[cubanredneck]

My son took the ski out for the first time,everything worked perfect, but when he went to drive onto the trailer the bow hit the rear cross bar of the trailer leaving a nice mark about an inch under the bracket where you hook it to the trailer.
Should he had done something different or should I extend the bunks further back,maybe another foot.
I was even thinking of maybe using a vertical 2x6 instead of a vertical 2x4 just to raise it up a bit.
I also thought of changing the bunks & putting new brackets for slanted bunks.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you & God bless,Al
This pic shows how far the bunks extend as of now.
These last 2 pics show how far apart the bunks are spread out.
Do you think I should move them closer to get some height,& would the ski sit right?

 

[Outlaw]

My son took the ski out for the first time,everything worked perfect, but when he went to drive onto the trailer the bow hit the rear cross bar of the trailer leaving a nice mark about an inch under the bracket where you hook it to the trailer.
Should he had done something different or should I extend the bunks further back,maybe another foot.
I was even thinking of maybe using a vertical 2x6 instead of a vertical 2x4 just to raise it up a bit.
I also thought of changing the bunks & putting new brackets for slanted bunks.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you & God bless,Al
This pic shows how far the bunks extend as of now.

Sorry to hear about that, there are a lot of variables that go into loading a boat or ski on a bunk trailer.

1. the angle that your trailer is in relation to your ski varies from ramp to ramp.

2. the space between bunks is adjustable. The closer together they are the more hull lift for clearance. But not to close so that ski is cradled improperly.

3. I have found that where possible backing the trailer down so that the fenders are submerged to the top of the fenders is optimal. That should submerge the bunks about 2/3 of the way.This will assist in loading by reducing friction. This along with becoming familar with the ramps you use should eliminate future problems. You may want to install two pvc masts on each end of the trailer to give visual sights and help guide the ski in windy or fast tide conditions. But always familiarize yourself with every ramp that you use.

 

[Ernest T]

From the photo it looks like the bunks are spaced too widely, and not far back enough. You have a lot of ski hanging off the end. Raising the bunks may not be a bad idea also.

My trailer has a dip in the cross piece, and a rubber bumper in the middle just in case the bow were to bump. I think you can solve your problem by adjusting the bunks back and closer (if possible). You may want to put a piece of carpet or rubber on in the middle of the cross piece just in case it hits again.

Getting the trailer deeper in the water will also help prevent that problem, if this is an option.

 

[cubanredneck]

Sorry to hear about that, there are a lot of variables that go into loading a boat or ski on a bunk trailer.

1. the angle that your trailer is in relation to your ski varies from ramp to ramp.

2. the space between bunks is adjustable. The closer together they are the more hull lift for clearance. But not to close so that ski is cradled improperly.

3. I have found that where possible backing the trailer down so that the fenders are submerged to the top of the fenders is optimal. That should submerge the bunks about 2/3 of the way.This will assist in loading by reducing friction. This along with becoming familar with the ramps you use should eliminate future problems. You may want to install two pvc masts on each end of the trailer to give visual sights and help guide the ski in windy or fast tide conditions. But always familiarize yourself with every ramp that you use.

Guiding the ski is not that big of a problem for him,but I was going to put some guides anyways.
Thank you for your advise.

 

[cubanredneck]

From the photo it looks like the bunks are spaced too widely, and not far back enough. You have a lot of ski hanging off the end. Raising the bunks may not be a bad idea also.

My trailer has a dip in the cross piece, and a rubber bumper in the middle just in case the bow were to bump. I think you can solve your problem by adjusting the bunks back and closer (if possible). You may want to put a piece of carpet or rubber on in the middle of the cross piece just in case it hits again.

Getting the trailer deeper in the water will also help prevent that problem, if this is an option.

I didn't realized that the hull would raise by spacing the bunks closer.I'm going to have to look into that tomorrow when I extend the bunks further back.
Thank you so much for the advise.

 

[Ernest T]

From the additional photos you posted, Your bunks look like they are spaced correctly. You really can't move them any closer. It also looks like your brackets are at the max. height. Without different brackets, or wider bunks, you won't be able to raise them. The front of the bunks also look like they are at the correct position, so instead of moving the bunks back, you may want to consider getting longer bunk boards, and keeping the front position where it is.

The keel of your ski is very close to the cross members, getting it a little higher would be good, but would mean wider boards or different brackets.