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Too much for a replacement trailer, so what wood is used for bunkers?

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    Too much for a replacement trailer, so what wood is used for bunkers?

    My boat is in the shop getting brakes overhauled. I considered putting the money towards a new/newer used trailer (mine is a 2003) as it need tires in addition to the brake work and the combined bill will be over $2k for parts and labor. Thought I'd put that towards a better trailer, but for the money I've seen them going for, I'm going to have to stick with the 2003 and all its surface rust/bent metal glory.

    I've only had the boat for 1.5 months or so, but noticed carpet is starting to fray and some wood is splitting and showing through in some areas. Mentally preparing for more work on it when I get it back.

    What kind of wood is used? Pressure treated? There is some vertical carpet wrapped plywood just inside the fenders. What kind of wood should that be?

    Just outdoor carpet? Any special kind? Is carpet just glued on? If so, what kind of glue? Is it stapled on? Need to start collecting materials. TIA

    #2
    Pressure treated wood is what is used, in my experience. Steer clear of any particle board or plywood. There is marine bunk carpet you can get on Amazon or West Marine if money is no object lol, but any synthetic carpet is probably ok. Anything labeled marine usually merits a 50% or more markup. I use both 3M contact cement glue (spray bottle), and especially for the edges use stainless staples to keep carpet secure. Or, get synthetic bunks and they'll probably last longer than the steel on the trailer...

    Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

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      #3
      I plan on doing this soon too. I will be using pressure treated wood and this carpet, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038ZWMY6...SIN=B0038ZWMY6

      Theres a bunch of videos but heres on I was viewing.
      Last edited by Matt Garcia; 07-14-2023, 02:23 PM.

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        #4
        I just did the bunks and fenders on mine. I used pressure treated wood and staples, no glue.

        For the fenders, both were missing so I didn't have a template. I just rough cut a piece and laid it on the fender and traced it. Then I cut the outline with a benchtop jigsaw with a fresh scroll blade. They turned out decent. For bolting, I used 316SS carriage bolts and flange nuts. I counterbored the holes where the bolts would go through so the carriage head would sit well below the carpet and not cause a pinch point. Careful with stainless hardware, if you're using power tools to put it together, it can gall.

        My specific trailer took:

        5x Smith Black Marine-Grade Carpet Roll, 12'L x 11"W
        2x 2x4x8
        2x 2x6x10
        1x 4x8 15/32 Plywood

        16x 1/4-20 x 3/4" 316SS carriage bolts (I should have gotten longer, this wasn't long enough. Maybe 1" or 1-1/4")
        16x 1/4-20 316SS flange nuts
        14x 5/16-18 x 2" 316SS carriage bolts (I wish these were longer too. Maybe 2-1/4" or so)
        14x 5/16-18 316SS flange nuts

        1 pack 1,000 508M1 1/2" Monel T50 Staples (these were probably a bit long. I could have went with shorter ones to sink into the wood better)

        It wasn't too rough of a job, just a little tedious. Got all the wood done, put the boat in the water, unbolted the old bunks and bolted the new ones on. Time will tell if I did a good job, lol.

        PXL_20230616_222041589.jpg

        PXL_20230617_190732148.jpg

        PXL_20230617_173459647.jpg

        PXL_20230617_173435989.jpg

        Side note, that shackle on the left side of the pic needed flipped so if yours looks the same, it's wrong.

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