Dry boat handling options

[Pastor]

Could do with some ideas with regards to getting a boat launched. Sounds easy enough but there are some special circumstances in this case:

• The beach from which the boat must be launched is inaccessible with a normal car due to extremely chewed up soft sand which requires a 4WD or a tractor. I cannot afford to run a 4WD and the standard fee for tractor launch is £15 for a return trip. That ads up to a lot every day.
• The local council have a registration system which requires all watercraft over 10HP to pay a fee in order to be used here (£100 pa). This in turn requires to be fully insured which of course is no bad thing.
• If the boat is left on the beach it will be stolen so not an option.
• The boat will need to be transported nearly daily 1/2 a mile to the beach.

So I will probably be launching this on my own 90% of the time. When there is more people then it's not a problem as it could either be dragged or we chip in for expenses. I envisage it will need to be pulled by hand 50 yards across the soft sand and then between 50 and 400 yards to the water (depending on the tide). This then will be done by me alone most of the time.

I think then that a small boat with a 9.9HP motor would be ideal. I used to own a Yam 310s and have found a great deal on a new one so I'm almost certain to go with that and look for something like a Tohatsu 2 stroke to power it. Sound OK?

To get it to the beach it will need to be either towed or inflated daily, towed sounds more realistic I think. Any ideas on a super lightweight trailer that would do the job? Ideally one that can be pulled by hand across the soft sand and also not get bogged down when putting the boat back on in the water as I would be on my own.

Any input positive or constructively negative gratefully received

Cheers guys

 

[dave]

fit a set of launching wheels to the transom ; Launching Wheels ( Inflatable Boat Accessories ) at Polymarine
Use a simple trailer for the road stuff, then just fold the wheels down for moving the boat on the beach. Avoids buggering up the wheel bearings on the trailer by dipping them in the sea as well
cheers
dave
Spearguns by Spearo uk ltd finest supplier of speargun, monofins, speargun and freediving equipment

 

[atomichaggis]

Lightweight launching trolley is another option... think there are collapsible ones around.

 

[Pastor]

Cheers dudes

Yeah I had some transom wheels on my last Yam very good for getting the boat out of the water but very hard work for one person to move it far on the beach as all the weight of the boat is on you as the wheels are as far back as they can be.

The launching trolley sounds good for sure but how legal/practical is it tow the thing down the road? Do I really need suspension for a short journey on a decent road? I would like to have the wheels reasonably close to the balance point of the boat so there isn't much weight when pulling it across the soft sand.

Those transom wheels are excellent for getting the boat out of the water, as you pull the boat they just take up the weight and let you roll it out without them having time to sink into the sand. How practical would it be to get a boat onto the trailer out of water on your own with a set of transom wheels?

Trailer wheels, super wide ones sound like they wouldn't get bogged down in the soft sand at the top of the beach (This has will be super churned up by countless spinning wheels of 4WDs and tractors who are constantly getting stuck). Any ideas what type I could use if I built the trailer myself?

 

[foxfish]

I think a small inflatable like the 310 must weight 40kg+ then your gear like anchor flares diving stuff weight belt etc The a small motor 9hp 2 stroke 30kg 5hp 4 stroke 25kg & you want to pull that lot over sand!!
I used to do that sort of thing for years with my bother & a 12' portabote then I got a marina berth - never looked back!

 

[Pastor]

then I got a marina berth - never looked back!

Is that easier to pull over the sand?

 

[foxfish]

OK then just get one of these SEALEGS - Amphibious Boats Sealegs

 

[atomichaggis]

You can get Trailer/launch trolley combos that comprise of a road base and launch trolley that fit together. Not cheap but covers everything.

If you are gonna do a homemade job then give those big medicine ball wheelbarrow wheels a go

 

[Pastor]

Yeah, I've seen those combi trailers in the Indespension catalogue, I was worried about the weight with the extra steel but I see what you mean, I was thinking in a different way about the problem. Those wheels has me thinking about quad bike wheels, possible anyone? Quick scan on ebay needed

 

[Pastor]

Arse! Just missed out on the 310s. The guy has a 340s and a 275s at a good price. I'm not sure if I can manage the 340 on the beach on my own or how good the performance would be with a 9.9Hp. Is a 275 just too small, I haven't ever had a good look at a boat that size what do you think?

