My Trailer / My Build ...

[The Gurnard]

The more observant readers may have noticed I bought a brand new Indespension trailer for my heavy brute of a boat ..the Quicksilver HD 4.3 meter.. Im delighted with the new trailer.

I have also scrapped the old trailer..but in true Gurnard fashion.. I cant throw it out and want to recycle some bits.

The trailer I bought is the Coaster Mini bunked job and is suitable for inflatable boats up to 4.5 meters long and weighing a total of 550Kg ..which fits my bill and pocket.. perfectly

In truth..with a little setting up..the trailer as bought.. suits my needs.. but Im never happy with things until I customise them and give them The Gurnard seal of approval. So this is my trailer build thread.

The OEM bunks are fine.. but I prefer the wide carpet covered bunks of my old trailer. To my mind .. carpet give a smoother ride to the PVC bottom boat as it bounces its way to the sea on its trailer. I also prefer a wider bunk to spread the load area. This is my boat sat on the OEM bunks ..a little narrow and hard plastic for my taste.

The bunks from my old trailer are still sound.. the only issue was the attachment posts which were welded on. The welds were rusty and broke quite easily. I cut a foot off the lengths of the bunks..and the small bit still has a welded post on it for illustration only.

So my first job was to find a way to make new bunk post fittings. I still have plenty drawbar metal left from my scrapped trailer..so using the angle grinder.. snipped four pieces the width of a bunk. The ends were then filed smooth to avoid sharp edges.

Holes for fixing bolts were then drilled in the pieces as I don’t have welding gear ..so tend to bolt everything together. Slow drill speeds and a pilot hole are best for metal drilling.

I decided that two 8M coach bolts per end piece will be strong enough for the job. The flat head of the coach bolt will spread the load inside the Bunk so it doesn’t tear through the metal.

This shows how each end of the bunk will be held onto the new trailer

I have plans for the OEM bunks ..so keep watching to see what they are. However I keep looking at the attachment piece shown below . It would make a nice hinge if I had it bolted inside the channel post. That way ..if I cut it out .. I could use it to hinge the rear end of my carpet bunks so the front of them could be raised ..almost emulating a break back trailer ?

Im not sure of that advantage at present as it is a heavy brute of a boat to raise the front of the bunks..but it would make winching on a lot easier ? Any thoughts guys ?

To be continued...

[The Gurnard]

I had a half tin of red lead primer in the shed ..and also some waxoil ..so the undersides of the bunks and the brackets will get painted again. The back one has red lead primer already and the front one is waiting the flapper disk to strip the old paint off.

For anyone wanting to make bunks for a trailer.. decking board does equally as well ..is probably easier to work with ..and not as heavy as my steal bunks. However I decided to keep my old bunks as I don’t have any spare carpet at the mo. Nylon carpet scraps are best as it doesn’t rot the way a wool carpet would. Easy to tack to a wooden decking board too.

Incidentally I am only using scrap stuff to improve my trailer..I hate spending money when its not required. I watched a neighbour getting a garden decking in his garden the other month..so fired the contractor a couple of quid for some off cuts. I wasn’t thinking of trailer Bunks at that time. They make lovely flower boxes too. Just line them with some damp course..or thick poly bag before putting in the earth. Much better than those crappy plastic boxes you see in the garden centres.

I did buy the flowers though..I got caught snaffling daffies from a park for a mother’s day pressie.. when I was a boy .. so learned not to make that mistake again .

To be continued...

[Martin]

Hahaaaa
You never cease to amaze me Donny, Another superb thread coming together.

Incidentally, what bearings does the trailer have?
I meant to ask you earlier, Indespension seem to be going over to the (Al-Ko) sealed bearings now.

Looking forward to seeing the trailer in the flesh and complete with "Gurnard Style" mods...

[warder54]

Nice ideas coming together there Donny. That trailer looks like it would be ideal for my F-Rib 360 without any mods. If you're reading this Martin - how much is one of those? (answer by PM?) Might well consider one later this year.

[Paul B]

Nice ideas coming together there Donny. That trailer looks like it would be ideal for my F-Rib 360 without any mods. If you're reading this Martin - how much is one of those? (answer by PM?) Might well consider one later this year.

Martins has one with rollers , which would be more suitable for your Frib, I'm sure he will be along soon to point u in the right direction

[Martin]

If you're reading this Martin - how much is one of those? (answer by PM?) Might well consider one later this year.

With an F-Rib you'll be better off with the C Mini Roller, Donny has the bunk trailer as he has a soft floor boat.

PM sent

[Paul]

Nice ideas coming together there Donny. That trailer looks like it would be ideal for my F-Rib 360 without any mods. If you're reading this Martin - how much is one of those? (answer by PM?) Might well consider one later this year.

Martins has one with rollers , which would be more suitable for your Frib, I'm sure he will be along soon to point u in the right direction

Agreed +1
Had mine for about 18mths, fits perfectly, a dream to use and tow

Trailer

Rollers on hull

Loaded and hitched

[Paul B]

What's that on the second pic, have you taken a lump out of the bow, Paul

[Paul]

What's that on the second pic, have you taken a lump out of the bow, Paul

No mate, it looks worse than it appears.
Basically I let someone else winch it on and they went too far forward. They also assisted with strapping it down. During towing the boat bounced around and wore through the keel guard tape, leaving rubber marks from the snubber on the bow
Since that photo was taken I've cut the tape back, cleaned of the rubber and not let anyone else but me winch, position and strap the boat down prior to towing
Not had an issue since and that's covering 2000 miles of towing

[The Gurnard]

Good to see some interest in the trailer build guys..its a lovely trailer ..at an unbeatable price. However its worth taking the time to set up a new trailer for the boat you have. When new..a trailer is just a “generic” setup so needs adjusting. That is the best part of the Indespension trailer..every part is fully adjustable. Some minor bits need drilling as you will see in this post.

The old SIB bunks are now on the trailer..and a far better setup for a PVC bottom boat. I have left the OEM bunk in the middle to show area differences. I might secure it there to support the keel..but I didn’t bother supporting the keel on my last trailer..so not sure its worth it.

Incidentally..nylon carpet bunks have more friction than the hard OEM plastic bunk.. but throw a bucket of water over the nylon carpet..and it is a far more slippery support. The support posts are the original OEM posts. Im happy my attachments are solid. I was lucky the old welded joints didn’t give way the last time I used my old trailer..they were well shot. The bunks are at least three or four times as heavy as Decking wood ones..but I like the hollow metal end section on these ones.

I cant lift the front of my SIB to get it started on the trailer. The boat without engine ..but with my modifications and fishbox furniture weight around 150-175 Kg. So I fit another home made carpet bunk into the end hole as shown.

Which makes a nice ramp to winch the boat up onto the trailer.. saves bursting my back trying to lift a load that’s too much for me.

Martin..its them fancy alcohol bearings ..but we knew that..Indespension no longer use tapered ones. Which brings me to the next mod. Its obviously easier to launch and retrieve with the bunks as low as possible ..so I lowered the mud guards to allow a low bunk position.. and not snag the boat tubes which would straddle them. Thats where the drill came in handy.. four new holes drilled in the mud guard sorted it out.

My next job is to slide the main axle forward a tad..its far to much weight up front when the boat is on the trailer. Im wanting around 35- 40kg front weight on this setup.

To be continued...