The Bills...They Just Never Stop Coming

That's true, whether you own an old car or an old boat, and when you own both, as I do, you might simply say you have "double trouble" on your hands. People like me grow to accept the reality that we never will "get ahead." The best we ever can hope for is to "maintain status quo."

My latest dilemma is what to do with the boat bunks on my trailer. Already have had to get the carpeting on one reglued and retacked, and now both need the same fix. Just by coincidence, a buddy had new boat bunks installed on his rig this past weekend. Instead of having the new bunks carpeted, however, he decided to go with Caliber bunk wraps (similar to what you see in the photo at right).

After reading several reviews of that product, though, I'm inclined, if anything, to keep looking. A couple of the reviews pointed out a disclaimer that comes on each package of the Caliber product. In plain view is this statement: "Bunk Wrap is not designed for gelcoat boat trailers, although some people use it for this application. It's at their own risk. Caliber disclaims all liability for damages caused by Bunk Wrap to non-aluminum/gelcoat hulls... ." The problem is that the Caliber product scuffs the gelcoat--in at least one reported case, to the point of removing both gelcoat and paint.

I also have checked out the product found at this link: https://www.ultimatebunkboards.com/ and was getting interested until I came across this safety warning: "Due to the ultra-smooth nature of Ultimate Bunk Boards (see photo at left), proper precautions should be taken when launching and loading your boat. When launching, always have your boat at the desired depth of water before unhooking it from the winch. Never unhook the winch on the boat ramp before backing down. This could lead to your boat sliding off the trailer prematurely. When loading your boat, there's no need to throttle your boat onto your trailer. Just idle up to your trailer and let the boat slide right on. Always hook your boat to the winch before pulling out of the water."

Potentially dropping your boat in the middle of a ramp isn't the only concern. I also read that when recovering your boat with Ultimate Bunk Boards, especially on steeper ramps, you often will have to keep the motor in gear and give it a little gas while someone hooks up the bow. That's OK if you have a partner, but I'm usually solo. The pictures that immediately sprang to my mind quickly put the kibosh on these bunk boards as a replacement for what I have now.

The only thing, other than traditional carpeted bunk boards, that I'm even remotely still considering are the Gatorbak synthetic bunk covers (see photo at right), which you find at this link: http://gatorbak.com/gb550-2x6-bunk-cover/, and I'm a ways from making a commitment here, either.

During some of my Internet research on this topic today, I happened across a very short video that had a tip I plan to test the next time I'm on the water. I'll share it with everyone here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ChLggvzWP8. Who knows? With this tip, I very well may just stick with the old-fashioned way of doing things. It's worked for me a good long while.