trailer bunk gator bak

[brabbit9]

hey all. I am needing new bunks and carpet. I was looking online and a buddy of mine who has a boat found gator bak that people are placing on their bunks because it will not hold sediment like carpet can. Wondering if anyone has used it or know more about it

http://gatorbak.com/

[Infinity]

I installed it on my trailer last June and personally I love the GatorBak bunks. My carpet was wearing out......but I did not want to install new carpet cause it catches debris/sediment and was scratching up my black hull badly even tho I float on/off the trailer.
I originally did not order the end pieces but once I saw how it would turn out without them.... I decided to order them and glad I did since it looks much cleaner, so I definately recommend using them. I installed new Pressure Treated lumber at the same time. I used galv bolts and lags to secure....

[SilentSeven]

Wow. Just looked that product up on Amazon....lotta first borns needed to acquire ...!

Posted via phone. Sorry for the tpyos.

[GMLIII]

If anyone has any pictures of Gatorbak on their boat lift cradles please post. I would like to upgrade to these.

[Infinity]

Here are a few pics

[Infinity]

If anyone has any pictures of Gatorbak on their boat lift cradles please post. I would like to upgrade to these.

The material relaxes a bit after its been installed. I also laid my pieces out in the sun before cutting/installing. Its pretty thick stuff. Basically you install the end caps 1st and then cut the GatorBak to fit between the 2 end caps. (I used a chop saw to cut the GatorBak and to keep a straight cut, I had a 2x6 piece under the GatorBak before making each cut...otherwise it seemed like the cuts were not perfectly straight). I replaced my pressure treated 2x6 bunks at the same time so I made the new ones and then dropped boat in the lake overnight while I replaced everything. I did it overnight cause once the old bunks were removed, I took the opportunity to sand/prep/prime/paint the bunk supports where there was a little corrosion on the top of the mounts where the old bunks were. I used 2" long X 3/8" lag screws initially....but later decided to come back and install carriage bolts since I trailer a lot and over time I expect the lags will loosen a bit due to boat bumping on/off the new bunks.
IMO, this is a huge upgrade over carpet. Zero debris gets trapped on this GatorBak and no more scratches on the bottom of my black hull from the carpet. I have noticed no difference between the boat being easier or harder to load/unload, these seem to provide good enough grip on the boat yet still allow it to be easily cranks up the last few feet using the winch.

[SilentSeven]

That looks really clean....I wish the price for the product was more reasonable. :/

[GMLIII]

The material relaxes a bit after its been installed. I also laid my pieces out in the sun before cutting/installing. Its pretty thick stuff. Basically you install the end caps 1st and then cut the GatorBak to fit between the 2 end caps. (I used a chop saw to cut the GatorBak and to keep a straight cut, I had a 2x6 piece under the GatorBak before making each cut...otherwise it seemed like the cuts were not perfectly straight). I replaced my pressure treated 2x6 bunks at the same time so I made the new ones and then dropped boat in the lake overnight while I replaced everything. I did it overnight cause once the old bunks were removed, I took the opportunity to sand/prep/prime/paint the bunk supports where there was a little corrosion on the top of the mounts where the old bunks were. I used 2" long X 3/8" lag screws initially....but later decided to come back and install carriage bolts since I trailer a lot and over time I expect the lags will loosen a bit due to boat bumping on/off the new bunks.
IMO, this is a huge upgrade over carpet. Zero debris gets trapped on this GatorBak and no more scratches on the bottom of my black hull from the carpet. I have noticed no difference between the boat being easier or harder to load/unload, these seem to provide good enough grip on the boat yet still allow it to be easily cranks up the last few feet using the winch.

Thanks I would think the install of GatorBak on the boat lift cradle would be less labor intensive than covering all trailer bunks with it.

[Wake.BC]

Is the plastic not hard on darker gel coat when loading onto the trailer?


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[Infinity]

Yes, much quicker to install on boat lift cradle!

The "plastic" does not scratch my black gelcoat on the hull at all, it is a softer compound....even tho it feels quite hard. At first the bunks wore just a bit over the 1st 6-10 times the boat was put on/off the trailer (I mean approx. 1/16")….but since then I have seen no change in the material and it has held up very well.

Another benefit I have seen compared to using carpet and the obvious benefit of the carpet not staying wet for days at a time....which has the potential to cause blistering on the gelcoat where it touches the hull....is that the GatorBak only covers the top/sides of the pressure treated bunks, so it also allows the wood to drain and dry much quicker. I replaced the P.T. 2x6 bunks at the same time and the original bunks that were covered in carpet, even tho pressure treated...where deteriorating and starting to rot in some areas already and once per month I had to get under the trailer and tighten up the lag screws holding the 2x6 down to the trailer as they were backing out consistently. My boat/trailer is a 2014, bought new as a leftover in March 2015. I replaced with the Gatorbak in July 2019 so that deterioration happened pretty quick in my opinion for a boat/trailer that is kept in an enclosed garage. Time will tell, but I would expect this GatorBak to last a much longer time....combined with fact that this material does not damage my hull as the carpet was doing, I call that a win!

[SilentSeven]

Question: I need to recarpet / replace the coverings on short nose boards that support the bow of my 206. (I think they are ~ 5' long x 6", have to measure). When loading / unloading the boat, I frequently have to nudge the throttle to get the boat of the nose off these rests or push it the last few inches forward. I wouldn't call this a full power load but it's not always possible to have a clean float on/off.

How well do these slide? I see on the FAQ they say get them wet and they don't slide as well as carpet. I also see they recently updated they warranty to cover what they call powerloading.

Trying to get some feedback from some real users.