Question on bunk material

[H2O_Fowl]

Thinking about replacing my bunks. My plan is to purchase 2x4 pt and doing my bunks in the shop so that I can replace them at the boat ramp.
My issue is most pressure treated lumber is not dry. I want to glue and staple the carpet but I don't see the glue working on wet pt.
What's guys doing? letting the Pt dry for a while is my thought.

not all trailers and boats use 2x6. Treated is good. I glued mine on top and sides and stapled on bottom leaving about a 1 inch gap for water to drain better and some air movement to assist in drying.

[apenland01]

I got the bunks ahead of time from my trailer builder last year and built my own kiln in the back yard. Cinder blocks and a black tarp in the Arizona sun and left them out for about a month to dry. Primed them with Zinsser 123 and then painted with a high gloss white Dunn Edwards paint. Used Gatorbaks as the cover over green LED lights...

[mikesxpress]

KDAT lumber and Gatorbak covers. You will never need to mess with them again.

[apenland01]

KDAT lumber and Gatorbak covers. You will never need to mess with them again.

KDAT was impossible to get on the West coast when I needed it, so unless it's now available, you're stuck with regular PT lumber.

[86 inches]

KDAT was impossible to get on the West coast when I needed it, so unless it's now available, you're stuck with regular PT lumber.

Yep. I can't find it in the Valley.

[apenland01]

Yep. I can't find it in the Valley.

I tried to get KDAT for 6 months and nobody could get it. Kokopelli and I both were using every contact we had and there was just nothing to be had. So I got the regular pressure treated and built my own homemade kiln lol...

As for the treated lumber over regular, I like that it is resistant to water over time where the lag screws go into the bunks. I used sealant on my screw holes for the Gatorbaks and bunk brackets, so it should last a very long time with the prep I did as well....

[Crankinh20]

[86 inches]

I'm not sure why pressure treated is preferred over regular pine. I know it adds some moisture protection but it's mostly to prevent damage from insects. You can seal pine. And here in AZ, nothing stays wet for more than a minute.

[KandKKustomz]

Just bought a brand new trailer tore off the new carpet and went to Gatorbak XP. Will never do carpet again.

[Murph McB]

Is this Gatorback OK for Tin boats ?

[apenland01]

Is this Gatorback OK for Tin boats ?

I'm sure it would be, it's just thick polyurethane.

[KandKKustomz]

Is this Gatorback OK for Tin boats ?

yes

[styler]

Found a place that can order KDAT $27 for one 12' board. I decided I'm overthinking this.
Im going to pick up some yellow pine, slap on some sealer and cover with Cuda carpet. Change them at the boat dock.
Ill end up with less that $100 in them.

[DaveBrabec]

Pressure treated lumber isn’t what it used to be. It’s very brittle nowadays

[styler]

Pressure treated lumber isn’t what it used to be. It’s very brittle nowadays

I agree.
Could not find yellow pine 2x4 so I ended up getting a 2x8 and a 2x10 (only found one good 2x8) and ripped them down, relived the edges with a router and sanded them good. They probably way better than the ones on it.

[styler]

The 10 footers came out perfect straight but the 5 footers have a slight bow. I expected that may happen wen ripping 2x8s. the bow is on the side to side not the up and down. what yall think , should I remake these or go on with it?
the boat centers itself on the long middle bunks . I don't really think its an issue but I'm a little ocd so it bugs me some lol

[TopgunZ521C]

I did pine with approx 10 coats of water proof then used gatorbaks xp no issues with wet bunks and boards carpet holds water and water creates osmosis aka blisters used ss custom brackets and carriage bolts with nyloks on every bolt no worries of rot or loose bunks double OCD

[bayouXpress]

anyone have paint getting removed from using the non carpeted bunks?

[BMCD]

From carpeted bunks, yes they become sand paper like. I been using gatorbaks on my last few boats, no issues.

[APS]

I've been getting lots of boats with blisters come through my shop lately. If you plan on keeping your boat more then a few years I'd put gatorbaks on it. I always tell my customers when buying a used boat to jack it up off trailer and inspect for blisters before buying.