Bunk vs. Roller Boat Trailers: Which Is Right for You?

What is the difference?

A bunk trailer supports your boat on long, carpeted wooden bunks that cradle the hull. A roller trailer supports it on a series of pivoting rollers. Both get the boat to the water — they just behave differently at the ramp and on the road.

Bunk trailers: simple and solid

Bunks give the hull broad, even support, which is kinder to the boat over thousands of kilometres of towing. They have almost nothing to wear out — no moving parts — so maintenance is minimal and the purchase price is usually lower.

The trade-off is at the ramp: bunks need the trailer backed in far enough for the boat to float most of the way on. On shallow ramps, that can mean getting the tow vehicle’s wheels wet.

Roller trailers: easy launching

Rollers let the boat roll on and off with far less effort, which shines on shallow or unimproved ramps. The cost is complexity: dozens of rollers, brackets, and pins that need inspection and occasional replacement, and the hull rests on small contact points rather than full-length support.

Which suits a fishing boat?

For most aluminum and fiberglass fishing boats — the kind most BC boaters run — bunks are the better all-around choice: better hull support on long highway hauls, less maintenance, and lower cost. Rollers make sense if you regularly launch at shallow or primitive ramps where floating the boat on is difficult.

That is why the Load Rite 5 Starr range we carry are bunk trailers: they are built for exactly the kind of boating people do on the West Coast of British Columbia.

Still not sure?

Tell us your boat and where you launch, and we will give you a straight answer — even if the answer is that your current trailer is fine. Call Sportfishing Boat Sourcing at (778) 242-0460.