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I have a 17 Montauk and need to replace the bunks for a long trip. Couple questions: Can a purchase bunks fit to specs or do I have to make them myself? In addition, what type of material should I use if I need to make my own? Pressure treated, fir or cypress?

Thanks,

JD

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I would make them myself out of PT lumber and cover with a soft indoor-outdoor carpet.

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Cypress is the preferred wood, and used by most trailer builders if the are in the SE. Rot proof and won`t warp. PT will warp and twist. Also you can get your carpet from a boat trailer supply. It is the necessary width, and is sold by the foot. If you have a compressor and a roof stapler, that is the ideal tool for application. Also 1 1/2" roofing nails work well too. Don`t buy 3/4" they will hold the carpet fine, but they are finger bashers. Staple or nail the carpet on on the bottom so the fasters are not seen.
Indoor/outdoor carpet will not hold up.

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I have never seen any trailer company in Fl use cypress. Indoor-outdoor adhesive also works well to secure the carpet.

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My Rolls trailer uses cypress bunks. I've always been told cypress was the preferable material for fixed rigid bunks.

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On the West Coast most new trailers have Green Douglas Fir bunks.

When it dries, it warps to the shape of the boat bottom.

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I've used pressure treated wood in the past with excellant results. Though Cypress is probably your best bet, pressure treated will fit most peoples budget. Also, using a good quality indoor/outdoor carpeting will suffice too. I'd staple it in as most adhesives will not hold up with time.

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If you staple with regular steel staples they will rust over time and give way.

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If you decide to go with pressure treated, go through the entire lift and find the 2 best boards.

Typically, pressure treated is made with very low grade wood and has a lot of knots and checks.

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I used old woven synthetic jacketed fire hose on my old trailer's bunks. After loading and unloading the Whaler at least twice a week for 6 years with the hose covered bunks, it looked as well as the day I installed it. Very durable.

Retired fire hose is usually just given away to those that ask at local fire departments. Get the woven synthetic covered hose, not rubber jacketed hose. The difference is pretty obvious.

The fire hose caused no wear or marks on the hull. Its made to have low friction so it can be more easily dragged over the ground but its not slippery anymore than the carpet marketed specifically for trailer bunks.

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CCA "Pressure Treated Lumber" is actually "Southern Yellow Pine", it "Checks" and "Warps" like crazy ! I'm not sure what kind of wood that I have on my Cox trailer but, it warped beautifully...

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Never thought of this, no problems with it John?

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Rot resistant lumber is regional. They don't sell much Western Red Cedar in Florida and they don't sell any Cypress in the Pacific Northwest.

Likewise, Pressure Treated ( P.T.) lumber out here is usually Hemlock, though like its southern cousin, Pine, the grades used for P.T. lumber are crap.

Also beware that the chemicals used to treat P.T. lumber have changed in recent years due to health concerns. The old CCA (chromated copper arsenate) is no longer used in residential construction because if its Arsenic content. There are several alternatives in use, ACQ and CA is used out here but they are EXTREMELY corrosive and will damage the galvanizing on a trailer and rust even zinc plated fasteners on a trailer if the lumber is not completely dried out first. Even them you will see evidence of corrosion in time.

For these reasons, I would not recommend P.T. lumber be used for trailer bunks.

Trailer manufacturers use green lumber because it is cheap. Boats usually don't sit on a newly manufactured trailer for weeks or months so the lumber is dry by the time they see a hull. If the trailer bunks are being given a distinct curve by the brackets themselves, green lumber may conform more easily.

For most bunks, regular old KD lumber will be fine. I recommend Douglas Fir (if you can get it) because it is both strong and rot resistant. I like to go to the lumber yard and cherry-pick the best boards from a unit of lumber.

Remember, if you need two 8 footers, go buy a 16 footer because the longer lengths of lumber are usually better; it takes a much nicer, larger log to get long boards out of rather than short ones.

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Also beware that the chemicals used to treat P.T. lumber have changed in recent years due to health concerns. The old CCA (chromated copper arsenate) is no longer used in residential construction because if its Arsenic content.

Your right Tom. Almost everything with heavy metals has been changed. Good advice.

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so KD "Kiln Dried" Lumber is what should be used ? Like "Hem-Fir" construction grade ?

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My Whaler's trailer bunks will be ready for bunk recovering soon. I wont hesitate to replace the original carpet with the synthetic fire hose again.

The only problem with the hose is, it needs to be fastened with nails or screws. The stuff is tough and can present quit a challenge for most staples. I use stainless screws and fender washers to secure the hose covering.

The hose also makes great rub rails for docks and chafing guards for mooring lines.

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JohnnyCW, I've seen old fire hose used on many of the docks and marinas around here in Texas and most other places I've been too as well.

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Thanks to all and lots to think about re: materials. Never thought of the damaging properties in PT wood to the galvanization on trailers (thanks Tom)!

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Firehose? Good idea..

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I had never heard of the damaging properties of modern PT wood chemicals and galvanized products. Sounds like it would be quite an issue for the building industry?

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Johnny, how did you apply the fire hose? Did you slit it so it would wrap around the bunks? I have seen it just nailed to docks with roofing nails.

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Yes, I just slit it lengthwise and wrap the bunks. I use stainless steel screws and fender washers to secure it making sure all the fasteners are placed where they wont come in contact with the hull. The hose is thick so wrapping pretty corners can be a challenge but patience usually pays off.

A pneumatic stapler with heavy gauge stainless staples may also work and make the job a little quicker. I guess it depends on the density of the wood used for the bunks. The cypress bunks I covered with the fire hose was very hard. Staples didn't have a chance through the hose and into the wood. I had to predrill for each screw or else I'd twist the heads off.

Large fire departments have to pay to have their old hose hauled off. By NFPA standards, all fire hose is tested annually. My department discards thousands of feet every year and we're only a moderately sized department.

The stuff can cost over $1,000 per 100' section for the larger diameter hose when new. Some hose that has only a small section that fails testing is cut into shorter 'pony' sections then couplings reinstalled and placed back into service. Just yesterday I was at my department's supply division and there were at least four pallets of stacked hose sitting outside waiting to be discarded.