Oh boy, here’s a can of worms! I have rollers on my ‘83 M-15, I think it’s probably the original trailer, and no deformation of the hull at all. I LOVE the rollers because it makes launching and retrieving so easy and foolproof. I can’t imagine with the quality of these boats and their fiberglass layup that the damage to a hull could be cause by anything but abuse such as high speed driving over rough roads with insufficient suspension or letting the boat bounce on the rollers. Rollers have been used on all manner of boats for decades without issue, but I hear lots of stories of hull damage. Makes me wonder what is actually happening to cause it. Rusty Knorr M-15 “Vanilla”
I've seen damage to Mboats caused by rollers. Bunk boards are best. I've asked Jerry and he doesn't remember ever selling a trailer with rollers. :: Dave Scobie :: M6'8" #650 :: SV SWALLOW - sv-swallow.com :: former owner M17 #375 SWEET PEA - m17-375.com :: former owner M15 #288 SCRED - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred/ On Wed, Jun 19, 2019, 11:24 AM Rusty Knorr via montgomery_boats < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Oh boy, here’s a can of worms!
I have rollers on my ‘83 M-15, I think it’s probably the original trailer, and no deformation of the hull at all. I LOVE the rollers because it makes launching and retrieving so easy and foolproof. I can’t imagine with the quality of these boats and their fiberglass layup that the damage to a hull could be cause by anything but abuse such as high speed driving over rough roads with insufficient suspension or letting the boat bounce on the rollers. Rollers have been used on all manner of boats for decades without issue, but I hear lots of stories of hull damage. Makes me wonder what is actually happening to cause it.
Rusty Knorr M-15 “Vanilla”
Rollers have been used on all manner of boats for decades without issue, but I hear lots of stories of hull damage. Makes me wonder what is actually happening to cause it. Rusty - Roller trailers are used in limited numbers due to complexity,cost and the potential for hull damage when improperly fitted to the hull. They are/were a 'one size fits all' solution in the heyday of USA recreational boat building. Hulls are and have been for many years built to lighter (thinner) lay up schedules and some builders show greater panel stiffness than other builders. Older techniques do not fare well on rollers nor do some modern laminations - I personally think a roller trailer under a solid laminate 'lapstrake shaped' fiberglass hull is less than ideal. We believe bunks are a better support as they distribute the load over a much greater area. A roller is supporting the weight of the hull on a specific (small area) point, X the number of rollers actually in contact with the boat. Not a good starting point for support. Not all rollers will be in contact with the hull at all times. In 32 years of trailerable sailboat boat business - I have witnessed a higher incidence of hull damage caused by roller fitted trailers than bunk types. Few 'Roller models' are available in the market for numerous reasons (expense/complexity) and the potential for damage. Bunk types are not without concerns but are usually easily remedied. Molded fiberglass bunks are usually the best support solution, and are seen on many well cared for race craft both power and sail. If your trailer is not damaging your boat - GREAT - monitor the roller carriages for security and proper movement. Enjoy Have fUn, go sailing! GO -----Original Message----- From: Rusty Knorr via montgomery_boats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> To: montgomery_boats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wed, Jun 19, 2019 11:24 am Subject: M_Boats: Bunk boards vs rollers Oh boy, here’s a can of worms! I have rollers on my ‘83 M-15, I think it’s probably the original trailer, and no deformation of the hull at all. I LOVE the rollers because it makes launching and retrieving so easy and foolproof. I can’t imagine with the quality of these boats and their fiberglass layup that the damage to a hull could be cause by anything but abuse such as high speed driving over rough roads with insufficient suspension or letting the boat bounce on the rollers. Rollers have been used on all manner of boats for decades without issue, but I hear lots of stories of hull damage. Makes me wonder what is actually happening to cause it. Rusty Knorr M-15 “Vanilla”
On our 19' powerboat with a cuddly cabin and 115 hp outboard, launching and retrieving was difficult with carpeted bunks as the boat is heavy. It gave even the power winch a real strain. We put some slick plastic panels that are made to go on top of the bunks on there and it's like greased lightning now. This boat has an aluminum hull and rollers are not recommended as they tend to deform aluminum boats. They come in different lengths and are a snap to install. So they give full support, and are slick. Burt Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 19, 2019, at 2:24 PM, Rusty Knorr via montgomery_boats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Oh boy, here’s a can of worms!
I have rollers on my ‘83 M-15, I think it’s probably the original trailer, and no deformation of the hull at all. I LOVE the rollers because it makes launching and retrieving so easy and foolproof. I can’t imagine with the quality of these boats and their fiberglass layup that the damage to a hull could be cause by anything but abuse such as high speed driving over rough roads with insufficient suspension or letting the boat bounce on the rollers. Rollers have been used on all manner of boats for decades without issue, but I hear lots of stories of hull damage. Makes me wonder what is actually happening to cause it.
Rusty Knorr M-15 “Vanilla”
participants (4)
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Burton Lowry -
Dave Scobie -
Gary Oberbeck -
Rusty Knorr