Anybody use Snaptraxx bunks?

[angler53]

Anybody herd of, or use this system? http://snaptraxx.com/index.php?pr=Home
I took my Ranger to a fiberglass repair shop to fix a place on the hull bottom where I hit a submerged tree. Once they lifted the boat we found hundreds of dime sized blisters on the hull where it sets on the carpet bunk. Ranger is considering warranty repair to the hull but the fiberglass guy is suggesting I install these Snaptraxx. The cost is around $500.00 for my trailer.
I sure would like to hear from somebody that has tried these things.

[perchjerker]

cant help ya with that but there are thousands of glass boats out there (including mine) that sit on carpeted bunks without this issue

[angler53]

but there are thousands of glass boats out there (including mine) that sit on carpeted bunks without this issue

Could it be out of sight out of mind. Maybe people need to raise their boats and look.
Is it that big of a deal? It certainly didn't effect my having fun until I saw it.

[perchjerker]

I would say its a big deal, blisters are never a good thing lol

I know my Grady doesnt have any

:grin:

[southerncomfort1]

Interesting. Never personally heard of this problem before.As mentioned above most fiberglass boats site on carpeted bunks and never "seem" to have a problem but as you stated maybe we just are not aware of it.$500 seems like a lot have you thought about the add on bunk strips made of nylon or plastic that can be bought at Cabelas or Bass Pro for a lot less.I think the idea they are working with is to eliminate the glass siting on a wet saturated carpet and being able to absorb the water into the glass and with those I mention above would also prevent this I would think for less money.check these out at Bass Pro
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_9260?cmCat=CROSSSELL_PRODUCT&cmid=PP_P0_2

OR

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_1072____SearchResults

[angler53]

I just wanted to update you all on how the repair came out on my boat.
First off; Ranger covered the Osmosis gel coat blistering under warranty, even though the warranty exempts osmosis blistering. They supplied all the materials and paid the local fiberglass repair shop for the labor involved. It just made good sense to let them do it because they already had the boat on jacks to make repairs from where I hit the tree.
I would like to have seen the factory and let them do the work, but it just wasn't cost effective, especially for me considering they are 700 miles away. They offered to have it picked at one of their dealers and return it when finished but that would have taken a long time. My hat is off to Ranger Boats for their care and service.
In my estimation, this glass shop did a superb job. I can't tell there was a repair. The gel-coat that Ranger supplied was a dead ringer match to the original finish.
They installed a set of Tie-Down Engineering Glide-On's which will hopefully prevent future blistering.
Ranger supplies a full 2"x6" bunk so they had to rip them down to accept the Tie-Down's which fit the standard 5-1/2" width of a 2x6.
While they were at it, they fixed a few rock chips I didn't know I had. They laid some glass to the inside of my motor cowling which was cracked across the front from hitting the livewell door :smash::cookoo:. I choose not to repaint the cowl but just used one of those touch-up pins from Yamaha. I'll just replace it later if need be.
All in all I'm very pleased at how it turned out. Especially on how Ranger stepped up when they didn't have to.

[phowler]

angler53, I have a couple questions.

After ripping the bunks is the carpet reinstalled or is the Glide-on installed directly over the bunk?

Is there any chance that the material used to make the Glides will scratch the gel coat?

[angler53]

angler53, I have a couple questions.

After ripping the bunks is the carpet reinstalled or is the Glide-on installed directly over the bunk?

Is there any chance that the material used to make the Glides will scratch the gel coat?

Yes, the carpet is put back.
As slick as they are claimed to be, I'd think not. I have been warned to be sure the boat is in the water before you detach the wench hook.
I'm told a few have seen their boats slide right off the trailer onto the ramp.
We'll see how they work once this front passes.

[jdino]

A word of warning to those who are entertaining the thought of using the EZ Slider Bunk Pads. Do not rely on the SS wood screws that come with them to stay screwed into the wood. I put these on my bunks and some of the screws backed out. Did a number on my aluminum hull. Caught it in time but I have some pretty nasty gouges. I ended up using long enough ss machine bolts to go all the way through the bunk and used locking nuts and lock washers to prevent them from coming loose. Ended up replacing the bunks and now I just silicon the carpet.

