Any recommendations for dinghy transom wheels?

[Adios]

For a 2.9m SIB with a small outboard. Seems to be surprisingly large selection so I thought I'd consult the wisdom of the forum before deciding. Any recommendations and reasons why would be gratefully received.

Are the short plastic ones too low?
Do the brackets that are left on the transom by some kits cause damage to the tubes when its folded? Seems inevitable that they would
Ideal wheel size?
Do the fold up ones work with an outboard that needs to turn for reverse?
Does the weight of them make an difference in use?
How do you lift the front when you use them? No easy handle there on my boat.

What would make an ideal design? I really might make a set so if you have a design in mind let me know and I could make us both a pair if we can come up with something better for half the price they are asking for them. Couple of weeks of lockdown left to do it.

 

[Concerto]

Last year I bought a pair of folding launching wheels for my 2.7 m aero deck Zodiac, but have not yet got round to fitting them due to Covid shortening the season for me and having our first grand child. I spent a long time checking out the different types available and concluded the short plastic ones are fine on a concrete ramp but useless on a beach with some gullies or small rocks due to their small diameter. The larger wheeled ones were made from a variety of materials including aluminium and stainless steel. Ultimately I settled on this model which is still available with delivery from UK stocks. I am sure this is a drop shipper but this is about the going price at present, but higher than last year.
Folding Boat Launching Wheels Boat Transom Launching Wheels Dinghy Wheels | eBay

 

[Adios]

Last year I bought a pair of folding launching wheels for my 2.7 m aero deck Zodiac, but have not yet got round to fitting them due to Covid shortening the season for me and having our first grand child. I spent a long time checking out the different types available and concluded the short plastic ones are fine on a concrete ramp but useless on a beach with some gullies or small rocks due to their small diameter. The larger wheeled ones were made from a variety of materials including aluminium and stainless steel. Ultimately I settled on this model which is still available with delivery from UK stocks. I am sure this is a drop shipper but this is about the going price at present, but higher than last year.
Folding Boat Launching Wheels Boat Transom Launching Wheels Dinghy Wheels | eBay

Looking at the parts there's no reason we couldn't make that in the UK and make considerable profit selling them for £75. I'm starting to think China is increasing its prices now we have no interest in manufacturing here and don't bother competing.

I want something for a variety of terrain so agree bigger wheel is better. Seems 250mm is the maximum available on these

That aside I'm not happy with the sharp edge of the part left on the boat when the wheel is removed. With the tube folded onto it if the weight of the rest of it presses down surely that will damage the tube? Its also 8 holes in the transom. I've thought of a way to halve the number of holes and not have the sharp edges. I think I'll be making my own.

Still very interested to hear of user experiences.

 

[Iliade]

I bought a pair of overpriced plastic ones and they suffered so badly in the heat of Croatia that the axle collapsed after about 20m!

I replaced with a pair similar to the ones above, but with traditional inflatable tyres of perhaps as much as 300mm diameter. They worked a treat but stained the dinghy terribly during storage. They were also quite hard to deploy when afloat because of their buoyancy.

If anyone finds a Wetline dinghy with such wheels and staining in Scotland, it could be mine!

 

[dansaskip]

After much looking at other forumit' s advice I came to the conclusion that you need largish inflatable wheels, the plastic ones were pretty much condemed by other users. I eventually bought and fitted these
EasyFold Boat Launching Wheels - Stainless Steel - thargo.com
similar of course might be found from other suppliers
The legs fold up out of the way once you have launched. I quite like it that I can remove the legs and wheels by undoing one wing nut and bolt (for each leg) leaving the just the brackets attached. I used them last season and am very pleased with them so far

 

[Roberto]

I have one pair similar to those above, they are reasonably efficient even over sand (I have a 240 dinghy with 4hp 4stroke). When lifted though, the one on port side restricts the movement of the outboard tiller, so I keep it folded halfway.
Once the wheels are removed, the two fittings on the transom no not damage the pvc during storage; the smaller rigid plastic wheels would be better for outboard handling but the pieces left on the transom are a lot more obtrusive.

I recently discovered these which seem very clever, I have to check the width of my dinghy transom to see if it can accept the two wheels stored that way, if ok I'll probably give them a try

Roues de halage, de mise à l'eau, pour annexes, SUPROD MD200, Acier i, 119,90 €

 

[Boathook]

I purchased these for my dinghy Railblaza C-Tug Dinghy Wheels | Force 4 Chandlery . Not cheap but they easily allow me wheel the dinghy around with engine, even over sand.

 

[Adios]

I purchased these for my dinghy Railblaza C-Tug Dinghy Wheels | Force 4 Chandlery . Not cheap but they easily allow me wheel the dinghy around with engine, even over sand.

I like the weight and the fact it can be stowed up at various angles to not foul the motor. But the size of the part left on the transom if i take the leg off is a deal breaker for me. And the price.

 

[Slowboat35]

Roberto's neat German-made wheels are from £89 on ebay but there appear to be different models which aren't easy to tell apart.
I like Boathook's version too but concur with Athomson on the intrusive bracket.

