TOPIC: Rollers vs Bunks

My rubber rollers are getting worn out and some are missing. After a search for 3 in rollers and needing 20 of them , it looks to me that replacing with bunk boards would be a lot cheaper. So. Any thoughts as to witch is better? Pros and cons of both?

I think the general consensus is that the bunk trailers will provide better, more even support for the hull. The roller trailers are easier to load and unload, so there's always a tradeoff.

I converted my Holsclaw from rollers to bunks for the same reason you're stating Woodglass, (plus the odd sized rollers are a bear to find). It works just fine, I just back it in a little farther now and float it off / drive it on.

I agree with Mark on the bunks VS rollers issue.

We had a roller trailer under our 1960 Glasspar G-3 after my Dad bought it in 1959 and those black rollers constantly left marks on the white hull. I realize today that the rubber in those rollers is better, but IMHO, they still leave "marks" on the hulls.
And as Mark said, the bunks provide much better support to the
boats hull.

Actually I read a few years ago that while bunks offer some additional support, it is not as much as we all thought. It is still focused on the "support points" under the bunk and that the load in between is often minimally supported. But, that said, I still think they are much better, and if you use some of the covers they have for the bunks, more or less impregnated plastic I think, the boat slides off faster than you may even want. They have some to cover bunks, and some that just screw on, I prefer the former as more of the hull is supported. So yea, i think bunks are far superior overall, esp. with the covers.

I have rollers under the keel but bunks for support after loading.

When I bought my 50 year old G3, the rollers had dimpled the hull from many years of supporting weight in the same spots. After my resto, I moved to bunks on a new EZ Loader.

My view (for what its worth ) is that if they are properly adjusted... supporting the weight over as much of the length of the bunk board as you can, is the best. Also, having the bunks extend past the transom, where the weight of the motor is fully supported by the transom sheer... and not by the keel rollers will avoid developing a hook in the hull too.

My EZ-Loader has no keel rollers, and the entire hull is supported by the bunks.

I'm a bunk fan. I've seen one glasspar that actually had a hole punched through the bottom by a roller. Not the fault of the boat/trailer combo but a weekend warrior use the boat as a trailer to haul his "stuff" to his cottage. Too much weight in all the wrong places.
I would guess that a majority of the launch ramp screw-ups where boats come off the trailer early are the result of rollers and the owners removing the bow straps too early.