 

[foxfish]

I think you should seriously look at a portabote.
No joke mate they are amazing & only need a 5hp 4 stroke to get you zipping along.

 

[Pastor]

Jesus mate I can't afford one, I'm on a serious budget, I haven't worked in 7 or 8 years I' genuinely skint, if it wasn't for the deal I've been offered I wouldn't be thinking of a boat at all this year.

 

[foxfish]

Perhaps you could make a big swim float?

 

[Marwan]

Arse! Just missed out on the 310s. The guy has a 340s and a 275s at a good price. I'm not sure if I can manage the 340 on the beach on my own or how good the performance would be with a 9.9Hp. Is a 275 just too small, I haven't ever had a good look at a boat that size what do you think?

i believe a 9.9 would be very weak for a 340, as for he 275, i guess it depends on the distance you need to travel as well as the water conditions..but my first feeling is it could be small...
towing over sand is quite tough, i tried it with a small zodiac and a 10hp engine, tough to do on your own over soft sand, with a standard trailer...you need the ballon like wide, printelss wheels, i think they are called beach dollies, to avoid the wheels digging in the sand...
alternaltively, did you consider a kayak? there are some models where you can fit a tiny 2or 3hp outboard..again depends on the distances youre intending to go and water conditions, but should be much easier to handle on your own

 

[Spiderman]

Those wheels Dave mentioned are very good. I've got a pair like that on my 3.4m Zodiac and they work well on pretty much any beach. With a 15hp outboard and fuel tank on board I can easily get down the beach and launch single handed. Getting up the beach on my own is possible if the beach isn't too steep or soft but it is a lot easier with 2 people, and really easy when the whole family join in (2 adults and 3 kids).
There are other wheels available which are smaller and often known as dolly wheels. I had some on my previous boat and they were terrible on anything other than smooth concrete or tarmac. Bigger wheels look a bit stupid when you are on the water but they are the only thing that work on sand.

 

[Jonny250]

What about a winch on the back of your car - you dont need a 4wd to have a winch. Superwinch Home - Superwinch could be a sloution?
Alternatively fit a hand winch onto the trailer and winch up the beach - probably from a local chandlery - doesn't have to be powered.

 

[Benc]

Pastor- just a note on engine sizes, I use a 2-stroke Tohatsu 9.8-it's a bored out version of the 8hp and so is loads lighter than the 9.9 (which is the same weight as the 15hp and I believe 18hp). Might be worth considering. However, i use mine inshore for trapping so don't know how well it would power your boat, mine's a tiny aluminium job and I can get over 30mph out of it on lakes, rivers etc. I've used Tohatsus commercially for 4 years now and have never been let down by them. I also use a transom wheels type system on my boat, the axles are inside lengths of tube on lynch pins at the back of the boat and once i'm in the water I remove them, they're easy to put back on when it comes to dragging the boat out and I often wheel mine a couple of hundred yards or so along muddy tracks etc. I also had my wheels foam filled, it makes them heavy but saves a load of potential hassle, I just remove the engine and lay it in the boat when I'm moving the gear around.

 

[foxfish]

I think pastor has bought a little four stroke?
I have used Tohatsu 9.8 I seem to remember they weigh 27kg I think the Mariner & Mercury 6hp four stroke weigh about 25kg?

 

[Pastor]

I think the Tohatsu 2 stroke 6 8 and 9.8 all weigh in at 26Kg. I had the 9.8 on my last boat and it was brilliant. They are expensive things to buy now, I suppose because of their light weight. I ended up with a 6Hp 2 stroke mercury because a 6 is the maximum recommended for the boat, it weighs 25Kg and I got a superb deal on a brand new motor.

The whole exercise has been driven by the difficulties and expense of getting the 6m rib launched daily, £15 just to put the boat in the water and not before 9 -10 am on a good day or out after 6pm. At least now we or I can do it when we want and at a much reduced cost, even if it does mean some effort.

 

[sunfish]

Hi Benc, hope the cray trapping's going OK. How do you fill the tyres with foam and how much heavier does it make them? I often wonder why no-one's invented a system to do this with car tyres.