A little love for the trailer, which is not in as great a shape as the boat. Previous owner had the boat in a slip so the trailer just sat out in the brutal TX weather. I regret not taking more photos during the actual construction, I would be happy to answer any questions if anyone wants info. A local marina on Lake Travis was kind enough to allow me to rent a slip for the day in order to get the boat off the trailer. I considered launching, anchoring out, and doing the work in the parking lot but I figured $50 was money well spent in order to have access to all my tools.
There were a couple of issues that I wanted to try and resolve, one the PO had cut part of the trailer prop protection loose because he was worried about clearance. Instead of cutting and modifying, he just cut and left it flopping loose. I managed to weld a piece of angle and reattach it, and yes I know my welding is awful but it's secure nonetheless! The other issue was the clearance, using standard 2X6 was only leaving an inch or so clearance for the prop and rudder, so I decided to thicken the bunks by 1/2 inch.
Did some research on marine carpet and ended up going with Lancer. Most reviews gave it a slight edge over CE Smith, I wanted a dark blue color and ended up finding the best price online from here: https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/lancer-enterprises-inc-marine-carpet?a=790775
I also used the Lancer glue which was highly recommended for the tops of the bunks: https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/lancer-enterprises-inc-marine-carpet-adhesive?a=650790
Make sure to use stainless steel staples, Arrow T50 are readily available from Amazon
Next I went to the lumber yard and gathered the straightest, 2X6 treated yellow pine boards I could find. In order to thicken the bunks, I used treated 5/4 deck boards. I glued and nailed the deck boards to the 2X6's, and used a router to round over the edges of the 2X6's. Cut the carpet into 18" strips, applied glue to the bunks, then placed them onto the carpet and allowed to dry overnight.
Finished the bunks by pulling the carpet tight and using an insane amount of staples in each. To attached the bunks to the trailer, I used 3/8 galvanized lag screws. I used ratchet straps to pull the bunks tightly against the mounts before installing the lags.
Everything came out great, however, I created a new issue which I hadn't accounted for. By raising the boat by 1/2 inch, it now doesn't meet the trailer bow stop regardless how tight I winch it. Gonna have to address that. Perhaps a thicker bow stop, or I might have to raise the mount to accommodate.
Sorry this post is so long, hopefully it helps someone thinking of doing the project.
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