Position of Roller Bunks on Trailer Carrying Double Hull Ouachita Jon Boat

Question:

my 2 ea. 6 wooden bunks are 2x4 mounted on 4 flat wide up, with 2 mounting brackets ea. to the trailer at 64 centers front to back. what would be the best roller bunks and mounting procedure for this old 16 double hull Ouachita jon boat. I currently also have 3 sets of 5 rubber rollers mounting in the center of the trailer which is causing damage to the boat. Should I use 3 roller bunks, or just eliminate the center rollers and go with just the two outside roller bunks.

asked by: Steve H

Expert Reply:

Roller bunks like the 5-foot Dutton-Lainson # DL21741 can mount directly to your wooden bunk boards since they have pre-drilled mounting holes.

The exact positioning an angle of the bunks will matter since you want to avoid any damage to the hull by ensuring as much hull surface area as possible can make contact with the rollers. More contact area means less weight on any given part of the hull. Ideally you will have a pair of rollers for each part of the hull.

I was able to find some photos showing the hull design of double-hull Ouachita jon boats and I can see how a standard boat trailer could have trouble with that hull profile that has a very deep center.

If you can send us a few photos of your boat and trailer showing the hull profile and the positioning of the bunk boards we may be able to make specific suggestions. When a boat with an unusual hull profile is on a trailer that was not designed for that particular boat it may be necessary to make some modifications.

expert reply by: Adam R