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Author Topic:   Trailer Bunk Size

bang4dabuck posted 06-18-2010 05:32 PM ET (US)
I [have a] 1968 17-foot hull on a TeeNee trailer. Do I want 2" x 4" or 2" x 6" trailer bunks? I found some CYPRESS.
Seminole Jack posted 06-18-2010 10:35 PM ET (US)
I assume the cypress you ran into was rough sawn, which is preferable. The 2x6 inch boards which measure a true 2x6 is what you need.
jack
dino54904 posted 06-19-2010 10:36 AM ET (US)
[Article has been deleted due to the use of vulgar language.--jimh]
Chuck Tribolet posted 06-20-2010 12:49 AM ET (US)
I've seen lots of 17s on 2x4 bunks.

Chuck
bang4dabuck posted 06-20-2010 11:42 AM ET (US)
Why rough sawn ? I don't want to deal with that. If Cypress ain't good finished I'll look for some red oak I believe. So is finished Cypress mediocre ?
dino54904 posted 06-25-2010 11:16 AM ET (US)
Sorry. I honestly didn't realize my posting had anything vulgar in it.
Tom W Clark posted 06-25-2010 11:23 AM ET (US)
You do not want rough sawn lumber, you want S4S (surfaced four sides).
2x4 is fine.
Seminole Jack posted 06-25-2010 11:05 PM ET (US)
(You do not want rough sawn lumber, you want S4S (surfaced four sides).
Really? why is that? It doesn`t grow in your neck of the woods, so your excused for your ignorance
Cypress is not as structurally strong as other semi hard woods such as yellow pine, so you need the full dimension of 2x6. If the sharp edges bother you,(cutting through the carpet. just knock the edges down with a belt sander before carpeting.
Real Floridians prefer cypress.
Jack
bang4dabuck posted 06-26-2010 06:12 AM ET (US)
The salesman at Grasmick Lumber has me thinking to go back to treated lumber. He said the NEW stuff will not tear up the galvanized hardware. he said its biggest downfall is that it doesn't like sunlight and since its carpeted and under the boat, should not be a problem. He said $8 for 2 pieces of 8' 2x4.
RJG posted 06-27-2010 10:07 AM ET (US)
I would not use cypress and here is why. I bought some cypress 1 X 6 to use as exterior lap siding on a historic home renovation (architect specification). The owner of Florida Cypress Products, a mill were I bought it from, told me that I must prime both sides of the material with oil based primer or the cpress will rot. Latex primer will not prevent moisture intrusion like oil.
I thought cypress did not rot but seemingly it does.
I know the applications are different but I have and would use treated pine.
Chuck Tribolet posted 06-28-2010 12:33 AM ET (US)
Bang4dabuck:
You should do some homework on that.
- The biggest problem with pressure-treated has been that it
it is really crummy wood.
- A heck of a lot of the use of pressure-treated is in full
sun, e.g., fence posts.
- I can't remember a tale of boat bunk rotting. My fir bunks
were fine when when I replaced them because the HW was
rusting away. I replaced them with clear fir, no
regrets.

Chuck
Tom W Clark posted 06-28-2010 12:59 AM ET (US)
All wood will rot. Some woods are more resistant to rot than others, but sooner or alter they will all rot, even teak.
Woods that are know to be rot resistant include Cypress, Western Red Cedar, Redwood, Douglas Fir and many other soft woods.
Chuck is correct. Worry more about the quality of the board rather than the specie of tree it was milled from.
The chemicals used in pressure treated lumber vary by region. Here in the PNW it is still very corrosive.
But regardless of that, the lumber used in making P.T. lumber is poor. It is not typically very stable wood.
I too have never seen a rotted trailer bunk but I have seen a lot of twisted, cracked and broken trailer bunks.
Dry rot occurs when wood is kept moist. Wood that is temporarily wetted but then dried out (like trailer bunks), will not rot. Anything you can do to assure your trailer bunks dry out will help preserve them.
Rough sawn lumber as a much greater surface area than lumber that is S4S and will absorb more water faster and hold it longer, one of many reason why you don't want to use rough sawn lumber for trailer bunks.
Jack was trying to make the point that rough sawn 2x lumber will have a greater net thickness than S4S 2x lumber which is sort of true. But by the time you surface the rough sawn lumber (by belt sander? Are you kidding me?) you will end up with a thickness not much, if at all, more than S4S lumber.
If you think the difference in bending resistance is OK with a rough sawn 2x but not OK with S4S, the wood you are contemplating using is no where near strong enough anyway so you will need pick something different.

bang4dabuck posted 06-29-2010 11:47 AM ET (US)
I can get fir at Home Depot or Lowes, either kiln dried or green. Which is preferrable ?
dscew posted 06-29-2010 12:42 PM ET (US)
I replaced rotted pine/fir bunks with treated ones about 4 years ago. I selected the straightest 2 X 4s with the fewest knots I could find. It took some digging, but I found some very good ones, and I've had no issues with breaking, cracking, or twisting in any of them. The ones I replaced were very rotten, but were also 30 years old.
bang4dabuck posted 06-30-2010 12:35 PM ET (US)
Too many choices. The salesman for Grasmick will take care of me so some good peices of treated lumber would be expected. He is doing this for promotion purposes. He can also get me the S4S Cypress, he says. Again HD and Lowes sell Fir. He is guessing $2 a LF for 2x4 Cypress so doable. Which way ?

