TOPIC: Hull repair

I was under the boat the other day and found these issues.
The first is on the keel it looks like little small chinks of gel coat came off the other is where the rollers on the trailer contact the hull these weren't there before I went to Clear lake and lake Redinger where the roads were filled with major potholes.Keel

looks like your boat is moving around on the trailer abit. maybe tighten her up abit.

yes she did move around a bit. I put another strap on her. The road to my place in Clearlake had 2 foot deep pot holes. I could drive around them with the car but the trailer sure found them! lol

I'm certainly no expert Hustler, but I'll be glad to give you my take on your issues. (Please don't shoot the messenger!)

1 - Keel It's said that gel coat begins to age and break down as soon as it's applied. The keel is one of the spots that is most subjected to damage, and one of the hardest spots to get at when the boat is on the trailer. It looks like somebody painted the hull somewhere along the line, and stopped short of the keel. The gel coat there is really in need of sanding, fairing, and re-sealing with either fresh gel coat or paint. You could run her another season or two, but I'd make plans to do something with it in the fairly near future.

2 - Trailer Rollers The rubber in the rollers gets old and hard, begins leaving residue (marring) as well as rubbing through the gel coat where they contact the hull. At the very least I would replace the rollers, using newer "non-marring" polyurethane components, and strap her down a little better as Skip suggested. Ideally while you have the boat off the trailer addressing the keel, that would be a great time to convert the trailer over to bunks. This spreads the contact area out supporting the hull, reducing the pressure points rollers have, and cushions the hull more IMHO.

Just my four cents worth. (Two cents twice!)

Well said Mark. I might add that the most wear on the boat is on the keel and most keel wear in on the bow. You boat is moving way to much on that trailer. Make sure it is strapped tightly and if possible increase your bunk area to make more friction against the boat to improve the boats ride. Are there shocks on your trailer? Your boat should be supported more by bunks than rollers. My 58 MFG was hogged out by no support at the back of the boat for years. I was able to make it straight and it took more time than work. It planed much better too. Most of your wear seems to be coming from riding on the trailer vs. loading. When loading my keel bears all the weight not supported by water. By the time my bow hits the stop on the winch and I drive out the boat hits the bunks just at the same time as the rollers giving support in both areas. Plus I have a small pad of carpeted wood at the very back under the transom that supports the entire transom area. That alone helps keep the boat from bouncing on the trailer. I has no effect on loading or unloading the boat.

Thanks for the input. I won't shhoot the messenger. I have included a picture of the trailer. It does not have shocks just leaf springs. and the ony way the boat was attached to the trailer before this was by chains and turnbuckles at the transom. I now have a strap I wrap around just abouut even with the forward rollers. I like the Idea of the bunks I cannot find the correct size rollers for the side supports anyway.
So on the keel I will need to sand it down and re-gelcoat it fairing it in with rest of the hull? or can I just fair it in and paint it?

Wow, that is some fine looking trailer there. Yea, your trailer is really in need of bunks to get good suport on the hull of the boat. There are not enough rollers on it as it sits now.Bunks would be the cheapest way to go at this point. As for the keel you can fair and paint it and you should be good to go. Gel coat would be best, but it really takes some work and it is really hard to do unless you can flip the boat to do it.It is really hard to put gelcoat on upside down and have it turn out good.Shocks are not really needed on the trailer , although they do help some. Just as long as the boat is not too heavy for the trailer you should be fine with just the leaf springs. It don't look like your to heavy as it sits now so you should be ok there. Nice pic there. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. Thanks Skip.

Good looking boat, and crew, you have there Hustler! The trailer just needs a little TLC and the bunks, you'll be just fine in that department. Here's a thread from the Trailer Forum about the brackets needed, and how Todd (thetudor) installed his.
www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/13-trailer-talk/49422-qtq-shaped-trailer-bunks.html
Looks like you may just need the top part of the brackets, some boards and some carpet. You might be able to use the upright brackets you already have. Good luck with it, and keep us posted on your progress okay!?

If you are on rough roads a lot shocks are nice but in your case your boat is light. You do need bunks and I'd put a few more rollers under that keel. Does the bow hit anywhere when you load on a steep launch. We have some real steep launch's here. The bunks don't need to be huge but you want to support a good area.I'd get rid of those side rollers completely if it was mine. My second roller it comes in contact with is about 10 inches in front of the first one the boat touches and when it had those two it will not rotate on me. They are placed so I can put the bow on the first roller and straighten the boat with the bowline then just crank her up. As I pull out the keel rests on another roller as I pull out of the water and my block at the back. It is easy when I'm by myself that way even in the wind. That block in the back saved me from loosing the boat when the winch line snapped last spring on a steep launch. It had not been secured yet.

our ramps are generally not very steep I usualy float her on and off which puts my rear tires in the water and the the water up to the top of the fender on the trailer. The problem I sometimes get is that in recovery she will get a little sideways when I load her with the winch so some more keel rollers would definitely be a help. I figure two more centered in between the three existing 4 inch rollers.
What type of wood for the bunks? I was thinking 2x6's 8' long but treated or untreated? The last time I bought wood for my deck it twisted like a screw. I would put them where the side rollers are using the roller guides as mounts. That way the bunks would match up to the hull.

