Sans Bateau
Well-known member
How many vehicles to launch your boat?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3goRfcrj1WA&feature=related
It has to be Americans!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3goRfcrj1WA&feature=related
It has to be Americans!
Calling all trailer sailor owners
- Thread starter Sans Bateau
- Start date
William_H
Well-known member
Boat recovery
Obviously at least the first original tow vehicle is a company car. (not owned by the boat owner.
Obviously you pull the trailer on the end of a long rope. Cars don't swim.
The really horrible part about those conditions is the waves hitting the boat. I rememeber long ago trying top recover my boat in similar conditions when a wave hit the stern and propelled the boat right over the trailer and past the winch post. I knew then it was time to find a more sheltered ramp to recover the boat.
You can only recover a boat onto a trailer in calm water.
However I understand (so Iam told) in New Zealand at one particular site they have floating trailers. The trailer with boat on is pushed out into the waves the boat motor is gunned and the boat with trailer attached is driven out to a mooring where the trailer is moored. On return the boat is driven over the trailer and attached. The trailer and boat are then driven at speed onto the beach. Indeed almost high and dry before the vehicle is attached. Obviously the trailer has front wheels.
Believe it or not? olewill
Obviously at least the first original tow vehicle is a company car. (not owned by the boat owner.
Obviously you pull the trailer on the end of a long rope. Cars don't swim.
The really horrible part about those conditions is the waves hitting the boat. I rememeber long ago trying top recover my boat in similar conditions when a wave hit the stern and propelled the boat right over the trailer and past the winch post. I knew then it was time to find a more sheltered ramp to recover the boat.
You can only recover a boat onto a trailer in calm water.
However I understand (so Iam told) in New Zealand at one particular site they have floating trailers. The trailer with boat on is pushed out into the waves the boat motor is gunned and the boat with trailer attached is driven out to a mooring where the trailer is moored. On return the boat is driven over the trailer and attached. The trailer and boat are then driven at speed onto the beach. Indeed almost high and dry before the vehicle is attached. Obviously the trailer has front wheels.
Believe it or not? olewill
Seajet
...
Not trailer-sailers, just sports mobo types having an average day... 
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Lakesailor
New member
Why bother with trailers?
Seajet
...
OK, let's see him launch using the same method ( well it was good enough for Thunderbird 4 ).
Lakesailor
New member
Not wishing to malign any particular section of the marine community
ProDave
Well-known member
Here's my favourite how NOT to launch a boat:
northwind
Well-known member
I once saw an RNLI training video where they did this with an atlantic 21. The two crew were on the engines, and they yanked them up at the last minute. The boat carried on up the beach, managed a fair old distance before coming to a rest.
Must be trickier with power trim these days..
Lakesailor
New member
Do your gelcoat a power of good.
prv
Well-known member
For carriage boats it's the designed method of recovery. And those are All Weather Lifeboats, not open RIBs.
The old/current system does look very labour-intensive though - lots of winching and dragging and manoeuvering on land, with Egyptian-style log roads under the keel, so that the tractor can get round behind the boat to pick it up. The new FCB2 system has a turntable built into the carriage so it can pick the boat up directly from where it stops on the beach.
New FCB2 hitting the beach:
northwind
Well-known member
That looks like fun!
It may not now be the method, but it was an accepted way of getting a casualty ashore back in time.
"When the "Atlantic 21" replaced it in the early 70s the crew became more comfortable, as they all had a seat, but the new boat was much faster. She had the rather unique quality of being able to be beached at full speed." - Taken from here:
http://www.lymeregis.com/lifeboat/hodders_heroes.htm
I particually liked this bit:
"On one occasion it was decided to try her out at Cobb Gate. A perfect approach was achieved, however no one had taken into account the effect of the small round pebbles on the shiny fibre glass hull, and the boat slid rapidly up the beach and bounced into the car park, leaving a very red faced crew stranded on dry land. "
I saw it on a video the RNLI used to show at Sailing club dry meetings back in the 80's