rock guard for boat

[fish99]

i am looking for different ideas on rock guards to put on boat trailer to protect new boat , where to buy or to make at home , thanks in advance.

[Nova]

If I were to do it over again I'd probably just buy a really good rock guard for my truck like rock tamers, but that is largely just because with the roads I drive I have come to expect that my boat is going to get chipped anyway and I've pretty much stopped caring. I am using a rock solid mounted on the truck and a rock gard on the boat trailer.

Best possible solution would be a trailer tux in addition to rock tamers.

[kcward]

I have the hull defender...manufactured in Edmonton. The only problem i've had is the poles coming out keep cracking. They need to change the design slightly to fix that. http://www.hulldefender.com/

I would also look at the Rock Guard next time...http://rockgard.com/gallery/

Good luck,

[Stubb]

I have rock tamers on the truck and rock guard on the trailer. Seems to work good. The tamers alone don't cut it.

[cube]

Originally Posted by fish99

i am looking for different ideas on rock guards to put on boat trailer to protect new boat , where to buy or to make at home , thanks in advance.

I have large mud flaps on the truck and a rock guard set to wide on the trailer and that seems to work. Trailer tux would also be good.

[jeffrey929]

Trailer Tux is the way to go

[Walleyedude]

It's not the cheapest, but it's the best -

http://www.trailertux.com/

It fully protects your boat and trailer. I put on 1000s of kms a year, and between the Trailer Tux and truck mounted rock flap, I've never had a stone chip and the boat stays much cleaner.

It doesn't take much rock chip damage to add up to the price of a good rock guard. Regardless of what boat you own, it's a vital and smart investment in my opinion.

[Wes_G]

I just went through this in the last month....
Was going to order a manufactured unit but with the ridiculous cost of these things upwards of $1000 I decided to go a different direction. The key is knowing someone who can weld and wants some side work.

I got a simple square aluminum frame welded up thats bent on the bottom and mounts to 2 plates attached to the trailer which he also welded up. Material cost plus his time to do it was $150

Then contacted a local wind fencing company who covered the frame in the same material they make wind fences with, which is what I think they use on these units anyway. This cost another $150

Is it perfect? probably not. If i was doing it again I would make a few changes to the design, but I think it will work quit well as it covers the area that was already getting chipped up... and I now have an additional $700 in my pocket for gear!

I can try to get a few pics this weekend if you want to see what it looks like.

[kcward]

Some of the new boats have cover options that include a snap on cover on the under side of the front of the boat. That is a cool idea! Have to get it priced out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIsK5niuNaY

[SamSteele]

I have the Rock Gard on mine. Barry Jay's installed it when I bought my boat from them. Not sure how it works yet, but it does fold in a bit, making it easier to get in the garage. It wouldn't go in a single garage door otherwise. Pop a hitch pin on either side and the support arms move in closer.

I also have a hitch mounted rubber skirt, which I haven't been overly impressed with. I find that if you have it low enough to catch all the rocks, it actually kicks rocks up with you go over bumps and the rear of the truck bounces. If you move it higher so this doesn't happen you have a large gap underneath and stones still clear it.

SS

[nast70]

I made my own. Hooks to the travel tarp, screen hangs down to the trailer frame with bungees. Done. All in about $100 my cost ?

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by kcward

Some of the new boats have cover options that include a snap on cover on the under side of the front of the boat. That is a cool idea! Have to get it priced out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIsK5niuNaY

I'd be really leery of that setup. Unless it's VERY tight, you'd be asking for trouble in my opinion. Something buffeting against your hull the entire time you're travelling, even with soft cloth on the inside, will potentially be worse than having nothing at all.

Trying to snap from the boat to the trailer presents its own problems. Getting the boat perfectly lined up every time, preventing the buffeting effect, and making it strong/tight enough that it won't rip off the snaps and yet is still easy to install would all be a challenge. I don't think snaps would work, you'd need straps of some kind.

[TROLLER]

After re-painting my last boat I went with the Rock Solid on the truck and that was to me the best thing.

Does not cost a fortune either, just remember if you have tail pipes sticking straight out you will need to change them to side mount so as not to burn the rear rock guard. I know I know I should have know better

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Nova

If I were to do it over again I'd probably just buy a really good rock guard for my truck like rock tamers, but that is largely just because with the roads I drive I have come to expect that my boat is going to get chipped anyway and I've pretty much stopped caring. I am using a rock solid mounted on the truck and a rock gard on the boat trailer.