 

[Adios]

After much looking at other forumit' s advice I came to the conclusion that you need largish inflatable wheels, the plastic ones were pretty much condemed by other users. I eventually bought and fitted these
EasyFold Boat Launching Wheels - Stainless Steel - thargo.com
similar of course might be found from other suppliers
The legs fold up out of the way once you have launched. I quite like it that I can remove the legs and wheels by undoing one wing nut and bolt (for each leg) leaving the just the brackets attached. I used them last season and am very pleased with them so farView attachment 111386

I like the wheels being further forward under the engine, might help a bit. Not keen on the wheels having roller bearings even if sealed. And whatever spring is in the leg to pull back the locking pin is bound to limit the service life and can't be replaceable. Easy to swap the main bolt for a cotter pin and R clip for quicker removal of leg.

 

[Adios]

I have one pair similar to those above, they are reasonably efficient even over sand (I have a 240 dinghy with 4hp 4stroke). When lifted though, the one on port side restricts the movement of the outboard tiller, so I keep it folded halfway.
Once the wheels are removed, the two fittings on the transom no not damage the pvc during storage; the smaller rigid plastic wheels would be better for outboard handling but the pieces left on the transom are a lot more obtrusive.

I recently discovered these which seem very clever, I have to check the width of my dinghy transom to see if it can accept the two wheels stored that way, if ok I'll probably give them a try

Roues de halage, de mise à l'eau, pour annexes, SUPROD MD200, Acier i, 119,90 €

Those MD200 only have 200mm wheels, I think I want to go bigger. They weigh 4kg so adding that to my 40kg boat which is only just manageable into the car anyway is more than I like to add. If i'm going to remove them there's no need for the more complicated / expensive system. I might be worrying too much about it but as all the rest have the remaining bracket seems like sharp lines to fold the boat onto. I'd rather not have to carry something else to put over it to protect the boat but I think there's a way to improve on that.

 

[Martin_J]

I have fold up wheels on a small 2.5m RIB (so the transom width is probably less than yours).
They flip up and fold flat so engine can still be turned full lock each way.
Oh and the tubes will even deflate over the folded wheets so I can put the whole rib back in the bag with the wheels attached.

Foldable launching wheels

 

[Martin_J]

Mine shown above are like Roberto's moving picture but not quite the same.

In those moving picture ones, the leg they're on rotates... In this latter set, it's the wheel axle that rotates the 90 degrees.

Thinking about it now, you could pull the R clip holding the wheel in place and by not turning the wheel axle (just fold the leg up instead), then you have wheels removed and no bracket edges protruding.

 

[Goldie]

Only one game in town for me:

Beachmaster wheels UK and Europe store Plenty of videos on them in use and showing the quick release option - highly recommended. It used to be necessary to import them but there do appear to be U.K. sources now for wheels the same or very similar.

Inflatable boat Launching Wheels | ivan-b-marine

Not the cheapest option, but several people I know have changed from other models after seeing and trying these.

 

[dunedin]

Another vote for the excellent SUPROD HD200 wheels which we fitted to a Waveline 2.6m. Launching Wheels, Dinghy Wheels, SUPROD HD200, Stainless Steel A4, 129,90 €

Best for a dinghy stowed on davits rather than deflated regularly

 

[Martin_J]

Ah.. those Suprod ones that Dunedin links to are the ones I linked to but on another website..

Strange - Roberto's moving image looks different.. They were the MD200 as opposed to the HD200..

 

[Adios]

I have fold up wheels on a small 2.5m RIB (so the transom width is probably less than yours).
They flip up and fold flat so engine can still be turned full lock each way.
Oh and the tubes will even deflate over the folded wheets so I can put the whole rib back in the bag with the wheels attached.

Foldable launching wheels

View attachment 111416

I saw those but on the makers video it looked like once down unless there was weight on them they don't locate in place but swing about. Is that an issue?

 

[Adios]

Mine shown above are like Roberto's moving picture but not quite the same.

In those moving picture ones, the leg they're on rotates... In this latter set, it's the wheel axle that rotates the 90 degrees.

Thinking about it now, you could pull the R clip holding the wheel in place and by not turning the wheel axle (just fold the leg up instead), then you have wheels removed and no bracket edges protruding.

Ah yes and then the axle is parallel with the transom. They'd be pointing outwards towards the tube but would probably be short enough thats not a problem.

 

[Adios]

Ah.. those Suprod ones that Duneidn links to are the ones I linked to but on another website..

Strange - Roberto's moving image looks different.. They were the MD200 as opposed to the HD200..

No they are different manufacturers. Both in Germany. The SUPROD one must have a spring inside which I'm not keen on but would make it easier to use. The others look like could be a bit fiddly as they don't lock in place when down unless weight is on it.

 

[Adios]

Only one game in town for me:

Beachmaster wheels UK and Europe store Plenty of videos on them in use and showing the quick release option - highly recommended. It used to be necessary to import them but there do appear to be U.K. sources now for wheels the same or very similar.

Inflatable boat Launching Wheels | ivan-b-marine

Not the cheapest option, but several people I know have changed from other models after seeing and trying these.

In terms of engineering effort they look like better value for money than the others but too bulky for me. Do they lock down without needing to hang over the back messing around with pins?