There’s nothing like a floating trailer bunk to dampen spirits at the end of a fishing day.

With chagrin, I spied the starboard side outer bunk askew and bobbing in the ripples as I idled the Bass Cat toward the waiting trailer last week.

After 50 years of launching and loading my fishing boats, I immediately recognized the predicament: Getting home and escaping the blistering heat was going to be delayed.

For anglers who fish from boats, the effort to get our watercraft to and from our lakes and rivers is not to be taken for granted. We rely on smooth-rolling, easy-loading trailers to transport our vessels, but just like the vehicles we use to tow, the trailers sometimes let us down.

I have experienced a tire blow-out on an interstate highway, wheel-bearing failures and even a broken leaf spring over tens of thousands of miles of dragging boat trailers from home to my favorite waters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky, West Virginia and Michigan.

The bunk failure last week was my first incident requiring some finagling to get the boat securely nestled for the drive home. Fishing friend Ray Halter and I succeeded in loading the boat despite the drifting bunk, but that was the easy part.

My Bass Cat boat and trailer are in their 16th season of service, so the broken bunk was a clear signal that it was time to replace all four of the carpeted treated lumber slides on which the boat sits during transport and storage.

After a few calls to boat dealer service departments, I learned the cost to replace the bunks professionally was more than I wanted to pay. I also knew it was not a job I should tackle solo.

To the rescue came fishing friend Ted Suffolk. He had replaced trailer bunks on his own rig years ago and volunteered to assist with tools, labor and experience.

With bunk carpet from Bass Pro Shops in Niles and lumber from Bernard-Daniels in Canfield, we readied the bunks for installation. We met at the lake Tuesday morning, launched and docked the boat and unbolted the old bunks. We wire-brushed and spray-painted the angle-steel mounts, then retreated to the lake for a few hours of fishing while the paint dried.

The sun was beating down when we returned to the boat ramp to install the new bunks. The work was not difficult, but nothing is simple when the temperature is hovering near 100 degrees on the pavement.

Of course, we picked the hottest day of the summer to do the job. Installation required crawling under the trailer frame to drill guide holes and ratchet the lag screws to secure the bunks. Ted and I wrapped up the job in around 45 minutes, but we were dripping with sweat and ready for AC and cold drinks.

The lesson, of course, is to plan ahead and perhaps foresee the day when such work might be accomplished in more reasonable conditions. Preventive maintenance is a good thing, especially when it comes to keeping the fishing boat ship-shape.

Pymatuning festival this weekend

The 41st Pymatuning Lake Festival is this weekend, with live music, food, games and interesting exhibits awaiting visitors until sunset today at the main beach at the Ohio state park off Lake Road. Fireworks are scheduled for 9 p.m. The festival continues from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

Among the numerous attractions and performances is fisherwoman and artist Heidi Wirtner, who will be exhibiting her artwork. She is known nationally for her realistic original paintings that capture scenes and moments loved by anglers and others who are passionate about lakes and rivers.

Jack Wollitz has written this column weekly since 1988. Contact him at jackbbaass@gmail.com.