New launch Trolley

Lakesailor

Lakesailor

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Just built a launch trolley from an old dinghy trailer. I got it as a "T shaped frame with some suspension units. It means the road trailer doesn’t have to sit on the lakeshore and so the outfit is less attractive to thieving gits.
The existing road trailer has new wheels/tyres and bearings and special soft suspension so it would be a real loss if some muffin pinched it.
It’s cost me about £45 to refurbish the launch trolley.

New launch trolley. Like the road trailer, I can winch the boat up from the ground onto it. I can also fit a tow hitch if I want to.

launchtrolley01.jpg


launchtrolley03.jpg


launchtrolley05.jpg


launchtrolley04.jpg



On it’s road trailer it also sat much higher, looking a bit attractive on the lake shore.


launchtrolleyroadtrailer.jpg


What a shame we have to think about thieving pillocks all the time.​
 
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Now having read your posts to the end ( a first for me, if not all forums ) I see what you mean.

Is it possible to drive in a ground stake to padlock the boat & trolley to, and fit a 'not too smart but effective' cover ?

I would not expect some 'minor sections of society who should be protected due to their ethnicity' to obey or even know the laws of wheel bearings, maybe fit clamps.

In a perfect world, a just sub-lethal force-field around too, maybe a PIR firing Tasars in all directions!
 
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Trailers

I don't know much about your situation but I would have thought one road trailer would be most convenient.

A trailer can be made much more secure by a wheel clamp. Or perhaps a hole though the wheel for a chain and padlock. Common around here is a steel box that can be padlocked over the tow hitch so it can not be attached to a tow ball.
Trailer boats are very popular here and so theft of trailer boats is big business. Hence most when left in owners front yard are made secure. When attached to the car I simply replace one safety chain shackle with a large padlock. That means the car must be stolen too.

Incidentally some years back a boater parked his car and trailer at the top of the ramp left the engine running and got out to remove lights. Some toe rag jumped in and drove away, car trailer boat and all.
Now that would be dismaying. olewill
 
just a passing thought, Lakey.

If you pump up the main tyres to 60psi or so, and modify the front wheel so that it steers, you have makings of a another very fast go-kart for your next race. You could even add a windscreen and wipers this time...
 
I would add a handle near the front of the draw bar, and provision to bolt on a removable tow hitch.

I take it you did all the welding for the additions?

Also a padlock, even if just a good strong bike lock, to lock the boat onto the trailer. That would deter any drunken s*!* from pushing it into the water and setting it adrift for a prank.
 
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Those two holes take a tow hitch. But putting one on, or a handle, would give something to attach it to a car with.

If you look at the shot of the boat on the road trailer you can see a wire strop I padlock the stem ring to the winch post with.


The welding was a pain as I was using some donated rods, (my own pack is quite old) after spitting and farting round a few welds I went back to my own and they were fine.

launchtrolley02.jpg
 
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Just noticed, you seem to have a collection of boat trailers in your garden. Is that Feckles trailer still there?

The main problem I have with arc welding is I only have a 90A welder and if the rods are too large it just won't sustain an arc. 2mm or 2.5mm is it's limit. That and I don't do welding often enough, so it always takes some practice pieces to get the hang of it again.

Seems like you have the security covered. The main thing is you don't need to make it completely un nickable, just a lot harder to nick then one of the others.
 
Lakesailor said:
At the air show I cruised around the rafted boats and there were two Serendipities within a few yards of each other.
Click to expand...

You will have guessed that I was very tongue in cheek... Just when we thought we'd chosen a name that was fairly original and had nice connotations we then discovered that there's lots of Serendipities about which I suppose might be put down as a happy coincidence. We even found another Westerly called Serendipity in the WOA owners handbook so our choice wasn't very original at all.

Serendipity was previously named Salina - and we know someone called by that name and it didn't feel right... (and we didn't like it as a boat name etc) But I thrift the dread....
 
I named Serendipity because I was looking for a wooden dinghy (first time round) and mentioned it to someone I knew who turned out to have one in his garage that he hadn't used for several years.

So that was serendipity.
 
ProDave said:
Just noticed, you seem to have a collection of boat trailers in your garden. Is that Feckles trailer still there?
Click to expand...
Yes, Feckless's trailer is still with us. The buyer is looking for somewhere to store it. I can't really hurry him up to much as I keep going out sailing with him :rolleyes:

Had Serendipity out for a row this morning (no wind). New trailer works well, but I need to extend the winch handle as the 8" wheels are harder to get up the stony shore than the 10" wheels on the road trailer (which had a longer winch handle anyway).
I'm also going to put a roller at the front of the trailer, a bit like a snatch block with one open side, so that I can lead the strap down to the drawbar when winching the trailer up the beach. I attach the strap to the chain around the tree. That should prevent the nose wheel being pushed down as I winch.

Picture last night. It's bright blue out there today.

Security04.jpg


Security05.jpg
 
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three locks ! All on the same key , or different ? (Not that I have any professional interest in knowing, of course :o )


Now, I'm not being stupid, I hope, but why is there no vegetation growing on the stones underneath the boat ? I would have thought that grass would colonise that area quite quickly.
 
Different locks. Different keys. Different challenge for tea-leaves.

Don't know about the grass issue. The shore is lake-washed after rain and it is rock. No soil so I suppose it just flushes any growth away.
Never really occurred to me.
 
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