Advantage of roller bunks vs. solid bunks

[jeffstevens763@g]

2 x sidelights double up to illuminate number plate, 2 x brake lights, two x indicator lights when both are on hazard warning lights & a fog light.

for info pic of bunk height wheels are 9 inch rims not 10 as i thought floor to bunk top is 500 mm 20 inch

[Lee argyle]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

nowt wrong with in gear where's it gonna go unless it can jump over the winch post you could have a long kill cord if it bothered you

Not everyone agrees.............
https://www.lymingtonharbour.co.uk/n...temID=216&src=

personally I’d always want someone at the helm as already mentioned in the thread - better be safe than sorry, IMHO

[jeffstevens763@g]

yes mentions excessive revving & others around, you have to be sensible the engine on tickover will keep the boat in place in cross wind and tides the latter not always a problem in marinas and as they say not on my patch which is fair enough if thats their rules but many of us retrieve boats on our own and a little help from the engine helps if you keep away from the prop and have an extended kill cord should not be a problem IMO. it's common sense mind when you look at some of the numpties on slipways that is sadly lacking.

[pagick]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

2 x sidelights double up to illuminate number plate, 2 x brake lights, two x indicator lights when both are on hazard warning lights & a fog light.

I guess that about the same. But our lights have it all in one unit.
Driving light
Turn indicator that also is a brake light
The left light also has a flexible hanging mount for the plate and a clear window under it to light the plate.
Any other lights are optional

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

yes mentions excessive revving & others around, you have to be sensible the engine on tickover will keep the boat in place in cross wind and tides the latter not always a problem in marinas and as they say not on my patch which is fair enough if thats their rules but many of us retrieve boats on our own and a little help from the engine helps if you keep away from the prop and have an extended kill cord should not be a problem IMO. it's common sense mind when you look at some of the numpties on slipways that is sadly lacking.

+1

The only way someone is going to find their way to the spinning prop in the 10secs it takes to secure the boat is if they fall out of the sky, in which case they were probably doomed anyway.
Lymington harbour obviously think it's safe to have someone standing in the water behind a two ton car on a slippery surface operating a manual winch with the potential of it overhauling and the handle hitting someone, the strap breaking or fingers getting jammed. Or worse the car slipping back over them. (SUV in Ireland slid down a slip into the water and the occupants were killed.)

Neither method is without risk but the risk can be mitigated against with a bit of common sense.

[Lee argyle]

Originally Posted by Last Tango

+1

The only way someone is going to find their way to the spinning prop in the 10secs it takes to secure the boat is if they fall out of the sky, in which case they were probably doomed anyway.
Lymington harbour obviously think it's safe to have someone standing in the water behind a two ton car on a slippery surface operating a manual winch with the potential of it overhauling and the handle hitting someone, the strap breaking or fingers getting jammed. Or worse the car slipping back over them. (SUV in Ireland slid down a slip into the water and the occupants were killed.)

Neither method is without risk but the risk can be mitigated against with a bit of common sense.

Personally leaving a helm, with the engine running and in gear whatever the circumstances is asking for trouble and something I’d never be comfortable doing. Clearly Lymington Harbour authority felt this practice was potentially dangerous and banned it.
On a slightly different aspect of the above, if there was a accident / liability claim and it came to light your craft had purposely been left in gear/running with no-one at the helm what would your insurance company say to you? possibly bugger off and leave you to foot the bill!!??
However you launch and recover your craft, be safe

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by Lee argyle

Personally leaving a helm, with the engine running and in gear whatever the circumstances is asking for trouble and something I’d never be comfortable doing. Clearly Lymington Harbour authority felt this practice was potentially dangerous and banned it.
On a slightly different aspect of the above, if there was a accident / liability claim and it came to light your craft had purposely been left in gear/running with no-one at the helm what would your insurance company say to you? possibly bugger off and leave you to foot the bill!!??
However you launch and recover your craft, be safe

You'll probably find if there was any kind of accident on the slip with the car or trailer you're going to be hung out to dry because it's unlikely your car insurance will give you any succour as the vehicle is technically "off-road" and not insured for that purpose. So I'd go for the option that's least likely to cause an accident. Boat sitting on it's trailer with the engine idling to hold it there, no one in the water, no one near the back of the car (getting high on diesel fumes), no one in front of the trailer wheels or behind the trailer......basically, one in the car, one in the boat and no one else on or near the slip. Whole job done in two or three minutes.

