Trailer headaches

btsunfish

New Member
After crawling through the search results on "Sunfish trailer" I'm thoroughly bewildered as to waht to do with my own trailer project. I have an old trailer given to me by a family friend that was originally designed as a trailer for god-only-knows what kind of boat. The trailer is about 8 feet long in terms of actual carrying space. The trailer is basically a long steel tube with a small rectangular frame at the extreme end that carries the axle and suspension. This frame is about 2 1/2 feet long and about 4 to 5 feet wide. I want to carry the boat in a manner that will allow me to unload it singke-handed, so I figured right-side-up is best. I currently have 10 feet of 4x4 running through the brackets that carried rollers. I wanted to use athwartships bunks, but I have had difficulty in attatching them to the center beam. I also heard that this style of transport can damage the boat. Here are the two options I am weighing.
1. Reattempt the athwartships bunks with 2x8s instead of 2x4s. I would notch the bottom of the bunk after cutting the contour of the hull and fit the notch into a corresponding notch on the center beam and secure with angle brackets. The bunks would be covered with two layers of 3/8" pipe insulation foam.
2. Build some sort of frame to hold longditudinal 2x8s as per the Corpus Christi sailing center website. I really haven't explored this option much, so any suggestions on how to do this sturdily would be appreciated.
I have extremely limited means and an '05 Caravan to put the materials in. I do not know how to weld and have no access to any welding equipment. I want to get the trailer done so I can get sailing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Damn, that sounds like a huge headache and major time suck. In light of your predicament, Right-On Trailer would like to extend to you free shipping on a brand new Sunfish dolly trailer. That alone is a $125 value for the east coast. Fill out the Pay by Check .pdf on our website: www.rightontrailer.com and we will hook you up with the premiere single person loading trailer.

Michael

More photos on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Right-On-Trailer-Co/10150130424075118
 

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"The bunks would be covered with two layers of 3/8" pipe insulation foam".


Regular bunk carpet would be fine, you could staple it tight, and when wet, they seem to slide the boat into place. I am thinking that there would be too much friction when the hull slides on the foam pipe insulation,( it tends to squeak), leading to ripping of the insulation. Also 2 layers might make the insulation roll around, and eventually rip off also.
 

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The trailer you describe sounds like a "Moody" trailer that was the Sunfish trailer of the 60's (1960's that is) It consisted of a long center tube with a single roller at the end and near the coupler end there was a small "V" the was made of 2 small wooden pieces that moved to adjust to the underside of the bow. The rectangular part you speak of had wooden bunks that supported under the tub of the Sunfish. Moody actually made an accessory that allowed you to 'bunk' two sunfish on the trailer. The transom of the Sunfish extended back well past the end roller.
 
There's a specific type of carpet? It looks like you use a similar design by the picture; how's it work for you?


I mean, the carpet that is used on bunks, not just household carpeting. Household carpet might hold on to moisture too long, where as bunk carpet, is thin enough to shed the water off, while driving from the lake. When wet, it tends to slide the hull nicely. By the way,I scribed the board to the SF hull.
The black carpet that I used was from a car ( not original factory stuff), and it looked very similar to bunk type.
Here is another pic of some bunk carpet off of my power boat's trailer. The bunk had rotted, so I had to change the board, and reuse the carpet.
 

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