MacGregorSailors.com

I just fixed up my old '5-Star' trailer for my 26D. I replaced the old bunks with treated lumber (8 ft long). I bent the bunks to the contour of the boat bottom and the boat sits on the bunks well (I laminated two 1x6's). Do I really need bunk carpet? What is it for? To stop splinters? I don't really care about the finish of the boat bottom - its usually covered with slime anyway. Would the Mack-Bump work better without carpet?

Replaced our original 40 year old blue carpet covered bunk boards 2 years ago with 8 foot treated lumber boards after the old rotted ones broke during a retrieval at the boat ramp.

Intended to install carpet on the new boards but after 2 years of use I can't find a reason to bother with it.

We don't have to do the mac bump so much anymore since I discovered that I need not put the trailer so deep in the water to recover as I used to and I can easily winch right up to the bow stop during recovery. I used to have the bunk boards totally submerged but discovered by accident that the boat comes on better with the front of the boards sticking out out of the water and the keel lines up to the V on the trailer easier.

Repetitive launching and retrieving with out the carpet will accelerate wear on the bottom. It is one of those things that you will not notice anything for years until all of a sudden you are missing gell coat or bottom paint in that area.

grady wrote:Repetitive launching and retrieving with out the carpet will accelerate wear on the bottom. It is one of those things that you will not notice anything for years until all of a sudden you are missing gell coat or bottom paint in that area.

I suspect this is accurate. The carpet would also allow very small relative movement between the hull and wood while trailering without anything actually sliding (and wearing paint and/or gel coat), as the fibers can flex, even under load.

I would suggest to use a carpet. It allows for small vibrations while trailering and widens the pressure points. Wood been harder, due to the vibrations, at the contact, the wood surface will move over the boat surface. So direct contact with wood will slowly eat through your boat gel coat.

Ok ok - you guys talked me in to it. Going carpet shopping for spring I suppose.

Maybe I can find outdoor carpet in hot pink...

I just did the bunks on my Mac 22 trailer before I sold it.....switched up from 2*8 to 2*10 boards and went 2'longer to spread out pressure on the hull. They overhang the back of the trailer now but when the boat sits on it they flex to the shape of the hull. I cheeped out and went non treated as I figured it would last 10 plus years anyway. For carpet they make pre cut pieces available at rv stores or princess auto for around 30-40 bucks a piece when I looked so I ended up buying outdoor patio carpet in a brown colour to match interior (8*10 for $49 at tru value) there was enough left over to carpet the interior.....

I got some outdoor runner carpet from the box store. You might shop for stainless steel staples. Hard to find though.
Not sure if outdoor carpet comes in hot pink.

RussMT wrote:I got some outdoor runner carpet from the box store. You might shop for stainless steel staples. Hard to find though.
Not sure if outdoor carpet comes in hot pink.

Yeah. I used aluminum roofing nails, but driven in from the sides only.

paul I wrote:

RussMT wrote:I got some outdoor runner carpet from the box store. You might shop for stainless steel staples. Hard to find though.
Not sure if outdoor carpet comes in hot pink.

Yeah. I used aluminum roofing nails, but driven in from the sides only.

I found stainless staples at home depot.

Don T wrote:

paul I wrote:

RussMT wrote:I got some outdoor runner carpet from the box store. You might shop for stainless steel staples. Hard to find though.
Not sure if outdoor carpet comes in hot pink.

Yeah. I used aluminum roofing nails, but driven in from the sides only.

I found stainless staples at home depot.

I used monel, which I believe also were at HD. Or Lowes. Or maybe True Value. Ok, it was a few years ago. But they're definitely monel, and I got them locally.

Aluminum only in a pinch, Stailess yes, Monel wow Overkill!!!!!!! Cool!!!!!!!!!!! Your staples are safe to 1000 deg C

It's not unusual for those white hot boats to come out of the water sizzling

Those blue s are positively arctic in comparison.

grady wrote:Aluminum only in a pinch, Stailess yes, Monel wow Overkill!!!!!!! Cool!!!!!!!!!!! Your staples are safe to 1000 deg C

Yeah, I was looking for SS, but all they had was monel. Being in the middle of a project, I wasn't about to go looking.