# Making trailer bunks slick



## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

I recall someone saying that gulf wax works well. Any ideas?


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Been saying it for years. Cheap, effective...maybe too effective!
Keep the safety chain on until you are ready for the boat to leave the trailer.

Previous posts: Wax Your Bunks


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## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

Thanks, now that you replied I now recall that you recommended the gulf wax. Where can I buy it?


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Canning section of the local grocery store.


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## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

Thanks!


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

let me just say that brett is definitely steering you straight on this. go to winn dixie if you cant find it then ask for it and then go wax your bunks. i did and it works like a charm


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

liquid rollers works great, too.


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## Copperhead8 (Jul 24, 2010)

I took Bretts advice on the gulf wax for the bunks of my trailer and it worked great. I applied several coats of the wax . also, I left some of the bunks (towards the front of the trailer) unwaxed. Someone reccommended this to keep a small amount of "friction" Effective and cheap!


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## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

Thanks everyone.


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## Celicacy (May 16, 2012)

Does it leave wax residue on the bottom of the boat?


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## GoldSpoon (Jun 14, 2012)

> Does it leave wax residue on the bottom of the boat?



Not if you have a fast enough boat ;D


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

> Does it leave wax residue on the bottom of the boat?



Good question....never thought about it. :-? 

Back in a minute....

Went out to the garage, lifted up one side of the hull and looked.

Any residue? Nope.


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Gulf wax once again. Do it every time you get a chance at the ramp until your satisfied. Mine took 2 trips and only one bar of wax. Do not unhook early at steep ramps once the wax has been applied


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## fultonswimmer (Apr 14, 2010)

I follow Brett's post religiously as he knows his stuff. However I finally gave up on the Gulf Wax and started using a cheap tire spray that I got at Wally World(Wheel Wet, Black Tire Goop, or something like that) and boy....does my boat come off the bunks fast! I think the ingredient in that wheel treatment stuff that does the trick is some sort of silicone but I do know that I spray those bunks from time to time and pow.....it works. The stuff also rubs off on the bottom on my boat and gives me at least 3-5mph more(well, that might be a boldfaced, outright lie!)! The main complaint I had about the wax is I forgot to take it out of my pickup and I ended up with a big blob of molten wax. I also got tired of the old geezers laughting at me at the boat ramp when I rubbed the stuff on the bunks. Now when they see me spraying them they just shake their heads! ;D


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## jeross (Jun 6, 2009)

Just be aware that whatever you use will end up in the water. I'd feel a lot better about canning wax than I would about tire spray.


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## fultonswimmer (Apr 14, 2010)

Good point on what goes on the bunks ends up in the water. Down here in "Occupied Mexico" we like to feed and refresh our pristine waters with supplemental nutrients without any assistance from BP or others!
I usually end up with so much good "Tejas mud" on my hull when I come in that any additives picked up or added to along the way might even help clean my boat.
Wax is only for those chicks wanting to remove extra hair from their legs!


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## SilentHunter (Jun 14, 2010)

wax is for amatures... dunk your trailer dont be afaird.


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

> wax is for amatures... dunk your trailer dont be afaird.


Yeah buddy. Let me ask you this. If you drive 50 miles to a ramp, your bearings will be hot? Add in the effects of salt on a hub and you have a perfect recipe for shortening the life of your trailer. I don't know about you but my Ramlin is made so that I don't have dunk at all every time I need to launch. Wax helps especially when loading. In the areas I frequent, power loading on the trailer only screws up a good ramp. Keep dunking if you wish..


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## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

I have a low profile trailer like the ramlin and if I dunk the trailer it makes it harder to load and unload.


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## disporks (Jan 19, 2011)

Can anyone explain how the trailer makes it possible to launch without dunking? I have seen the "dry launching" articles etc, but havent exactly seen the proper dry launch setup...I have a Tragic Tilt trailer with no leafs, just wondering what would need to be done to make it possible to "dry launch"....Also my hull is aluminum so I dunno if I could get away with waxing..


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Ramp angle is everything.
Too flat and you are going to have to drag the boat off.
Too steep and you'll have to use the winch to feed it in slowly.
Basic premise is the rear crossframe needs to be at, or almost at, water level.
That means either the ramp needs to have a decent angle on it,
or the trailer itself is set up so it has the needed incline.
That may mean moving the axle over the springs, raising the tongue
or dropping the bunks and rollers to achieve the desired effect.
I launch with the tires wet, but not the axle or hubs, very easy.
Walk board on the trailer helps a lot.


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## disporks (Jan 19, 2011)

Gonna give it a shot the next time I launch...my launch is lterally 5-10 minutes away but i ll do what I can to keep any stress off my BMT...soooooo Anyone know if the wax works on aluminum hulls? Lmao


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

dry launching a boat that sits down in the trailer as opposed to on top the trailer can definitely make all the difference in the world


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

I may be spoiled because i literally live one mile from the boat ramp ;D
But i can understand why the hub thing is such a problem.
Rip that old buddy bearing crap off and put oil bath hubs on it and never look back.


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## fsae99 (Apr 8, 2010)

I'd like to see dry launch/recovery at devil's elbow, or any other place that the ramp has a ripping incoming/outgoing tide.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Been using gulf wax for the past 5 years and it is a cheap effective way to make the bunks slick. I wait till the bunks are hot from the sun when I have returned to the ramp from fishing to apply. A good coat will last a year or more. As mentioned don't unhook your boat till it is in the water and you are ready for it to come off.


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## Dillusion (May 21, 2012)

Maybe yall should just hit the gym


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Devil's Elbow  ;D

Tee hee...see those short uprights on my trailer?
Added just for dry launching at Devil's Elbow.
Luv poking around those oyster bars on the west side.  


Yes, wax works for aluminum boats too.
Slickest bunk I've seen for a flat bottom aluminum hull
was two 4 inch schedule 40 pvc tubes with a 2x4 down the middle.
That jon slid on and off too easy and no carpeting at all.


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## chuckm310 (Aug 5, 2012)

It's reeeeeeeeeal easy. Go to SAMS Club back in the wholesale restruant section. They have very lard cutting boards for under 10 bucks. I cut it into 12 pieces, 6 per bunk, predrilled holes and counter sunk them. Stainless screws at Home Depot in BULK. Boat glides off and on like a dream but won't fly off like siliclone spray.


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

i've used the teflon glide sticks... aint much i havent tried, im sticking with the wax, its eviro freindly , cheap and just plain works


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