guide on bunks

i am looking at these to aid in loading my sportsman 1610. it only has a 9.9 on it so i have to have the trailer deep to avoid wading in to load it. the existing bunks are under water when i load so i can get the boat near the front of the trailer. i am planning on fishing all winter in Southern Illinois and want to avoid getting wet.

I have guide on bunks on my trailers, mainly for loading in current or wind.
One thing that also is a big help is a walk board that is the length of the trailer, some places that I launch the bunks either barely touch the water or are out of the water completely. with a roller on the rear of the trailer that's level with the bunks plus that walk board and the side guides, that allows me to load the boat without having to carry waders along or back the entire truck into the water.

redbug said:

i am looking at these to aid in loading my sportsman 1610. it only has a 9.9 on it so i have to have the trailer deep to avoid wading in to load it. the existing bunks are under water when i load so i can get the boat near the front of the trailer. i am planning on fishing all winter in Southern Illinois and want to avoid getting wet.

Click to expand...

Here’s what I do.

I back the trailer until the back roller is about half way submerged. Then play out the winch line down the dock and clip it to the bow.

I walk back to the winch and pull the slack until the boat is touching the back roller and wind up the slack.

Then I winch the boat onto the trailer.

No wet feet ever.

I understand what you are trying to address. If your guide-on bunks are going to be underwater then the boat can float over them and things will not go well. Higher bunks or guide on posts will address that.

The nice thing about guide on bunks and posts is that once you winch up the bow eye and pull up the ramp, the boat is going to settle perfectly on the trailer. Then there is much happiness!

I agree, much happiness is very good. My boat trailer didn't match the boat, and I have made some adjustments. The boat doesn't center at bow.I am looking at centering bunks, I just saw these about a week ago.

I agree with others who say that a lot of issues loading the boat happen because the trailer is backed in too far. When I load the boat, I normally can only pull it with the bow line to within about 3' of the winch. At which post it is pretty much high and dry. I winch it the rest of the way and it lines right up.

I had to google centering bunks. Those look pretty cool.

I'm lucky to have a wife that can drive it on, even in a current. All I do is get the strap hooked up & winch it the last few feet.

I'm fortunate to have a dock next to the ramp where I launch. I tie to the dock and then back my trailer in. I never motor my boat onto the trailer. The skeg on my motor is only a few inches off the ground when loaded and I don't want my prop to bump the ramp.

I've added an eye bolt next to the winch. Rope goes from the bow eye on the boat, through this eye boat, and I can pull the rope and pull the boat right onto the trailer while standing on the dock I have bunks, not rollers and guide on bunks. The boat settles right down just where I want it. After pulling the trailer up to dry ground, I may end up winching it another 6".

maintenanceguy said:

I'm fortunate to have a dock next to the ramp where I launch. I tie to the dock and then back my trailer in. I never motor my boat onto the trailer. The skeg on my motor is only a few inches off the ground when loaded and I don't want my prop to bump the ramp.

I've added an eye bolt next to the winch. Rope goes from the bow eye on the boat, through this eye boat, and I can pull the rope and pull the boat right onto the trailer while standing on the dock I have bunks, not rollers and guide on bunks. The boat settles right down just where I want it. After pulling the trailer up to dry ground, I may end up winching it another 6".

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"I've added an eye bolt next to the winch."

That is a terrific idea. I load my boat the same way as you. Tie it to the dock, put the rubber boots on, back the trailer in, float the boat on the trailer, then wade out and winch it up. I use use a second line at the stern cleat to kind of guide it to the center of the trailer from the dock. I like your method with the eye bolt at the winch.

LDUBS said:

I agree with others who say that a lot of issues loading the boat happen because the trailer is backed in too far. When I load the boat, I normally can only pull it with the bow line to within about 3' of the winch. At which post it is pretty much high and dry. I winch it the rest of the way and it lines right up.

I had to google centering bunks. Those look pretty cool.

Click to expand...

I learned my technique from my father and any one of us in the family (except for mom) could load out 18' ChrisCraft by themselves.

With a rope on the stern for guidance and the last roller just below the surface the hardest part was cranking the winch.

My dad sold it to a friend of mine and he could load it on the trailer for squat as he wouldn't listen or couldn't comprehend how simple this works.

I got so POed I told him and his girlfriend to go sit in the truck and let me do it by myself.


They were dumbfounded how easy I made it look.

LDUBS said:

maintenanceguy said:

I'm fortunate to have a dock next to the ramp where I launch. I tie to the dock and then back my trailer in. I never motor my boat onto the trailer. The skeg on my motor is only a few inches off the ground when loaded and I don't want my prop to bump the ramp.

I've added an eye bolt next to the winch. Rope goes from the bow eye on the boat, through this eye boat, and I can pull the rope and pull the boat right onto the trailer while standing on the dock I have bunks, not rollers and guide on bunks. The boat settles right down just where I want it. After pulling the trailer up to dry ground, I may end up winching it another 6".

Click to expand...

"I've added an eye bolt next to the winch."

That is a terrific idea. I load my boat the same way as you. Tie it to the dock, put the rubber boots on, back the trailer in, float the boat on the trailer, then wade out and winch it up. I use use a second line at the stern cleat to kind of guide it to the center of the trailer from the dock. I like your method with the eye bolt at the winch.

Click to expand...

And I don't need the boots.

Rope gets tied to the bow eye while I'm still in the boat and I walk the rope up to the trailer from the dock while the winch is just at the edge of the water. I then back the trailer in another 15' and stand on the dock pulling the rope to pull the boat onto the trailer.

I came up with this after taking a group of friend's kids out fishing. With my wife and son, we have always managed to get it loaded on the trailer on the first try with no issues - because we've done it a lot. The teens were new at this and were all working against each other pulling on ropes and pushing with the boat hook to try to get the boat centered.

Now it's so easy a caveman can do it.

I just today mounted those same guide bunks on my shorelandr trailer for my 14’ Sea Nymph. The trailer was obviously not originally made for that boat, and I always struggled getting it on straight... to the point I was using my kayak way more often.

Took about 2 hrs to get them mounted and adjusted, and put the boat in two lakes today and absolutely no issues. And it was very windy today. Best $139 I’ve spent lately at Bass Pro.