Best possible solution would be a trailer tux in addition to rock tamers.

^^ wisdom

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by fish99

i am looking for different ideas on rock guards to put on boat trailer to protect new boat , where to buy or to make at home , thanks in advance.

I have a x-rock guard for a boat trailer that you can have for nothing. It is one of those mesh ones that bolts to the frame of the trailer. One arm fell off somewhere in my rough road travels but the other arm is there. It would not be hard to hook it up regardless.

P.S. The arm that fell off sure must have bounced good...it sure made quite a mark on the boat...kinda ironic isn't it

[Nova]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

^^ wisdom

It was a funny lesson to learn. Brand new shiny boat, dropped over a grand on rock protection and by the end of the year I wish I put the majority of that money into something else.

I guess the big difference is what the boat is and where it will be trailered. And more importantly your expectation for the boat's cosmetics. For me, one trip to Manitoba and if it happens to rain there is simply nothing I am going to do to stop from getting rock chips short of staying home or only fishing the highway accessible lakes. Even the best possible setup still has the potential for rock chips when you're driving 100km+ on shale roads. For me the realization that it is a fishing boat and it is going to get rock chips, dock rash and probably bump the odd rock or reef along the way came quick. And to be honest it was a bit of a relief. Fishing is supposed to be a fun pass time and a stress release, worrying about cosmetics or resale value on my $25k boat is small potatoes, I just want to enjoy it. Now for $60k+ rig that I may not keep until I die, I might spend the money for a customized full coverage setup similar to a trailer tux.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Jet

That's very tight to the boat, so won't be a problem. There's no buffeting because the pressure comes from the front and there is no air inside, because it conforms and is being push on and the bow of the boat is aerodynamic It ultimately all depends on the engineering of it and that one looked very well engineered.

Theory and reality are often very different things, even for engineers lol. There's no constant linear air flow behind a tow vehicle, especially when combined with a good wind.

Buffeting of some kind is all but inevitable in my experience unless the tarp/guard is bow string tight.

But thanks for the idea anyway, personally I don't have an issue with rock chips on my boat. I use low mud flaps on the truck and it's Aluminum and automotive paint touch up if I did get any rock chips which I haven't yet distance 1000's of km.... But it's given me a few ideas on a better removable solution for beaching for sure.

Good luck with your setup.

[PerchBuster]

I have a fibreglass hull and I spent the dough on a RockGard. Cost me about $800 a few years ago and I am very happy with it. To date not a single blemish on my hull as far as rock chips are concerned. The only thing that sucks is when they are Oiling/tar and resurfacing the asphalt roads because the oil/tar does go through the mesh and then you have a big cleaning job on your hands to remove it all. Doesn't look nice on white gel coat! Personally, if you feel your boat is worth protecting, if you've spent any significant amount on your rig, then why cut corners on the rock protection? If you can make something great but otherwise even at a grand I think it's money well spent to protect your investment.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Jet

Did you look at the video? Don't get much tighter than forming to the hull with velcro down the center to adjust the fit. And I believe Laminar Flow was the term you were looking for.

To get flapping, you need space behind the item and something that flaps,
both which aren't present in that design (the cloth is reinforced) and forms to the surface. Theory and reality are often not different things, it's just non-engineers assume they're different, or that the theory is wrong in the first place.

The issue here is people often don't run low or any mud flaps and they have delicate boats. If you have a truck, those mud flaps should be hitting speed ramps. Most of the rock chips come from the vehicle that's towing, with the occasional one from those that pass (which can hit anywhere rock guard or not). The rocks come off the wheels, cover the angles they shoot off at with a flap, and they can't hit the bow.

Address that issue, and Aluminum boats are about as a sensitive to rock chips as your vehicle paint is, and often they use the same paint systems. Touch up paint works well, most don't repaint their whole vehicles for rock chips.

But if you have a fiberglass boat, then you probably need something because even one small minor rock chip from a passing vehicle can lead to rot and cost down the line and will require at least fixing the gel coat.

I did watch the video. I gave my opinion on it, just as you have.

The difference is, I don't feel the desire to puff up my chest about it or dredge up old discussions (troll).

Have a good evening Jet.

[6gunner]

I would not buy a rock guard ever again, I bought one last year and it fell apart within three trips. The worst part is that the company would not even repair it, thankfully the dealer that sold it to me sent it out to get fixed for free. (Riverside in St Albert)