Not looking to convert to rollers.
Not looking for the small slicks sold all over. Have them. Don't like um

I am looking for an alternative to carpeted bunks for my boat trailer. I am using the bunk slik sold at academy, not satisfied.

I want something that is as slick as grease, would prefer to bolt onto existing bunks as they are not standard size and would be prohibitively expensive to replace. I have wood tools, access to metal tools, and a good mechanical aptitude. Would rather avoid off label uses of something without your firsthand experience with it. I.e. I have heard of using composite deck boards from HD and Lowe's and have read up on the shortcomings.

I have been launching with greased bunk slicks, but the material on those is not holding up to my heave boat. The less custom fab work I have to the better as time is limited.

I launch on river ramps and none of them are nice. I want to be able to back down to water, unhook wench and it slide off or be easy to push off. This would be ideal for me if I ever go to the coast as it is better on trailer bearings and such. I do not unhook wench or safety cable prior to backING down to water so getting used to that is a non issue.

Boat is a 20'6" x 72" alumacraft from back when those models were .125" hulls. It's got a 115 on back with floats and a tunnel.

Delrin (Polyoxymethylene) has an extremely low friction coefficient. You can buy it in sheets from plastic suppliers, in various thickness, and cut/install yourself. I'm not up to speed on what the different offerings out there now are made of, but it would seem to me that someone would be using Delrin or something similar in this application.

My trailer has four carpeted bunks and I'm considering replacing two of them with the plastic type and keeping carpet on two, That would make it easier to launch and trailer without the possibility of a disaster possible with the bunks beeing too slick.

I've been read up on the plastic they use for cutting boards. I am starting to lean that way.

The stuff basscat puts on their bunks are an option...

I don't know if you have a source, but the people that make vandalism-proof toilet partitions use material like cutting boards and that would be the optimum bunk material. If you can find it, you might groove it longwise on a table saw and it would drain and not trap water. Very important if you have an aluminum hull boat you're launching in saltwater. Good luck!

IslandJim

When mine rotted out a couple years ago replaced them with www.ultimatebunkboards.com. Slicker'n hot greased snot and a lot better than the crappy carpeted bunks the trailer came with. Word of warning - don't ever move the trailer with the boat on it without securing the boat, especially uphill on the ramp.
Rather than screw the bunks from below I countersunk 3/8" hex bolts from the top with nyloc nuts. All stainless of course.

I used ultimate bunk boards with carpet on them.

just wondering...has anyone tried the composite deck boards on top of a pressure treated 2x or even a 2x composite board alone?

I have read up on the composite deck board option and it is only feasible if braced. I've got to get measurements and then I'm likely going to go with cutting board material.

I looked at the UBBs and it looked like something I might be interested in until I read that they provide more friction that carpet. I want less not more.
I'm with Dawson.. I don't unhook anything until the trailer is in the water and the stern is beginning to float. That's a good habit to get into and it could save you a lot of grief at the ramp. Same with loading. I've seen photos of boats sitting in the middle of the ramp and it's ugly.

Over my lifetime around ramps, I've seen one vehicle go out of sight backing down the ramp, and two boats slide off trailers before the they got to the water. Both boats were nice fiberglass bass boats. What's particularly bad is that the boats don't necessarily just slide off and stop. The vehicle and trailer don't stop instantly, so if launching, the boat can be pushed along, grinding away on the rough ramp's surface. Seeing it and hearing the awful sound will make a boat-owner cringe.

It convinced me that I need to leave the winch strap attached until the boat is wet. I do let out a foot of strap and relock the winch in gear as part of my launch preparation. That way it's not in a bind when it's time to unhook and the process is easier when reaching over the bow.

Letting out a foot or so on the strap really sounds like a good practice. I never thought of that, but I have steps on the front of the trailer so I can walk onto the boat. Letting out the strap would allow the boat to float and I wouldn't have to power-drive it off the trailer.

An old dog CAN learn new tricks.

Even with a convenience step at the front of the trailer, I've used a number of ramps where the trailer has to be backed in fairly far to launch, so already being in the boat was a good thing. Another plus you will find about letting out a bit of winch strap in advance is that when the boat does float free it's a more obvious feeling; an experienced tow vehicle driver may even see the boat move and can tell when to stop without being signaled to do so. Just be SURE to re-engage that winch after you release some slack!

A time-saver habit I have as part of my launch process is that I start the outboard as soon as the trailer stops. If it starts & idles, I commit to unhooking the winch strap while it idles to warm up before I put it into gear. This way I didn't cut loose before some undiscovered starting issue, and the outboard gets to warm up while I take care of the strap.