Bunkaps - worked pretty well

[Worm drowner]

I had previously posted in the boats and equipment section, but thought that I would go here now that I have tested the Bunkaps out. My other thread was looking for alternatives to carpeted bunks, and I ended up opting for Bunkaps which are vinyl caps that go over your 2x6's. Yesterday, me and Kastin' Kenny went out to Braidwood for our maiden voyage...results on the Cooling Lakes section. Anyways, while the boat was tied to the dock, we took the old carpeted bunks off without any difficulty then put the new ones with the Bunkaps back on. No problems there, but having things predrilled made it easier. Can't say anything about the launching part yet as we launched with the carpeted bunks, but the loading went pretty well. They weren't too slippery but it winched up easier than with the carpeted bunks. The manufacturer says that you can make them slipperier by lightly coating the surface with baby oil. So, on Monday after we launch, I will dry the Bunkaps off and apply a light coat of oil. We're not sure if it will be Braidwood or elsewhere. My hope is that launching in some of the strip pits that I fish will be easier. Last year, I ended up wearing out the carpets pulling the boat up onto the trailer because the ramps didn't go far enough out into the water. It was either that or lose my van into the water. I was explaining my problem to a fellow angler and he offered the analogy that it was like launching in low tide vs. high tide. Whatever the case, it looks like this system may work.

On a different note, I upgraded to a PowerDrive 65 and am thrilled with it. There was a post by another member looking for info on that unit. The posts were favorable, so I upgraded from a 40 to a 65. Me and Kastin' Kenny topped out at 4.1 mph! Not to bad with a fully loaded 16' deep-v in the wind. I will post the results from our launching with the Bunkaps later in the week.

[Worm drowner]

I went out with Kastin' Kenny on Monday to a local recreation club to hunt some bass. We ended up with 7 total, nothing too big but not a bad outing considering the water temp was still in the low 40's, the winds were gusting at 50 mph and my 10hp outboard was still in the shop. I used the Minn Kota 65PD and was able to make it all around the lake that we fished. It barely sapped any battery power for all of the use.

Now to the Bunkaps...well they are all the manufacturer says that they are. We launched quite easily, even in low water and a steep ramp. After I tied off to the dock, I dried the tops of the vinyl and applied a little vegetable oil from front to back. When I went back to load it up, I just barely put the tips of the bunks as the rear of the trailer into the water. I hooked the winch strap up and pulled the fully loaded boat with Kenny in it without any problems. I give it two thumbs up . I would recommend them to anyone looking to replace their old bunks. They are an inexpensive investment to save the paint on your boat, making loading and unloading easier and reducing the stress of knowing whether or not your trailer is going to get stuck in the lake.