Redoing Trailer Bunks with New Wood & Gatorbacks

[Champ2005]

I'm going to redo my trailer bunks completely with new wood and Gatorbaks. I believe my 2005 198 uses 2x4s. Gatorbak recommends using southern yellow pine (untreated) and seal the boards. Some say use KDAT (kiln dried after treatment) lumber, but I've read that treated lumber like that can cause problems with the hardware due to a chemical reaction. Anyone here have experience in this area?

[GonFishn]

Back in the day we always used dry SYP and sealed them with wood primer and good oil based paint. Can't tell you if treated is as good but I've had the SYP on my trailer since the 90's and it's as solid as the day it went on. Make sure you used stainless brads/staples and stainless lag screws as well.

[BassinB]

I used green treated 2x4's with gatorbacks and stainless carriage bolts/nyloks. Green treated lumber and stainless hardware go hand in hand in every outdoor project on earth. Nothing to worry about there.

Had mine on for 5 years now, looks new.

[krindgen]

I used PT for mine. Made them all up beforehand. Drove to the lake, dunked the boat, removed old bunks, installed new and all done. Impact driver helps a lot. I sealed mine with a black stain.

[TopgunZ521C]

Launch your boat and tie it up remove old hardware and ignore the new bunk boards that are coated with whatever your using then align bunks on brackets mark them from underneath with a sharpie and pre drill them for carriage bolts stainless put the first bolt through and take a small sledge and smack the bolt down flush into the bunk place a washer and nylok nut on and proceed to tighten with a gear wrench slowly and never will you lose a bunk or a bolt again then just put your gatorbaks on with end caps and make sure you use a steel straight edge to cut the gatorbaks to size and place the screws 12 inches in the field ex: outer edge of bunks ask me how I know my gatorbaks are still looking great this is how I done every set you will be happy my bunks don't budge at all and remain solid.

[Warrenroadie]

I used treated 2 x 6's on mine. Did not see recommendation about untreated boards and gatorbaks. The only thing I wish to have done differently is replacing ss mounting screws for mounting with ss carriage bolts.

[Champ2005]

Got them installed using 2x4s, primed and painted white. I bought clear Gatorbaks so the white shows through and matches my hull. Used stainless lag screws. The old lag screws were unrecognizable and so deteriorated several were falling out. The Gatorbaks look nice and work quite well and I no longer have wet carpet my boat is sitting on. No more water dripping onto my garage floor, because the boat and trailer are completly dry by the time I get home. Glad I did it.