[angler53]

I too sprayed silicone my carpet bunks, jdino. I had the Tie-Downs installed so the hull wouldn't be setting on wet carpet which caused these blisters.
Thank you for the heads up on the fastener issue. I'll look into that.

[perchjerker]

I still dont get this

thousand of boats sit in the water docked all season long and dont get blisters (yes some do but they are usually older and somewhat neglected). I just cant see how the boat sitting on wet bunks caused this

Im sure there must have been a defect in the gelcoat layup or something in your case

[angler53]

I still dont get this

thousand of boats sit in the water docked all season long and dont get blisters (yes some do but they are usually older and somewhat neglected). I just cant see how the boat sitting on wet bunks caused this

Im sure there must have been a defect in the gelcoat layup or something in your case

I don't know what to say, perch, other than I'm concerned about it, so I've been doing some reading on the subject.
It appears that my problems may have only just begun. One article I read indicated that Craft that blister early in their lives are prone to be bad for the rest of their days.
I'm caught in the middle between the manufacturer and the repairman. Ranger says it's not uncommon and they paid to fix it. The repairman, and a few others I spoke with say this should not happen to a two year old hull.
It must be common enough because Ranger has it in their warranty that these blemishes are not covered beyond the first year.
One can't know these blisters are there unless they lift the boat and look. The only other way is to feel for it while the boat is in the water.
One thing that concerns me is the repair of osmosis blistering appears to be complicated and requires someone that has a lot of experience specializing in this type of repair work. It also concerns me to learn that once osmosis begins, the hull loses significant structural strength. I don't care who's name is on the side of it, or what it cost, that's not good.

[angler53]

angler53, Is there any chance that the material used to make the Glides will scratch the gel coat?

After a few launch and retrievals with the glides I started noticing they were covered with a white substance when I pulled the trailer out. It's gel-coat. The glides have scuffed the hull pretty bad along the full length where they've made contact.
I've decided to remove them next trip to the ramp. I don't know what's worse, blistering from the carpet of what I have now.
I'm danged if I do, danged if I don't :angry:
I'm very upset with the way things are going with this boat. I work hard to keep it in good condition, It's like :deadhorse:

[perchjerker]

sounds like you have a real mess on your hands.

Did the blistering get fixed?

[angler53]

sounds like you have a real mess on your hands.

Did the blistering get fixed?

Yeah, Ranger supplied the materials and paid half the labor. Was it done right? I have no idea. The blisters were between the bunk and hull, I can't see it on the trailer. I can see where the glides are scratching the hull at each end of the bunks. I guess I'll need to lift the boat and inspect, asap.

[angler53]

For those who need to know;
These bunk glides will scratch your fiberglass hulls.
I have 10 to 12 mills deep scratches the width of the bunk's that extend from the transom to about three feet beyond the length of the bunk's.
I guess I didn't do a good research of the product prior to installation. I was satisfied that they would alleviate the future possibility of osmosis blistering. Live and learn, I guess.
I'm thinking I can do the repair which would save me a bunch by sanding with 400, 600 and finish with 800 wet/dry. Then polish it out. Any better ideas?
Thanks.

[mariners mate]

We installed the SnapTraxx system on our easy loader bunk trailer for our 18ft Larson. We had been boating for 22 years with a Fourwinns on a roller trailer. On our first year with the Larson (2008) and its bunk trailer we grew to hate launching with that poorly designed trailer. I saw the Snap Traxx system in a boating magazine. My wife and I installed them in about an hour . We are back to loving boating again. Snap traxx are different in that they replace the carpet with sections that snap (lock) into place on the wood. The only screws are on the end caps and they come in from the sides so there is no danger of screws scratching the gel coat. The other great thing about these traxxs are that the sections that are on the forward part of the bunks are more slippery that the section that go on the rear or lower part of the bunks. The result is fantastic. The boat stays but on the trailer until the stern of the boat floats up and then the bow slides along the traxx. Its a very controlled launch and when you load the boat back on the trailer the boat always centers on the trailer. We are trailer boaters so we launch and load almost every other weekend. These things are well designed and take the pain out out of loading whether you winch or power load. They did cost more than some of the other stuff on the market but I don't think I will be having to do anything to them in the near future. I never thought about carpet bunks holding water and causing blisters but I can see why these Snap Traxs won't cause blisters, the design won't hold water against the hull. The cost for these traxs for our boat was about $200.

