastic wood stuff?
I have no idea what you call it and I am old enough that wood will probably last me the rest of my life anyway, just thinking about going that route.

Wonder if the hassle of attaching carpet to the plastic stuff would be worth it? No clue how hard that stuff is and how I would even attach the carpet if a regular staple gun wouldn't penetrate it?

Oh and one of the bolts that holds one side on broke so I am gonna have to work on it regardless is another reason I am even messing with it.

 

[breaker19sK]

When you start combining boat and carpet together in the same conversation I get nauseous thinking about my bass boat recarpet I almost finished recently. I'm not sure how well dap weldwood contact cement would handle being submerged repeatedly. However that stuff is usually my first choice regarding carpet now.

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[Smo]

I'm not sure if a staple would penetrate the plastic wood.

When I redone the carpet in the boat I own I used the spray on glue.

Just spray a light coat to both surfaces wait a minute or two , then lay carpet in place.

It's best to work small sections at a time.

I'm not sure how it would hold up on the bunks.

 

[JimFromTN]

Would you really need to carpet the plastic stuff?

 

[Wiley]

Is your boat fiberglass or aluminum? Treated wood will cause some fiberglass to blister over time. It's due to the chemicals leaching out thru the carpet and onto the fiberglass hull while the boat sits on the trailer. And I'm mostly speaking to the bottom bunks, not the guide-on bunks. Just wanted to put a little factoid out there.

 

[MickThompson]

Treated lumber will also react and corrode the trailer frame.


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[WTM]

they say some of the new chemicals in treated lumber can react with aluminum too. all my bunks look like oak. i used stainless steel wood screws on the waverunner and didnt have to use as many staples. also used marine contact cement.

i thought about using the plastic lumber but it felt flimsy to me and i didnt know how the water, sunlight and heat would react to it. some plastic doesnt fare well in sunlight or heat. if you used plastic i would think youd have to use some type of poly glue or sealant in order for the carpet to stick to plastic.

 

[RUGER]

Hmmm very interesting.

I was thinking of carpeting the plastic stuff to keep it from rubbing the paint off my boat.
My boat is aluminum.

So from the way you all talk I would probably be better off with regular un-treated wood?
I never thought about the treated stuff reacting, good point.

 

[huntintn]

I have been needing to replace the carpet on the boards that are on the side of my boat trailer.
I don't know if you call them bunks or what when they are on the side but I am talking about the ones with the red arrow below.

Anyway, The wood is a treated 2X6 and it appears it is still in good shape but it has about 15,281 nails, staples & tacks in it from years of people replacing the carpet and just laying it over what's there.
Would you go back with just another treated board or would you go with that plastic wood stuff?
I have no idea what you call it and I am old enough that wood will probably last me the rest of my life anyway, just thinking about going that route.

Wonder if the hassle of attaching carpet to the plastic stuff would be worth it? No clue how hard that stuff is and how I would even attach the carpet if a regular staple gun wouldn't penetrate it?

Oh and one of the bolts that holds one side on broke so I am gonna have to work on it regardless is another reason I am even messing with it.

Cut you some 2x6s to length and cover with carpet. Next time you put your boat in have a cordless drill with the right bit and change them. The plastic boards will do with a good carpet glue. But I'd go back with wood.

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[catman529]

I just replaced my whole bunks with treated 2x4 and outdoor carpet cause the original wood was rotting


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[fishboy1]

The composite will work provided they are strong enough. If you go with composite for the lower bunks you MUST USE TIE DOWNS !!!! There are products you can add to your wood bunks to make loading and unloading easier. Only problem is that they are slick enough that if you unhitch the winch/bow line and back down, your boat can slide off the trailer !

 

[WTM]

^^^^
not to be off topic but on the new aluminum trackers with the diamond coat paint, they will slide of the trailer even with carpet bunks. dont unhook it until you are over water. i dont know what is in that paint but it is sliiiick. on the good side, nothing hardly sticks to it, even algae slime.

 

[JimFromTN]

The composite will work provided they are strong enough. If you go with composite for the lower bunks you MUST USE TIE DOWNS !!!! There are products you can add to your wood bunks to make loading and unloading easier. Only problem is that they are slick enough that if you unhitch the winch/bow line and back down, your boat can slide off the trailer !

Been there, done that. A friend put slicks on his bunks and the first time out, the boat slid off the trailer backing it down the ramp. Luckily, no damage done.

 

[RUGER]

That is one thing I have done ever since I got my boat and I do it every single time without fail.
I don't unhook till the rear end of my boat is in the water and I hook up before the rear end leaves the water.
Laugh if you want is what I tell 'em, but you won't ever laugh at me for my boat laying on the concrete either.

 

[JimFromTN]

His did not come completely off the trailer. It slid off and the back end sat down on the ramp. We could rehook it and crank it back up a little to get the boat off the ramp and back it in the water. I was in the boat behind the steering wheel when it happened. It was one of the most backside clenching moments of my life. I had done that a thousand times in that boat and never had an issue until he got those slicks. Now, you have to back the boat almost completely in the water and climb over the front which is a pain for people like me who are over weight and out of shape.

 

[RUGER]

A couple years ago my son was going duck hunting with his girlfriend in the boat we were borrowing.
She was sitting in the back of the boat and he started down the ramp.
The winch strap broke about half way down the ramp.
People started hollering and stuff so he slammed on the brakes.
He heard something and looked in the mirror and all he could see was the bottom of the boat.
The ice from the hunt the day before had made it slide off when the strap broke.
He said she was freaking OUT.
Luckily all it did was bend the skeg on the bottom of the motor a little bit.