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Author	Topic: Trailer Bunk Size
bang4dabuck	posted 06-18-2010 05:32 PM ET (US) I [have a] 1968 17-foot hull on a TeeNee trailer. Do I want 2" x 4" or 2" x 6" trailer bunks? I found some CYPRESS.
Seminole Jack	posted 06-18-2010 10:35 PM ET (US) I assume the cypress you ran into was rough sawn, which is preferable. The 2x6 inch boards which measure a true 2x6 is what you need. jack
dino54904	posted 06-19-2010 10:36 AM ET (US) [Article has been deleted due to the use of vulgar language.--jimh]
Chuck Tribolet	posted 06-20-2010 12:49 AM ET (US) I've seen lots of 17s on 2x4 bunks. Chuck
bang4dabuck	posted 06-20-2010 11:42 AM ET (US) Why rough sawn ? I don't want to deal with that. If Cypress ain't good finished I'll look for some red oak I believe. So is finished Cypress mediocre ?
dino54904	posted 06-25-2010 11:16 AM ET (US) Sorry. I honestly didn't realize my posting had anything vulgar in it.
Tom W Clark	posted 06-25-2010 11:23 AM ET (US) You do not want rough sawn lumber, you want S4S (surfaced four sides). 2x4 is fine.
Seminole Jack	posted 06-25-2010 11:05 PM ET (US) (You do not want rough sawn lumber, you want S4S (surfaced four sides). Really? why is that? It doesn`t grow in your neck of the woods, so your excused for your ignorance Cypress is not as structurally strong as other semi hard woods such as yellow pine, so you need the full dimension of 2x6. If the sharp edges bother you,(cutting through the carpet. just knock the edges down with a belt sander before carpeting. Real Floridians prefer cypress. Jack
bang4dabuck	posted 06-26-2010 06:12 AM ET (US) The salesman at Grasmick Lumber has me thinking to go back to treated lumber. He said the NEW stuff will not tear up the galvanized hardware. he said its biggest downfall is that it doesn't like sunlight and since its carpeted and under the boat, should not be a problem. He said $8 for 2 pieces of 8' 2x4.
RJG	posted 06-27-2010 10:07 AM ET (US) I would not use cypress and here is why. I bought some cypress 1 X 6 to use as exterior lap siding on a historic home renovation (architect specification). The owner of Florida Cypress Products, a mill were I bought it from, told me that I must prime both sides of the material with oil based primer or the cpress will rot. Latex primer will not prevent moisture intrusion like oil. I thought cypress did not rot but seemingly it does. I know the applications are different but I have and would use treated pine.
Chuck Tribolet	posted 06-28-2010 12:33 AM ET (US) Bang4dabuck: You should do some homework on that. - The biggest problem with pressure-treated has been that it it is really crummy wood. - A heck of a lot of the use of pressure-treated is in full sun, e.g., fence posts. - I can't remember a tale of boat bunk rotting. My fir bunks were fine when when I replaced them because the HW was rusting away. I replaced them with clear fir, no regrets. Chuck
Tom W Clark	posted 06-28-2010 12:59 AM ET (US) All wood will rot. Some woods are more resistant to rot than others, but sooner or alter they will all rot, even teak. Woods that are know to be rot resistant include Cypress, Western Red Cedar, Redwood, Douglas Fir and many other soft woods. Chuck is correct. Worry more about the quality of the board rather than the specie of tree it was milled from. The chemicals used in pressure treated lumber vary by region. Here in the PNW it is still very corrosive. But regardless of that, the lumber used in making P.T. lumber is poor. It is not typically very stable wood. I too have never seen a rotted trailer bunk but I have seen a lot of twisted, cracked and broken trailer bunks. Dry rot occurs when wood is kept moist. Wood that is temporarily wetted but then dried out (like trailer bunks), will not rot. Anything you can do to assure your trailer bunks dry out will help preserve them. Rough sawn lumber as a much greater surface area than lumber that is S4S and will absorb more water faster and hold it longer, one of many reason why you don't want to use rough sawn lumber for trailer bunks. Jack was trying to make the point that rough sawn 2x lumber will have a greater net thickness than S4S 2x lumber which is sort of true. But by the time you surface the rough sawn lumber (by belt sander? Are you kidding me?) you will end up with a thickness not much, if at all, more than S4S lumber. If you think the difference in bending resistance is OK with a rough sawn 2x but not OK with S4S, the wood you are contemplating using is no where near strong enough anyway so you will need pick something different.
bang4dabuck	posted 06-29-2010 11:47 AM ET (US) I can get fir at Home Depot or Lowes, either kiln dried or green. Which is preferrable ?
dscew	posted 06-29-2010 12:42 PM ET (US) I replaced rotted pine/fir bunks with treated ones about 4 years ago. I selected the straightest 2 X 4s with the fewest knots I could find. It took some digging, but I found some very good ones, and I've had no issues with breaking, cracking, or twisting in any of them. The ones I replaced were very rotten, but were also 30 years old.
bang4dabuck	posted 06-30-2010 12:35 PM ET (US) Too many choices. The salesman for Grasmick will take care of me so some good peices of treated lumber would be expected. He is doing this for promotion purposes. He can also get me the S4S Cypress, he says. Again HD and Lowes sell Fir. He is guessing $2 a LF for 2x4 Cypress so doable. Which way ?