Trailer Guides

[SouthernKomfort]

I used to have a hard time getting my 20ft Tritoon lined up on the trailer, especially on windy days. I bought some inner 2.5 foot guides and placed them on the inside of the bunks only to find the lifting strakes resting on them (2 foot above the trailer bunk) EEK! when I pulled the boat out of the water. Not good!!! I then used the same mounting hardware and bought some 5ft PVC poles from Lowes and placed them on the OUTSIDE of the pontoons. What a difference! I can now easily trailer the boat in any conditions. I am not concerned about the width because the poles are no farther out than the trailer's fenders. Here is a lousy pic of the poles on my boat. They are even, the pic just makes them look out of alignment. I highly recommend this if you are having problems keeping your boat straight while loading.

20170319_164712_zpsj692hi1p.jpg (376.85 KiB) Viewed 1616 times

[Rick McC.]

I've noticed some pics that show carpet covered trailer bunks. Hopefully those boats are only used in fresh water; as salt water in carpet coming in contact with aluminum will eat/corrode the aluminum!

I have an airboat that was my Dad's, which was, and still is, used regularly in salwater. In a few years; the carpeted guideons on one side (the private boat ramp used slopes to the right) had completely eaten holes through the side of the boat that remained in contact with the hull.

I also have a friend whose pontoons had too many holes to count eaten theough the bottoms by the carpeted bunks. He used the boat exclusively in salt water.

Pressure treated wood will also react with and corrode aluminum.

While my airboat trailer bunks are made of P/T 2X6; they are completely covered with polymer strips that keep the hull from coming in contact with the wood.