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I ordered some new bunks from bass cat several months ago and am finally getting around to installing them. I noticed that the new bunks are tapered at one end. Does the tapered end go the front or rear of the trailer?
Thank you for any help.
front
Thank you
tapered side OUT toward outer side of trailer. Make sure bevels on the back end go UP.
Old timer,
What do you mean by bevels go up? The bottom side of the bunks have a gap in the carpeting so I assume that side goes down. Or are you talking about something else entirely different?
Leave it up to me to make a simple job like bunk replacement complicated.😋
Back end of each bunk is beveled on top to help reduce carpet damage as you load boat. Yes, carpet gap goes down. Was not thinking about that. Getting old I guess. 🙂
BTW you will need something to bend/curve long bunks. I use ratcheting tie down straps.
I did notice that the existing bunks did have some bend to them. Are you saying that you want to try to bend them before installation or install them and use ratchet straps to help aid the bend in the areas needed?
I am getting the feeling that I am overthinking this process.
Great info. Thank you for sharing. I will try that. That’s exactly what happened to my old bunks. The holes where the lag bolts screwed into have deteriorated to the point that the lag won’t stay in.
The latter. I bolted the rear lag bolts, then the middle ones. Then used the ratchet strap to pull the bunk toward the opposite side. Might need a floor jack to lift the boat a couple of inches in the front to have enough room. Was not a hard job, just tricky, but it will pull over reasonably easy. I wrapped strap around the bunk and the frame on the opposite side and pulled it into alignment.
If you want to do a longer lasting job, you can try my super-glue trick. As you get each bunk installed, before moving to the next, remove the one you just installed that has all holes drilled and threaded. Run some thin super glue into the threads and let them sit a while. The thin super glue (you can get this at hobby stores, one brand is “Zap!”). Just be sure it is the thin version that looks like water. It will absorb, “kick” and harden the threads to something that will feel like steel. Re-install again, with a touch of blue loctite, and you won’t be dealing with lag bolts that loosen up or strip the holes out.
stainless bolts!!
why lag screws are used is a mystery other than they are easy.
bwp777 wrote:
stainless bolts!!
why lag screws are used is a mystery other than they are easy.
And quick! The only way bolts can be used is by countersinking from the top. Though i would like to here bcb thoughts on this one.
Because most competitive trailer builder use the lag bolts, and most don’t use stainless steel either. Fitting exact brackets to the bolts, recessing the carriage bolts and exactly fitting them would be very expensive and time consuming with labor in production, especially when compared to the life of the boards.
The boards are usually dry rotting when the lag screws come loose, requiring new board either way.
I have done both. With the thin super-glue, you get the same effect, very tough threads in the wood. The bolts are a little harder since they have to be drilled and counter-sunk before putting the carpet on, else it will tear around the hole with multiple loading and unloading wear. My previous boat used through-bolts. When I replaced the bunks on my cat a couple of years ago, the lag bolts looked problematic until I decided to try the super-glue approach which are still perfectly tight two years later…
I didn’t think about F26 in the holes, then lag screw them
F26 sounds like the way to go, I’m assuming I should put boat in water, remove bunks, turn bunks upside down, fill holes with F26, wait how long?, then reinstall. I have a 2008 Classic, sold off dealer lot in 2010, I bought it in 2012, lags checked a few times and seemed ok, but I know they won’t last much longer. Any advice appreciated.
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