Triton-Cheap A$$ Morons

[Team Bilford]

I have a 21 WC2-2 tandem. I build trailers, but wanted an aluminum trailer and really liked the bow stops and bunk mounts of the Triton.

Triton always tries to market themselves as a "Premium" product. They are not. I have complained about many of the entry level parts such as axles, hubs, and the lack of precision in their layout.

Today, takes the f*cking cake. The bunks are not pressure treated lumber. Who in the hell doesn't use treated wood in a boat bunk? Here's the disaster, the bunk mounts are pressing into the bottom of the boards due to weight of the ski and deterioration of the wood. The idiots at Triton used 1.5 inch lags to mount the 1.5 inch thick 2x4 boards! The bottom of my ski is destroyed with two large divots where the points of the lags dug into the hull. There are also long deep gouges from sliding the ski onto the bunks. I looked at the spec sheet tonight to make sure a mistake wasn't made. Sure enough, 1.5 inch long is specified. I am stunned and PISSED OFF.

If you have a Triton, get those lags out of there and use shorter lag screws or replace your bunks with pressure treated wood.

[K447]

The wood of the bunks on your 2021 Triton Trailer rotted enough to crush around the board brackets within two years?

I replaced the bunks on my 2017 WC2-2 trailer during this summer. I think they were the original bunk boards, so six years since new. Some areas had wood rot, mostly around the multiple lag bolt holes.



I replaced the original six foot long boards with seven foot long boards. Sourced from a local rough cut wood yard, the boards were a true 2ÔÇØ x 4ÔÇØ. Ran a round over router bit around all the edges and some sanding of the rougher areas. I like the thicker boards and the extra total length gives me more options for positioning the hull without hanging over the rear or the front ends.

I also modified the factory bunk bracket arrangement. I did not like the way the single brackets attached to the bunk bottom would tend to rotate/twist under the hull weight. That bracket twist put bending stress into the 5ÔÇØ long factory SS bolts holding the bunk bracket to the trailer mounted brackets, which in turn wanted to twist and bind within the trailer mounted guide slots.





I have now installed twice as many bunk brackets under each bunk board.
Much more secure and no more twisting motion.

[Team Bilford]

K,
You are lucky as hell that you did not get hull damage from the lags. I had no idea that those idiots would use 1.5 inch lags.
Love the idea of adding the additional bunk mounts. The 3/8th bolt is bent down at each support bracket.

With my XPLs, I always double bunked with two 2x4s glued together to get the deep V off the crossmembers. A true 2 inch board would be a great idea, but hard to find.

[K447]

- hull damage from the lags.

I had no idea that those idiots would use 1.5 inch lags. -

I did not measure the exact length of the Triton factory lag bolts from tip to the underside of the head. The bracket thickness plus a bit of carpet thickness consumes some of the lag bolt thread length. I suppose a SS washer could be added to take up a little more of the bolt length.

I have not encountered lag bolt points actually poking through the top side bunk carpet and damaging the hull finish. At least not on any trailer where the bunk wood was not badly rotted and soft.

Years ago I did have a Triton bunk rot around the bunk bracket lag bolts enough that the bunk ripped away from the bracket during towing. Luckily the hull damage was superficial. Since then I have tried to pay more attention to the health of my bunks and plan to replace them before rot can progress and become a concern.

One 'tell' can be when one or more of the bunk bracket lag bolts seems to repeatedly self-loosen. And when tightened the bolt feels like it might be stripping the threads from the wood. At that point make a plan to replace all the bunks.

[Team Bilford]

You are correct about the "tell" with the lag backing out. On the day that I bought this trailer, these exact lags were backed out. When I went to tighten them, they were stripped out and would not snug up. Every time they backed out, I would turn them back in so I never thought much about wood rot being an issue, especially only two years old.

[guybb3]

The wood of the bunks on your 2021 Triton Trailer rotted enough to crush around the board brackets within two years?

I replaced the bunks on my 2017 WC2-2 trailer during this summer. I think they were the original bunk boards, so six years since new. Some areas had wood rot, mostly around the multiple lag bolt holes.



I replaced the original six foot long boards with seven foot long boards. Sourced from a local rough cut wood yard, the boards were a true 2ÔÇØ x 4ÔÇØ. Ran a round over router bit around all the edges and some sanding of the rougher areas. I like the thicker boards and the extra total length gives me more options for positioning the hull without hanging over the rear or the front ends.

