Bunk trailer for a Laser

T

tguil

New Member
Folks,

I need some quick help. My daughter is moving back home after a stay in New York City and is anxious to get back on her Laser. I need to get a trailer that is easy for one person to load and unload from at public boat ramps. My local Laser dealer (Omaha) suggested a slide-on bunk trailer even though it is not the best for the hull. This dealer does not sell the gunwhale trailers (Kitty Hawk or Trailex). It's an older boat (1982) and will be used for recreational sailing. It's been stored in my garage for twenty years.

Will a bunk trailer be OK? According to my dealer about half of the Laser sailors in our area use a slide-on bunk trailer with no problems.

Thanks.

Tom :cool:
 
A bunk trailer will work. I use an old but fixed up one, and have adjusted the bunks and rollers to support the boat under the mast and cockpit, where the hull has support. I also removed the extra springs, to soften the ride. Release the straps during storage. You can also load the boat upside down.

If you have a ramp, she could float the boat off. Otherwise, it's not all that easy for one person, however deck down makes it a bit easier. My trailer is also able to carry a boat and dolly, with the boat riding in the dolly's sling. I tie the dolly to the boat, then I can slide it on and off pretty easily by myself. I have 3 lasers and one dolly, so I end up using it both ways.

Seitech will quote a slick set up to modify the bunks to do this also. You have to call, as it's not a catalog item.

A bottom cover is nice, plus add lower mud flaps to the vehicle to keep it from spraying the boat.

There are lots of other threads that discuss trailer choices too.

Al Russell 182797
 
bunks aren't ideal, but they're better than 2x4s covered with old carpet!

The Kitty Hawk trailer is a pretty sweet piece of kit, and it's easy to launch by yourself. Recovering by yourself is also pretty easy, just takes a little finese to get it off the gunwhale supports.

As noted above though, you can get a hand dolly, launch easily, and then store the boat deck down and lash the dolly to the hull. THAT'S super easy. You can launch the boat deck down too, pretty easy for one person to flip it 180 degrees over on the water as well.
 
i'd go with upside down becuase it is MUCH better for the hull. I've never done it but I'm thinking you can just ramp launch the laser upside down. I know you can flip it no rig/centerboard in the water easy (all of the junior sailors do it here becuase we store our boats on the dock deck down and that includes a lot of small girls). Just roll it in, flip it, pull it back onto the trailer to rig or rig in the water (which I hate doing.


i just noticed the guy above me said the same thing, rather than deleting i'll post my concurance

i trailer mine on an old blue jay trailer - deck down- and i did custom bunks that match the deck, and tie the dolly ontop of the laser. works great and ican get the boat on and off the trailer with 2 people and can usually do it on my own although i did drop it once on the deck side and put a spider crack in the deck so i wouldn't recomend it.
 
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