59,

I had rollers like that under my G3 when I bought it last year... they left the same black marks on the boat, plus over many years sitting on them, the boat had dents formed into the fiberglass. I did as was suggested by Mark or Robert, replaced the rollers with 4' non-marring roller bunks. I had to fill the dents with fairing compound, but it wasnt a big deal for me as I was refinishing the hull anyway.

I am a firm believer in the short, wide transom tie down straps to secure the boat to the trailer. I use these on all my boats:

www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Standard-Tie-Downs/737493.uts

Dean

I use treated wood for bunks Hustler, they last a lot longer that way. You may have to shop around for some that aren't warped, I know that treated wood has a bad habit of doing that. I "dried" mine in the garage for several weeks before installing, use weights on them to keep them flat and straight if you need to.

Dean got the nice roller bunks, scroll down the page on the link below and you'll see some like that (avail in 4' or 5' lengths).
www.easternmarine.com/Boat-Trailer-Bunks-Bunk-Covers/

How far back on the trailer should the bunks go? The current rollers are 5 feet apart and therear rollers are about 27 "from the rear of the trailer.
I was looking at the roller bunks however the longest they have are 5 feet.
So if I use bunks Should I use 1 or 2 per side and 2x6 or 2x4?

I believe it's important to have the bunks extend back far enough to support the hull directly under the transom. With the weight of the motor pushing it down, that's the most likely place for a "hook" to develope in the hull. They should extend as far forward as possible or reasonable, a lot of our hulls begin to rise at 6 or 7 feet forward? It depends on the design, and weight of your boat for how many bunks you need. Most of the time 2x4's are sufficient, assuming they're braced properly, but there is no such thing as too much support IMHO. Just my two cents worth......

Edit: After reading my post, I'm not giving you much help, sorry. I should probably leave the advise giving to those who have more experience and knowledge. We have some members here doing some awesome jobs on trailer restoration and renovations, you can and should check out the threads in the trailer forum as well, Hustler.

Here's what I did with the trailer for the Glastron. The bunks are 7 ft long and made with a non-pressure treated 2x6. They do extend to the transom for support. Also, they are spaced so the inside edge of the bunk is under the center of the stringers in the hull (when the boat is put on properly). This make it bearing at the strongest part of the hull. I needed to balance the spacing between my desire to have it bear on the stringer but not have it too narrow so the boat is not stable. I think I have achieved that.

The keel rollers still need to be reworked to work with the hull, but this should not be a problem.

Now I have got to figure a system for being able to self-center the boat. The CC trailer has me spoiled.

Hustler,
Yep mine is pretty much set up like Todd's (TheTudor). My boat has been sitting on it's trailer since it was bought in 1960 and she's straight as an arrow. The bunks go all the way back and slightly past the transom. The back end of the bunks have a 45 degree angle so the edge doesn't get in the way and also helps with loading while in the water. I also have guide rollers that stick up past the gunwhales that help align the boat when loading. Not sure if grandfather or dad put them on or came with it. Here's the link to my restoration. I don't have just trailer pics but you should be able to see what I'm talking about.
www.fiberglassics.com/fiberglassics-forums/home/main-forum/1960-18-wagemaker-empire-clipper-restoration#17903 .

Bob

Bob,

I didn't do the 45 degree cut, but the roller on the end does lift the bow before the hull gets to the roller, so that will help mitigate any point impact issue. May cut them in this spring anyway.

My thought on the guides was a 3 ft mini-bunk on either side of the boat. We'll see come spring.

BTW, your link doesn't work.

I know this thread seems to have been hi-jacked into trailering, but after the hull repair, you need to protect it so it won't happen again.

Way way back when I first launched my MFG the fiberglass hit the trailer main beam when taking it out of the water and launching. I got an extra roller and repositioned the front and middle one. It worked out well and now in fact I see they all should be replaced.

MarkS wrote:

I believe it's important to have the bunks extend back far enough to support the hull directly under the transom. With the weight of the motor pushing it down, that's the most likely place for a "hook" to develope in the hull. They should extend as far forward as possible or reasonable, a lot of our hulls begin to rise at 6 or 7 feet forward? It depends on the design, and weight of your boat for how many bunks you need. Most of the time 2x4's are sufficient, assuming they're braced properly, but there is no such thing as too much support IMHO. Just my two cents worth......

Edit: After reading my post, I'm not giving you much help, sorry. I should probably leave the advise giving to those who have more experience and knowledge. We have some members here doing some awesome jobs on trailer restoration and renovations, you can and should check out the threads in the trailer forum as well, Hustler.

mark i dont know why you said you are not helping,you have said exactly the right things,many of us would have said exactly what you said.
i believe you gave 59 hustler very good advise.john

Thamks for all of the advise. I am reading and Taking it all in. This should go into the trailer section. I am still trying to figure out the 45 degree cut. Are you talking about beveling the end of the bunk at the aft end?
I am studying the trailer section for Ideas especialy todds.
I have placed new keel rollers on order and 4 of these brackets.
secure.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi
Thanks I am learning alot
Tom

Tom,
Sorry should have been more specific, it was clear in my head! LOL Yes the 45 cut is at the aft end. Sorry my link doesn't work, not sure why. It was my restoration o this site. Maybe it got archived.

Bob