get a carpet for the wood and you're good to go!
Were you going to load the dolly on? Not much needed except straps or rope.
If you transport it right-side up, I'd use a plane or spoke-shave to shape the bunks closer to the hull shape. In a hurry? Use a reciprocating saw (Harbor Freight—$19) or a chainsaw...
If transported upside-down, the bunks should be moved to approximate the outer edges of the boat, and formed as above. (Only a little needed). Bolt on conventional carpeting or indoor-outdoor carpeting, which is slippery when wet. (Aiding in sliding the boat on the trailer).
Check on the condition of the rollers, pins, and their brackets. "Punch" damage to the keel can result from those parts failing.
It appears the winch will draw the bow to rusty steel brackets.I'd insulate them with rubber blocks, or not allow the bow to touch them—especially in transit.
The Tractor Supply chain has stores with a comprehensive inventory of such things. (And bird seed).
So I got a trailer. I think it’ll work for my sunfish, but I’m guessing I’ll need to outfit it to best support a sunfish. What recommendations do you guys have with this in mind? Which areas of the boat need support when transporting?
Hi, I would look to move the bunks outboard and forward so that the boat is supported close to the chines where the boat is strongest. The ends of the bunks want to be past where the cubby and footwell meet, however. I would also shape the bunks so that they fit the hull properly and round over the bunk corners at the back, so that when pulling the boat onto the trailer, you won’t be putting all the weight on two sharp corners. Take care that there is clearance for the bailer.
If you follow those suggestions, you may find that the bunks need to be taller. You don’t want the boat to ride on the rollers. Rollers create pressure points, and pressure points are bad for thin fiberglass hulls. The simple way to make them taller is to fasten 2x4s to them. That would create more surface area besides, and that’s good.
Ideally, the boat won’t need support other than the bunks, but if the boat wants to tip forward, you might need something to support it there as well. In that case, I would want to support the boat under the mast step. The forward roller in the photo might work, cannot tell if it moves, but again I would swap the roller with something that added a little more surface area, or at least pad the roller. If needed, you want that support to be high enough so that the boat will not/ cannot pivot on the forward corners of the bunks. Just to be safe, I would round the bunks’ front corners as well.
All the above are just my opinions of course, but I hope they are helpful.
Good luck!
Great info! Not really sure how to "shape" the bunks. If it involves carving wood I can tell you right now, I probably won't be able to do that.
When you say "move the bunks outboard and forward," do you mean closer to the vehicle and out towards the sides more? Should I angle the bunks so it's more of a "cupping" type setup?
I am awful at describing this stuff. That probably makes zero sense.
Oh, got the lights figured out. Bad ground.
Front keel support under the mast step. Bunks under the outer edge of the cockpit. Don't strap too tight with ratchets.
That is why they invented Google!"Scribe a line" is Greek to me!
Is it me, or is this confusing?Tie the boat to the dolly at the bow and amidships. Put the tongue of the dolly up onto the aft roller, then go around to the stern of the boat and Grip and Rip