That Lymington Harbour felt it was potentially unsafe just demonstrates what happens when bureaucrats fail to look at all the possibilities and pitfalls.
Yes, it is potentially unsafe but I doubt it's as unsafe as the method they're proposing. A bit of, "but we've always done it this way" so stop people paddling around on they're slipway......problem solved.

[gpsguru]

Rollers everytime for me ............... I launch and recover into 4 - 6 knts of current at right angles to the slip. Those with carpet bunks often find their boat is at a right angle to the trailer before they even get chance to think about lining it up.


Roller trailer with a swinging rear beam means I can launch and recover on my own quite easily .............


TBH at our local slip, parking up for lunch on a nice summers day is very good for some entertainment !

[Limecc]

Gpsguru sums it up perfectly.

LastTango I think you're wrong about not being covered by your car insurance on a slipway, it's private land just like your local supermarket car park. Single handed I wouldn't want to leave the car engine running to get high on diesel fumes either. Just as bad as leaving the controls of a running outboard. That's the kind of behaviour that invalidates insurance or leaves you liable.

[willk]

My post has no relevance to the OP
But my postulation is correct because
Your insurance will be invalid
Even though I haven't read your Policy and
I'm not an Insurance expert

...but I still win the Internet because, you know like....

[Fender]

The scenario is you are UK driving licence holder, you willing leave the drivers seat of your vehicle whilst its still running and in gear, whether you have an accident or not if your seen by the plod they would throw the book at you - quite rightly so - not sure the same actions on a boat are any different???

Is it really safe to leave a outboard running, prop spinning and no-one at the controls in a public place - however you sugar coat it??

[jeffstevens763@g]

risk assess it if it's not for you fair enough, i'll carry on using my experience and common sense plus KILL CORD.normal insurance will have no cover for certain

[jwalker]

To take this back a step to the original question, it seems to me that having the boat in gear while recovering is to deal with a shortcoming of the roller system because the boat will roll away if not held in position. Bunks don't have this issue to the same extent hence my comment about finding rollers to be a nuisance. Similarly when launching, it is possible for the boat to overwhelm one unless steps are taken to take the weight of the boat rolling off the trailer. Again, I find this not to be an issue with the bunked trailer.

I've no doubt that there are occasions when having rollers will assist a recovery because of difficult circumstances so if this is your situation then that is a solution.

Also, the notion of having a load on a trailer on rollers while travelling does seem to me not to be the best way to transport a load!

[Limecc]

Jwalker, what we were saying is the opposite. Jeff uses power to keep it in place on his carpet bunks while gpsguru and myself don't when using roller bunks.

When you have flat bunks the boat can move sideways as well as backward. Rollers naturally guide the boat onto the centerline of the trailer, flat bunks do not.

Nothing is done in uncontrolled fashion with a roller trailer because there's little friction. Use the winch launching as well as retrieving. There's usually a front post which you can lasso and tie off when coming in singlehanded to save the boat slipping away if that is needed at all.

It's all moot anyway. If you have a heavy SIB then you have the further disadvantage of flat bunks, otherwise you can enjoy the performance and handling of a rigid hull and have easy loading onto roller bunks.

Btw jw, the better trailers have more rollers spreading the load unlike that cheap one photographed on page 2 of this thread.