I also modified the factory bunk bracket arrangement. I did not like the way the single brackets attached to the bunk bottom would tend to rotate/twist under the hull weight. That bracket twist put bending stress into the 5ÔÇØ long factory SS bolts holding the bunk bracket to the trailer mounted brackets, which in turn wanted to twist and bind within the trailer mounted guide slots.





I have now installed twice as many bunk brackets under each bunk board.
Much more secure and no more twisting motion.

I like the angle iron for extra stiffness and I have to say, what a beautiful trailer!!.

[steve45]

I don't see why anybody would use lag screws to hold the trailer bunks on. They don't hold up (or the wood doesn't hold up). I use stainless carriage bolts countersunk on top with the carpet or Bunk Glide-Ons on top of them.

I don't use pressure treated lumber, either. That stuff warps and shrinks badly. I've tried the artificial wood made from recycled plastic and that changes length dramatically with changes in temperature. I use 2x6 lumber cut down to fit the Bunk Glide-ons.

When I built my trailer for my Kawasaki Ultra LXs, I thought I would make the rails a bit longer to support the 1000 pound 'Skis better. Not a good idea. The bunks flexed and ended up chaffing the hulls. I ended up installing a new crossbeam on the trailer and using shorter rails.

Your bunks can be too stiff! I tried 4x4 boards once and that resulted in chaffing of the gelcoat.

[K447]

I like the angle iron for extra stiffness ...

Those are the factory Triton Trailer bunk underside stiffening ribs, which are extruded aluminum lengths.

Only three lag bolts per aluminum length from the factory, which seems odd to me. I would think the last place one would want a hole through the stiffening beam and lag bolt into the bunk would be right in the middle of the span

I re-used the center hole mostly because I didn't have another four of the flanged head lag bolts. Next time I might drill additional lag bolt holes mid-way between center and the end holes and just use those, leaving the center hole unused.


I have seen a few trailers with the bracket lag screws replaced with carriage head bolts. The heads were recessed slightly into the top face of each bunk so as to not contact the hull. Effectively through-bolting the bunk to the support brackets.

Stronger initially, no doubt, but also creating pockets in the bunk wood on the top side, potentially creating another starting zone for wood rot.


Speaking of rot, the factory Triton bunks are entirely wrapped in bunk fabric including the underside. I don't know whether this affects how quickly or completely the bunks dry after being dunked into the water, but I don't mind that the new bunk carpet I used was just wide enough for the center bottom to remain open to the air.

I did treat the prepared bunk wood with brushed on wood preservative, including into the pre-drilled screw holes. I hope it will be years from now before these bunks need to be replaced again.

[K447]

- When I built my trailer for my Kawasaki Ultra LXs, I thought I would make the rails a bit longer to support the 1000 pound 'Skis better. Not a good idea. The bunks flexed and ended up chaffing the hulls.

I ended up installing a new crossbeam on the trailer and using shorter rails. ...

My bunks are longer than factory but the spacing between the bunk supports is unchanged (~60ÔÇØ support spacing?).

Four more inches of bunk overhang out the back and another eight inches on the forward ends.

The slightly thicker bunk wood cross section might be a bit stiffer than whatever wood Triton used, but overall so far I have not noticed a problem. The bunks appear to conform to the hull shape as expected.

I have not had the skis on the shop carts since the bunks were changed so I have not directly inspected the hull surface where the trailer bunks press against the hull. NanoXcel 2 hulls with paint.

[Team Bilford]

I don't see why anybody would use lag screws to hold the trailer bunks on. They don't hold up (or the wood doesn't hold up). I use stainless carriage bolts countersunk on top with the carpet or Bunk Glide-Ons on top of them.

I don't use pressure treated lumber, either. That stuff warps and shrinks badly. I've tried the artificial wood made from recycled plastic and that changes length dramatically with changes in temperature. I use 2x6 lumber cut down to fit the Bunk Glide-ons.

When I built my trailer for my Kawasaki Ultra LXs, I thought I would make the rails a bit longer to support the 1000 pound 'Skis better. Not a good idea. The bunks flexed and ended up chaffing the hulls. I ended up installing a new crossbeam on the trailer and using shorter rails.

Your bunks can be too stiff! I tried 4x4 boards once and that resulted in chaffing of the gelcoat.

Steve,
I would love to have some chaffing rather than the holes that I have now.
You through bolt with carriage bolts. I have seen bunks rot faster with that set up over lags. Of course, the heads of the carriage bolts would not have damaged my hull as badly as the lags did. Frequently see much faster carpet wear over the carriage heads as well.

