Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I just got home from my local McLain trailers store and I got me some new bunkslicks for my pontoon trailer.... It was around $150 for them and they supply all the mounting screws. They come in 4'sections... I'm really excited to see how the toon slides on them, here's some pics



Up close



Mounting tabs on the sides



Back side



I'll post pics and tell y'all how they work after I install them!!

DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT unhook the pontoon before you get it in the water. Pontoons dont do well sliding on pavement

Ya I've never done that and don't plan on starting now, no need to scuff my toons! Lol

Mrtoler wrote:I just got home from my local McLain trailers store and I got me some new bunkslicks for my pontoon trailer.... It was around $150 for them and they supply all the mounting screws. They come in 4'sections... I'm really excited to see how the toon slides on them, here's some pics



Up close



Mounting tabs on the sides



Back side



I'll post pics and tell y'all how they work after I install them!!

I've been using them for a couple of seasons and love them. I could only find them in white. I put down new doug fur and treated the wood before I put the caps on. I also used carriage bolts pulled pulling the heads flush from the top. Lag bolts will eventually work their way loose.

The carpet on my bunks is still in pretty good shape but I am certainly going to go this route when the time comes... question for you, do the screws that hold the strips on the bunks mount thru the side, as opposed to being counter sunk on top? I kinda like the idea of not having to worry about a screw head possibly scratching the toon as you slide up over the top of the screw.... let us know how they work.... chillin loves his, and yeah, don't unstrap til your backed down in the water... had a friend two years ago had sprayed their bunks with pam and their ski boat slid off on the ramp....thousands of dollars of damage.... ouch!

Ya all the mounting screws go in the side, I looked that better also, I also like chillins white bunks, if I would have had that color option I'd of got those!

Got them installed today, I really like the look over carpet and they work really good.... Not so much that I think it would slide off the trailer on the ramp but still pretty good.... I used to have to back way in start it up and power off while my wife backed in even farther... Now I just tie a line to the bow and the wife holds it then I back in and tap the brakes and I slides right off....here's the pics, we also did a friend of mines trailer

Here's our toons parked at the dock while we worked on the trailers



Here's the slicks







It slid right on no problem



Wife took this pic while following me home, she meet me at the lake after she got out of school

I think the black bunks looks way better, looks more like carpet. Nice job

Mr. Toler... those look really good! I see by the pics that one of the bunk slicks comes with one section that has an end piece to cover the end... nice... couple of questions...

did you install these right over the existing carpet? I'm guessing just laid out the bunk slicks over the carpet and then screwed them down right?

also, I can see where the bunk slicks meet, there is a slight seam.... is that seam smooth so you won't damage your toons...

and finally, how long did it it take to put them on from start to finish, and do you reallly think they make a significant difference in loading and unloading?

Thanks

Loading and unloading is way, way better. I will warn all that mine are so slick that I never, ever move the trailer with the toon loaded without tie straps holding the rear down. The stuff I used is so slick that I'm afraid the toon would slip off the trailer quickly if the winch strap failed. Loading it up, I only put about a foot or two in the water and drive the boat right up the bunks. Even on our shallow pitch ramp, I have to keep the revs up while I hook the winch strap on.



I got our plastic at http://www.superslide.com/bispecials.php#blueiron

When I replaced the bunks on mine I used the bunk slicks on the front bunks and carpet on the rear. My thought was the back half floats when loading and unloading so they werent really needed in the rear plus the carpet helps hold it on the trailer when backing down the ramp.

ROLAND wrote:Mr. Toler... those look really good! I see by the pics that one of the bunk slicks comes with one section that has an end piece to cover the end... nice... couple of questions...

did you install these right over the existing carpet? I'm guessing just laid out the bunk slicks over the carpet and then screwed them down right?

also, I can see where the bunk slicks meet, there is a slight seam.... is that seam smooth so you won't damage your toons...

and finally, how long did it it take to put them on from start to finish, and do you reallly think they make a significant difference in loading and unloading?

Thanks

They're made to go over bare wood. One of the benefits is getting rid of wood rotting carpet Roland. Personally since I needed to replace my rotten bunks I had bought new 24ft pieces and mocked everything up in my "garage" pre-drilling and fitting everything. I used a wood chop saw for few the pieces I needed to cut. The seams aren't an issue. I dropped my wife and mother inlaw off at the lake (15min drive) working by myself using c-clamps, since I had everything pre-fit, I had all 4 bunks on in a little over an hour I'd guess. I used a 3/8 air impact so I could easily suck the carriage bolt heads flush before I installed the caps. You end up having to cut 4 pieces, one for each bunk.

If you trailer in and out of salt water the plastic bunk covers are a must because pressure treated lumber and salt water causes a chemical reaction that leaches thru the carpet cover and creates pin holes in the aluminum toons.

I have the white ones on my 24 ft trailer. They look good but that's about all I can say about them. They still have to be wet before they will slide I tried unhooking them on a steep incline and nothing happened. Of course I had a safety line on them just in case but they just don't slide.

They don't slide like everybody thinks they do by a long shot but they are a whole lot better than carpet. I love the fact that now I can tie a lie to the boat and give the other end to my wife and just back in and hit the brakes, slides right off no problem it never would have done that before....I do boat in saltwater often so that's another big plus, I'll be able to wash them off really good with no worries of salt left on the bunks. I'll install them on my 18' flatbottom also, they say they don't recommend them on riveted hulls but I'm still going to use them to protect from the saltwater.