[phowler]

We installed the SnapTraxx system on our easy loader bunk trailer for our 18ft Larson. We had been boating for 22 years with a Fourwinns on a roller trailer. On our first year with the Larson (2008) and its bunk trailer we grew to hate launching with that poorly designed trailer. I saw the Snap Traxx system in a boating magazine. My wife and I installed them in about an hour . We are back to loving boating again. Snap traxx are different in that they replace the carpet with sections that snap (lock) into place on the wood. The only screws are on the end caps and they come in from the sides so there is no danger of screws scratching the gel coat. The other great thing about these traxxs are that the sections that are on the forward part of the bunks are more slippery that the section that go on the rear or lower part of the bunks. The result is fantastic. The boat stays but on the trailer until the stern of the boat floats up and then the bow slides along the traxx. Its a very controlled launch and when you load the boat back on the trailer the boat always centers on the trailer. We are trailer boaters so we launch and load almost every other weekend. These things are well designed and take the pain out out of loading whether you winch or power load. They did cost more than some of the other stuff on the market but I don't think I will be having to do anything to them in the near future. I never thought about carpet bunks holding water and causing blisters but I can see why these Snap Traxs won't cause blisters, the design won't hold water against the hull. The cost for these traxs for our boat was about $200.

Have you ever looked to see what damage is most likely occuring on your hull?

Did you read this thread and see the photos of the damage caused by these bunks?

[mariners mate]

Phowler,

The slides (Snap traxx) I used are not hard plastic on the contact surface. The base appears to be a plastic like you would find on a car dash board but the contact pads are much softer almost like a silicone. The raised pads are triangle shaped and spaced about 3/4 of an inch apart. I really expected the pads to show wear by the end of the summer boating season but they held up well. As far as haul damage I had an opportunity to see the boat bottom mid season when I but the boat in a friends lift while visiting. The bunks on his lift did not place in exactly the same place as my trailer bunks so I got see the stern and mid ships area well. There was nothing I could see that looked like wear or scratches. I was afraid of the hard plastic slides that I looked at when I was considering something to make launching easier. I saw these in a review in Trailer Boat Magazine. The other stuff I saw either were hard plastic or had screws through the material to hold it together. I didn't like any of them. As far as blistering goes I didn't even know that was something to look for. My old boat was 22 years old and I never saw any blistering. So I don't know if this will be a probel but I will keep a watchful eye.

[phowler]

Phowler,

The slides (Snap traxx) I used are not hard plastic on the contact surface. The base appears to be a plastic like you would find on a car dash board but the contact pads are much softer almost like a silicone. The raised pads are triangle shaped and spaced about 3/4 of an inch apart. I really expected the pads to show wear by the end of the summer boating season but they held up well. As far as haul damage I had an opportunity to see the boat bottom mid season when I but the boat in a friends lift while visiting. The bunks on his lift did not place in exactly the same place as my trailer bunks so I got see the stern and mid ships area well. There was nothing I could see that looked like wear or scratches. I was afraid of the hard plastic slides that I looked at when I was considering something to make launching easier. I saw these in a review in Trailer Boat Magazine. The other stuff I saw either were hard plastic or had screws through the material to hold it together. I didn't like any of them. As far as blistering goes I didn't even know that was something to look for. My old boat was 22 years old and I never saw any blistering. So I don't know if this will be a probel but I will keep a watchful eye.

Good to hear your boat is not being damaged by your bunks. I thought about trying something on my Ranger trailer to make loading easier. After plenty of reading on the subject I now buy two cans of dry silicone spray and apply at the beginning of the season, makes a big difference.

[Mariners Mate]

So far the only problem I found with the Snap Traxx system is that they are double the cost of the other bunk glides. But I was afraid of everything else. I think the ones angler53 used were Tie-Down Engineering Glide-On's. I looked at these awhile a go at West Marine I thought they were a bit hard. One of the other brands (can't remember the name) I looked at was a very hard plastic with recessed screws. The review for those said that they were so slippery that it was difficult to keep the boat on the trailer. I will keep close eye on the hull for scratches.

Thanks

[angler53]

Correct, I had Tie-Down and yes, they are a bit hard.
They did make unloading and loading effortless, for sure.
Henceforth, I'll go back the silicone way.