I am considering using some Ultimate Bunk Boards made from plastic. You specifically were critical of that material. I was actually looking at their Supreme models with the extruded aluminum. I am concerned that they might be too stiff and would not conform to the shape of our hulls.

I appreciate all the feedback and experience.

[steve45]

I countersink the carriage bolts so the heads don't stick up. Sometimes it's hard to hold the bolt from turning when you tighten the nut (I use stainless hardware and grease the threads. Use locknuts rather than lock washers). I jam a screwdriver in the countersink to keep it from turning.



I've never used the Ultimate Bunk Boards, but it appears that they are like the recycled plastic that I tried. The only problem with that was that when you came back from riding, the boards would be arched up 4 inches in the middle. When you drove the 'Ski on, they settled down, but that left me to wonder how long the attachment screws would hold up.

I have mentioned a number of times that I HATE a design called Bunk Mates. The first ones I bought actually came from Kawasaki. They are hard plastic strips that are hard enough to tear up the gelcoat. They damaged mine in the first 150 miles of driving. I took mine back to the dealer and got a refund, but Kawasaki refused to repair my hull. I've seen them marketed under other names. Basically, it you run your fingernail across it and it doesn't dig in, it's too hard for gelcoat.

I LIKE the Bunk Glide-Ons from Tie-Down Engineering. They are soft plastic, they have grooves for drainage, and they won't hurt your boat. The problem with them is that they are made to bolt on OVER your existing carpet. If you remove the carpet, you have a sloppy fit. Hence, I buy 2x6 boards and cut them down to fit properly.

This shows my trailer with the Glide-Ons, Boat Buckles, guards on the crossbeams, rollers, hinged license plate, etc.



I make my own bunk mounting brackets out of channel and weld on braces so they can't twist.

[K447]

… This shows my trailer with the Glide-Ons, Boat Buckles, guards on the crossbeams, rollers, hinged license plate, etc.

I make my own bunk mounting brackets out of channel and weld on braces so they can't twist.

Nicely done trailer.

Do you have a magnet or clip to hold the hinged plate up against the frame when using the launch ramp?



I like the large wide keel roller at the rear cross frame rail. Sometimes my trailer is not as deep in the water as it should be on the launch ramp so the hull when loading may first contact the bunk ends, then rides up and onto the top of the bunks. Having a keel roller would instead guide and lift the keel just before bunk contact, avoiding that initial bump into the bunk ends.



I sometimes travel on long and dusty unpaved roads to reach remote launch ramps.
Does road grit accumulate between the hull and Bunk Glide-On?

[Team Bilford]

Steve
The instructions from Tie Down state the Glide Ons are to be mounted on uncarpeted 2x4. Not sure why they seem too large for your naked boards, but clearly you would know. They mention some applications use carpet on front half and Glides on the back. I wonder if they come in two different widths for boards with carpet vs not.

When you mentioned the Glide On, I was expected the short pieces that mount over the tops. The product you are using covers all but the bottom of the bunk and you use no carpet. Is this correct?

[steve45]

K447, we have plenty of dust where I live in West Texas. I really haven't noticed any dust accumulation on the bunks, but I'll look in the future. No magnet on the license plate. I thought about a spring, but the hinge is pretty stiff. It's just plain steel and I have to put a little oil on it to keep it free. I may put an aluminum hinge on it someday.

Team Bilford, not sure about the size of the current Glide-Ons. I bought mine 8-9 years ago. After I bought the first set, I immediately bought a bunch of them because they were hard to find at the time. I think I still have about 4 new sets in my barn. Mine are definitely too wide to fit a modern 2x4, which is 3-1/2" wide. They do cover the top and both sides of the rail, the bottom is open. The ends have a taper molded into them. I haven't heard about leaving the front of the bunks carpeted. I know that they have changed the design of the drain channels and they now offer them in black as well as white.

[K447]

https://www.tiedown.com/marine-aftermarket-trailer-parts-accessories/

https://www.tiedown.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/a693.pdf

BUNK GLIDE ON'S
Self-centering bunk glide on's manufactured with Tie Down's enhanced poly vinyl material make launching and loading your boat easier.

Fits 2x4 boards, each glide on is 4 ft. in length.

Sold in packs of 4 pieces.
Black Part ID: 86173
White Part ID: 86162