I found a 17 nav tiller that I was considering buying. Its a 2008 model used on a roller trailer. I almost pulled the trigger and made an offer and I dont know why but I never noticed the trailer was a roller. Got to excited about all the extras on the boat. Now do I trash this deal and move on ? I dont want to kick myself for having a roller. Never had nothing but bunks and dont fish at bad launches. Would this be a deal breaker for you. My dad had rollers on his big boats and they were always a pain to get loaded straight.

I have had the exact opposite experience. I had roller trailers with all my other Lunds up until my last boat. I thought I would take a chnace with the bunk. Bad choice. I just found that once you had the nose on the rest of the boat went on straight with the roller. Not so with the bunk trailer I have...real pain.

W5

I wouldn't worry about it. I always have used roller trailers and they always have worked well for me. Give it a try, it may work for you. Even if you end up not liking it you can always just sell it and get a bunk trailer, should be about the same cost either way.

It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me but I would probably find a trade / sale soon ... but then again I am a died in the wool bunk guy.
There are different beliefs about how well the boat is supported, ease of launch in unimproved areas and the roller trailer will definately make the boat taller.
I have a 6 bunk prestige and really find it hard to load wrong.

Just be sure you never unhook the bow until the boat is floating and you are ready to let go .... if you ever forget it could really make for a bad day.

Good luck on your purchase.
Let us know what you decide to do.
Morton

I have run roller trailers only since 1985 and feel no need to change to bunks. I really like being able to use a shallow launch, not wet the hubs and still easily launch and retrieve the boat. The things to watch are (according to EZ-Loader):
- the number of rollers- ideally, the weight of the boat divided by the number of rollers should average 125 lbs/roller or less and
- the trailer should be adjusted so that the vertical centerline of the stern-most rollers is no more than 1/2" forward of the transom. A boat that has been towed for years with those rollers 12" forward of the transom could easily have a deformed hull- I've seen plenty of rigs at the launch adjusted this way and it speaks poorly of whoever put that boat/trailer package together. Watch out for this on bunk trailers, too.
- the rollers should all contact a "flat" part of the hull, not a strake, spray rail , seam, etc.. Watch for this on bunk trailers, too.

Regarding the comment above "the roller trailer will definately make the boat taller", that depends on how the trailer fits the boat and may be true on some trailers, but would make no difference on my two current roller trailers, where the fenders or trailer frame determine how high the boat must sit.

Obviously, not all trailers are created equal and there are darned sure some junk bunk trailers as well as good roller trailers...BUT, a well designed bunk trailer that fits the hull is the ONLY way to go, IMO. Now if you fish where the wind doesn't blow and there's no waves at the launch, it doesn't matter as much.

I haven't seen many (any) roller trailers you could run the boat on and not even have to look to see if it's straight. It's that easy with a good bunk setup.

I've always had bunk trailers, so I have no experience with rollers, however, if the rig your looking at is what you want, couldn't you convert the trailer to bunks if you didn't like the rollers?

I would not consider it a deal breaker, if I liked the rest of the package.

Just a thought.

Jeff

I had some trouble with my roller trailer getting the boat straight until I added guides on the trailer, that cured the problem.

My first 2 trailers were rollers. My current is a bunk.

If I did a lot of launching in shallow water I would have a roller. If I did a minimal amount of trailering (like a couple hundred miles a year) I would have a roller.

If I did a lot of trailering (like my 3,000 - 5,000 miles a year!) I would own a bunk. If I launched primarily in deep water, I would own a bunk.

Each has their own specialty. Put guide-ons on whatever trailer you choose as it makes launching as well as putting the boat on the trailer a LOT easier.

If you buy a roller, make darn sure the rearmost rollers touch the boat within 1/2 inch of so of the stern so that the weight of the transom is fully supported on the rollers.

A roller trailer is not a bad trailer. I would have no problem owning another under the above mentioned conditions.

Hope this helps.

I have used both ,I prefer bunk as long as well designed. But not all Bunks are necessarily good.A cheap or poorly designed bunk trailer can be an even bigger pain in the butt than any roller trailer may be.

As far as a used rig,If you like it overall and the price is right,I would not let a roller trailer be a deal breaker,as long as it is not some cheapy trailer that could have been part of some low priced econo package,just to get it out the door. If a decent one,with plenty of properly configured rollers and correct CAPACITY, with some capacity to spare,, you should be fine. But you need to inspect it closely and probably do some homework and calculations regarding the probable actual weight of the entire rig and equipment (including fuel ) to determine this,as CAPACITY is actually the more important issue ! (look for the GVWR tag on the trailer,as well as the tire load capacity on the tires and learn what they mean,if you don't already know. )

If used to bunks,You will have to relearn the roller, as it's a different animal but who knows,you may even like it,as many do. If not, you can always change out trailers later. If the boat is new enough,and you end up liking it enough to keep it a long time, a trailer upgrade,though it will cost some, is really not that big a deal,and usually a good investment for a worthy boat you intend to keep.

If you like the boat buy it like said before check the trailer out like you should any trailer.I Im one of the few that went from a bunk to a roller and now it would have to be a really large boat before I would ever go back.

Bunk or rollers.....some people just put way too much trailer in the water when coming off the lake. Off loading is always easy, bury the trailer. Just alittle trivia to keep in mind.