Another trailer bunk question - attachment

[yardbird]

Well.... I bought hemlock. Oiled it up (several coats) with linseed oil. Left a cutoff laying in the grass and it got covered with dew. Accidentally stepped on it. I can tell you that wet wood that's been oiled like that is slicker than frog snot!

Made me wonder why bunks are carpeted... heheh. Anyone ever just run their toon onto wood bunks? *grin*

[Retired OG]

I mentioned it earlier...paint them with an oil based paint...gluing carpet to the paint will help keep the paint from getting scraped off...the better you seal the wood, the longer it will last....seal them against getting moist/wet and you'll most likely never have to replace them again.

[yardbird]

I hear ya... but I'm a woodworker. If you paint wood, even with a good oil based paint, eventually you'll get some kind of opening in that paint. Typically on wood exposed to moisture, even just occasionally, it will be an end grain check. There isn't a film coating I know of that can withstand getting water UNDER it. And there isn't a film coating I know of that will keep moisture out indefinitely. And wood moves not just with moisture and drying, but also temperature.

The more I get into this, the more I think the guys using a vinyl covering that's reusable have the right idea. When the wood gets punky, remove cover, install new wood, reinstall cover. It really only has a significant cost the first time you change over. I spent something like $183 for marine carpeting to redo my bunks. If I have to do this again, I would seriously look at the vinyl 4x4 post covers (my bunks are 2x4s, not 2x6s).

Right now though, I have it about half done. The front stops and the 4 front bunk boards are covered and installed (the 6 footers). I need to do the 4 bunk boards that are 10 footers. And whoever mentioned the pneumatic staple gun gets a beer. If I'd been doing this with any of my manual staplers, my hands would be killing me. Props to the guys that do this by hand. Glad I'm not.

Season's getting shorter. I have to get the trailer done because at some point, I have to put the boat on it.
But I really want to just enjoy the boat.

Oh... and I gotta pull the wheels from the trailer, and clean them up and check bearings, etc. The previous owner didn't spare the grease (I can see a grease fitting in the center of both wheels) and it kinda got slung around some. And I'd REALLY like to find a spare cause I don't have one.

[Retired OG]

You can buy a boatload of wood for $183....and a properly painted piece of good kiln dried wood like spruce or at least fir, will withstand many many years of neglect. Especially if it has a top coat of good waterproof glue sitting on top of it. Calk any bolt holes with a good epoxy like PC7 and be done with it. If water can't get in, it can't do any damage....