Anyone have issues with their trailer bunks mounts

[StormTrooperZ28]

The mounts under my bunks are buckling and bending causing my boat to sit listed to the left side. The trailer is a 2019 Boatmate under my 2018 G23. I called Boatmate because my trailer is only 1.5 years old and they said they could mail me out new support brackets and I would have to have a shop weld them onto my trailer and then paint it. Anyone even seen this or heard of this. Kind of hard to think about just buying this trailer 1.5 years ago for almost $10k and now having to have someone cut the main mounts off and re-weld it back together and then have to spot paint areas on the trailer. Will post up some pics later tonight when home from work. Thanks Matt

[bird_dog0347]

My trailer is only a few months old, and doesn't have that issue... but are they also going to reimburse you for the cost at the shop to install/repair/repaint?

[StormTrooperZ28]

Quote removed by Admin for not following the Guidelines for Quoting Previous Posts in a Thread.

Yes they will reimburse me. Just sucks to have a practically brand new item having to get fixed already due to construction flaw

[bird_dog0347]

For sure it sucks... but as long as they make it right I personally wouldn't be upset. Things break, people have bad days, but at the end of the day as long as the company stands behind the product and makes it right (within reason) I'm ok with that.

[StormTrooperZ28]

Look at the huge gaps between the front bunks and boat. The boat is barely using the front bunks at all, putting all the weight on just the 2 rear bunks

[StormTrooperZ28]

A few more pics

[shag]

Looks like the wrong trailer or one that didn't get through quality control at the factory.

[Stevemo14]

I would think it would be easy to fix if you wanted too. Just get some pressure treated 1x4 and 2x4 and make spacers below the bunks. You could also fix the bent brackets when you have the bunks off.

[StormTrooperZ28]

Looks like the wrong trailer or one that didn't get through quality control at the factory.

That is what my local Nautique dealer is also thinking. I bought the trailer from Orlando Nautique because that is where I purchased the boat used when I got it in 2019.

[RDT-G23]

Look at the huge gaps between the front bunks and boat. The boat is barely using the front bunks at all, putting all the weight on just the 2 rear bunks

I have the same "lack of contact' between what I call the "inner bunks" as you. This has been discussed on the forum before, with no real conclusion. (Someone intimated that it had to do with loading ease) Except for our scenarios, I've never seen a fixed bunk trailer, made specifically for a boat - not support and contact the hull through its entire length...

[StormTrooperZ28]

The Fab guy who is fixing my trailer is going to fix those front boards and have them contacting the boat as well. We looked it all over and measured a bunch of stuff and he doesn't know why they would leave the huge gaps. When the trailer is in the water the boat doesn't come into contact with the area. As you pull the boat out of the water it sits on the trailer, so having the back half of the front boards up higher to actually contact the boat will not affect getting the boat on or off. And it will help to distribute the weight of the boat on the entire trailer, not just the 2 rear bunks.

[JSnipes]

My 2020 G-21 trailer has the same gaps between the front bunks and the boat hull. I was quite sure they had sent the wrong trailer because they had to “find” a G-21 trailer in August last year when I bought one of the last new G-21’s around.

I’m pretty picky and noticed it. I asked about it and was told that it was on purpose … whether that’s factual or not, I don’t know, but its what the dealership told me. I kinda didn’t believe them and looked at the tag on the trailer to ensure that it was built for a G-21 and it was.

I looked at every G on the lot … my G21 plus one or two G23/25’s and all of them were the same way. If I recall, the one Paragon on the lot at that time was like that too, but don’t hold me to that. So it seems to be “on purpose” or else a design philosophy flaw with BoatMate.

Also, if I recall correctly … the GS that I looked at did NOT have this gap. Again … may not be remembering this correctly.

They said it was due to the angle of the hull and if it was in full contact (with straight bunks) that the bow would be raised too high …. A geometry thing. So it uses the rear portion while loading and as the boat slides up the trailer it ends up just on the upper portion of the front bunks. My Mastercrafts NEVER had this “feature” and frankly I’ve never seen it before. I’ve just kinda put it out of my mind until this thread.

I don’t have any buckling/bending but will for sure keep a close eye out for it now. My G-21 is lighter than a G-23 and probably(?) same gauge support on the trailer.

It would be interesting to know if other trailer brands have the same “feature” or if this is a BoatMate thing. Not that it matters at this point since I have what I have.

[RDT-G23]

Good post. I suspect if folks who own Boatmate trailers look under their boats-they will find this... I don't like it - in any case...

[JSnipes]

I just went out and took another look at mine … so the inner bunks only extend about 3 feet further forward than the outer bunks.

The outer bunks are fully engaged.

The forward 1 - 1.5 feet of inner bunks are engaged, leaving only about 1.5 - 2 feet of the length of the boat “unsupported”. So it’s not as bad as I had thought from a support standpoint on my G-21. In my head, I was thinking the outer bunks were shorter (and positioned more toward stern of hull) and so more of the center of the boat was left unsupported and then almost a point load on the inner bunks toward the bow … not really the case.

I didn’t measure but there’s probably 6 - 8 feet of inner bunk that is not touching the hull … biggest gap at the back, tapering forward until they make contact for the front 1 - 1.5 feet of inner bunk.

My inner and outer bunk supports look good … no buckling. At the price of these trailers, I would be very unhappy if my trailer had the buckling issues like the OP’s unless I knew that I had been responsible via abuse, etc.

I know the OP is dealing with a G-23 but if anyone wants any measurements or photos from my trailer for reference I’m happy to do it. It’s not directly relevant to the OP though.

I know when I’m loading my boat that I can feel the full riding up that ramp that the inner bunks make until the bow ring is all the way up to the winch. It’s kinda hard to imagine that the outer bunks aren’t already engaged though, so maybe the feeling of the boat riding upward to the winch is just a feeling and not really happening. I dunno … I’m usually pretty focused on keeping the bow headed straight toward the winch! LOL! It would be great to hear the BoatMate technical explanation for the design though.

Everyone have a nice weekend! Hope you’re able to get your boat OFF your trailer and have some fun!! LOL!

[StormTrooperZ28]

When the trailer is down in the water you shouldn't have to drive onto it, right. I coast my boat up in the trailer area and then hook up the strap and tighten it. I don't believe my boat starts to hit the bunks (front and rear) until I start pulling the boat up out of the water. Because when I ratchet the strap all the way tight, I can swing the *** end of the boat from pole to pole on the trailer if I wanted, which means it can't be touching the bunks on the trailer yet.