Caliber trailer bunk wraps...anyone use them?
 

About to redo my bunks this year and was looking at trying these. Any input...?

http://http://www.caliberproductsinc.../BunkWraps.php

Looks like a good product

I'm interested to hear what others say, but right on the box there is a disclaimer:

"Disclaimer: Bunk Wrap is intended for Aluminum boats. If hauling a boar with a gel coat hull, certain conditions may scuff your gel coat. If you are concerned about scuffing your gel coat hull use Caliber Slydz-On (Part#23200) and carpet to achieve reduced friction."

But also on their website under the faq's is this:

" Q: Will Marine Slides scratch my hull?

A. After extensive testing of all brands of marine slides we have found that all slides will, under some conditions, scratch your Boat/Watercraft hull. This usually occurs when the slides or hull is dirty or sandy.

It is a common misconception that carpet (used on most trailer bunks) will not scratch your boat. Carpet in-fact will scratch your boat with fine sand particles that are embedded in the carpet. Carpet is however good at dispersing gel-coated material (widely used to manufacture boat hulls) so the owner does not see that his carpet is in fact harming his/her hull. Conversely, Marine Slides will show signs of material being deposited on them from your hull."

so... pick your poison? :confused:

Here's the link to amazon that let me zoom in on the box so I could actually read what it says on there:

http://a.co/4is8xiN

I saw that as well. But I'm sure any kind of power loading will make marks on the hull regardless. Oh well, like you said, pick your poison. I haven't seen many other options...

This wrap is thicker.http://www.gatorbak.com

One of the biggest separating factors is the Quality of materials. The Product the OP provided a link to, Like many other Plastic bunk “Slides” is made from a Rigid Plastic base material. It is Very thin and provides no cushion or resistance to hull weight on the bunk. Gatorbak Synthetic bunk covers are Made from a Soft material by stark comparison. Gatorbak Synthetic Bunk covers are constructed from a Custom Shore A durable Compound. Our Compound is a High Grade synthetic replacement that allows the bunk to “pad” the bunk like carpet does without any of the drawbacks of Carpet. These other flat thin Products made of Rigid types of materials Offer no protection and are as close to the Hardness of the Gel coat that they sit on which has a greater potential for scratching or damaging a hull.

These and other products like them are millimeters thick. Profile design for Gatorbak Synthetic Bunk materials Varies from ¼ Inch to ½” at the center of the support Pad. The Support Ribs on Gatorbak Synthetic Bunk Covers are deep and allow water to drain easily away and allows air to move freely. The Thin ones have very shallow ribs and do not allow water and debris to clear easily.

There are a great many Differences between the two products. Quality is the most obvious but how the Gatorbak cushions the hull and the difference in the composition are the biggest technical performance differences.

Is anyone using the Gatorbak? I would love to get rid of the dripping carpet once I get the boat home in the garage and would think this would drain on the drive home solving the problem. That being said, it would not be worth risking damage to the gelcoat.

I put gatorbak on my trailer bunks at the end of last season. I haven't had it on and off of the trailer enough since then to say if it's going to cause damage but I can't imagine it would. The stuff is pretty durable but still soft and pliable, especially if it sits in the sun and warms up. It does seem to go on and come off of the trailer a lot easier and smoother the with carpet. When I installed mine, I brought a bottle of spray on wax and coated it before loading the boat for the first time.

Robert,

Thanks for the feedback. Will you update us as the season begins and you gain some experience with the new bunks?

I will be interested in your opinion on the more difficult loading and unloading. Right now I am thinking about the possibility of using the gatorbak on most of the bunks but keeping carpet on the heavily loaded bunks during loading and unloading.

Sorry, I just noticed that there was a typo in my last post. I meant to say that my boat seemed to load and unload much easier with the gatorbak than with carpet.