Looking for bunk slide recommendations

wrvond

Member
Aug 27, 2016
257
West Virginia
Boat Info
1995 Sundancer 270
Pa'u Hana
Engines
7.4 liter Mercruiser w/Bravo II
I need to install some kind of bunk slides this season. I've been looking at several different brands but can't seem to identify the best product. Any recommendations based on personal experience are most appreciated.
 
I don't think there's a "best" brand, but what size bunks do you have?
 
Not looking for a best brand, though not adverse to recommendations in that area. Looking more for best kind or style. I see some that are small sections of starboard, some that wrap around the top and sides of the bunk, some with grooves, etc.
I have four bunks that are 2x6 carpeted. Two are 11 feet long and two are 15 feet long.
The boat has an ablative painted hull and it is a real bear to recover. I'm thinking it might be enough to put sliders on the two longest bunks, but not sure. Probably best to install on all four bunks and be done with it.
I'm considering making all new bunks without any carpet at all and installing sliders the entire length of the boards.
 
My 260DA was originally a roller trailer. I converted it to a bunk trailer with 2x6 boards. I went with the wrap-around "cap" style bunk slicks (put them directly on the wood, not over the carpet) that wrapped over the top onto the sides of the board. I liked this style better because it covered the entire board, along with the screws being fastened through the sides of the bunk as opposed to on top (avoiding a possible screw pop into your hull). The brand I used was made by Tie Down Engineering and I was very happy with those (ablative paint on my hull, too).

I would just keep it simple and put them on all of your bunks.

FYI... They come in sets with "end pieces" that are rounded over. I somehow needed two more end pieces for my project, but I didn't want to buy a whole 'nother set just for the end pieces. So I carefully cut a regular piece to make it wrap over, down and around the end of the board. Never had an issue.
 
My rear bunks are 4"x8" oak. I bought a piece of UHMW, cut it into 4" strips, beveled the ends at 45*angle, countersunk the screw holes, and screwed the pieces down to cover the entire length of the main bunks. I used 3" SS screws to screw it down. I used the 45* angle cuts to make it look like a continuous piece except for leaving about an 1/8" gap between pieces to allow for expansion.

They work very well. You do not take the bow strap loose before you are ready to launch and you need to hook it up before you shut the motor down when loading. I do not have to back near as far back into the water to load/unload and it makes it 100 times easier to do both.

I have no need to do the smaller guide bunks. All done for less than $75.

Bennett
 

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