[beamishken]

I've had both bunked and rollers on various trailers and I prefer bunked personally. I've seen several boats slip back off roller trailers and I've seen plenty of hull damage where roller wheels have popped off and axles have dug into gelcoat. Also seen boats damaged when boats boats have sat on rollers flipped into the wrong orientation by wave action. I used to trailer a large cruiser which was too heavy for a roller trailer but a bunked trailer just sneaked in under the 3.5t.
Bunked trailers also usually spread the load along a chine which often has a stringer above so the boat is sat on the strongest part of the hull rather than sat on multiple points
I agree rollers are easier to load on a shallow slip but in my opinion that is their only advantage against several disadvantages

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by Fender

The scenario is you are UK driving licence holder, you willing leave the drivers seat of your vehicle whilst its still running and in gear, whether you have an accident or not if your seen by the plod they would throw the book at you - quite rightly so - not sure the same actions on a boat are any different???

Is it really safe to leave a outboard running, prop spinning and no-one at the controls in a public place - however you sugar coat it??

A boat sitting on a trailer is not moving or going to move anywhere.

This is simple.....

The easiest way to reduce risk of injury is to remove people from harms way.
So when no one needs to be on the slip, why have them there.

If you're happy to have your friends/crew/family paddling around behind your car, in front of your trailer, over the edge of the slip, under your car, under your trailer on a slimy boat ramp then crack on. I'm sure "plod" will commend you for you diligence.

As regards Lymington and it's "Harbour nursery-paddling committee"..... unfortunately they didn't make it on to my "places to visit" list anyway so I'll not be loosing any sleep over that.

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by beamishken

I've had both bunked and rollers on various trailers and I prefer bunked personally. I've seen several boats slip back off roller trailers and I've seen plenty of hull damage where roller wheels have popped off and axles have dug into gelcoat. Also seen boats damaged when boats boats have sat on rollers flipped into the wrong orientation by wave action. I used to trailer a large cruiser which was too heavy for a roller trailer but a bunked trailer just sneaked in under the 3.5t.
Bunked trailers also usually spread the load along a chine which often has a stringer above so the boat is sat on the strongest part of the hull rather than sat on multiple points
I agree rollers are easier to load on a shallow slip but in my opinion that is their only advantage against several disadvantages

Similarly had both and I'm now on the roller side. Easier to launch and recover with the caviet that I felt the bunk trailers "centered" the boat better when recovering but the roller definitely easier to launch. However bunks do impose less stress on the hull and I can't dispute any of the other negetive comments about rollers. I've modified mine with silicon adhesive filler under the roller pivots to stop them "flipping" over...been there, got the tea shirt.

[Pikey Dave]

Ultimately it’s each to their own, there’s no right / wrong answer. That said, I’m struggling to see how a bunk can offer better support than a correctly sized/specced/setup roller trailer. RIB hulls aren’t linear, they curve in at least 2 if not 3 dimensions. I can’t see how a flat plank can offer uniform support along its length. My rollers are all pivoted in 3axis, they conform to the hull shape & distribute the weight evenly.
Just sayin[emoji848]

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Ultimately it’s each to their own, there’s no right / wrong answer. That said, I’m struggling to see how a bunk can offer better support than a correctly sized/specced/setup roller trailer. RIB hulls aren’t linear, they curve in at least 2 if not 3 dimensions. I can’t see how a flat plank can offer uniform support along its length. My rollers are all pivoted in 3axis, they conform to the hull shape & distribute the weight evenly.
Just sayin[emoji848]

agree bulk of the boat weight should be on the keel rollers [strongest part of the hull] anyway. side rollers/guide rollers form the cradle to support the boat and lucky in my experience if every side roller touches the hull or to be be more accurate have equal pressure on each roller.same with bunks the keel should have all the weight and the bunks are just the support cradle.

[Bushrider]

Agree with PD & second that .
I love the British roller trailers for the ease of use when launching or recovering .
Trouble to get something close like these trailers in Germany .
Vanclaes build great trailers with their GYRO roller system but they are very pricey ..