Wheels for a tender. Any ideas?

[Zagato]

I have just bought a 10' tender and wanted to push it down to the water by resting it on some wheels somehow. Has anyone done a similar thing without using a launching trolley so you can just throw the wheels in the tender when you set off!

The tender hull is a classic rowing boat shape with a tiny 2" keel. Perhaps wheels attached to an angled piece of something that the boat can sit on whilst also being able to be secured to the transom to prevent it from being knocked away by a rough ground. Any ideas.

 

[capetown]

These are the wheels that I had on my Tinker.

I've seen non swivel carstors, two near the transom and one amidships near the bow, so making a large skateboard ;o)

 

[gordmac]

Used to use rollers, bits of round driftwood or plastic pipe, lying about the shore. Don't know if this would work but pass a length of rope through a largish diameter plastic pipe and attach each end to the stern such that the stern of the boat is on the pipe. Hopefully the rope will act as an axle for the pipe.

 

[bob26]

Tender trolley bracket

We used to have a device a bit like this (excuse my crude sketch) which attached to the transom with screw clamps like an outboard positioning the wheels underneath:

 

[pvb]

(excuse my crude sketch)

 

[doug748]

A square wooden box (about the size of a beer crate) fitted with wheels, works very well. Even better if the wheels are pneumatic, fitted with an axle that passes right through the box and the box is shaped to the midship section of the keel.
Just lift the bow, kick your box under the boat and off you go. No need for clamps or screws and as the boat is supported on it's point of balance, all is very easy.

 

[simonfraser]

depends a bit on how muddy your slipway is, you might want to consider bigger wheels that hinge rather than something slung under, might get messy . .

 

[Bodach na mara]

I have tried all of hese ideas and have resorted to a trolley. It is very nice to just chuck the wheels in the tender but they take up a bit of room plus:
The transom fitting idea leaves you with the problem of lifting half the weight of the dinghy at the bow and was beyond my puny muscles,
The small "cart" amidships kept going off the straight and slipped out from under when it hit a small stone on the slip.

I ended up using an old trailer of which the wheels had rusted away and replaced them with pneumatic wheels with plastic centres from Towsure. Works a treat. Recommended by lots of people who borrow it when I am not there. I wish that people who borrow it would replace it under my tender in the dinghy park however!

 

[Seajet]

I've seen all sorts of patent wonder-jobs, and tried a few, and decided god was spot on with the launching trolley !

About £100. for a good one ( 'sandhopper' wheels, solid red plastic with a thick black rubber tread ) from your position it's Hayling Trailers or nothing, they should have one in stock but phone 1st to see they're bothering to open 02392 464176 - the underwhelmed 'shall I bother' service is standard - once you've got a decent, light trolley you're not afraid is going to fall apart, strand you on the slipway or shoot off to one side with all your best kit, things become a lot easier, really is worth it !


It amazes me the number of people who struggle with things Steptoe would bin, to get out to £100,000++ boats...

 

[fishermantwo]

I have an 8ft plywood pramm dinghy fitted with two hardware plastic wheels about 6in diameter mounted in ss brackets on the stern. When floating about half the wheels are in the water flow and aid in directional stability. The front has a ss tube handle and I wheel the unit about like a wheelbarrow.

 

[VicS]

I have an 8ft plywood pramm dinghy fitted with two hardware plastic wheels about 6in diameter mounted in ss brackets on the stern. When floating about half the wheels are in the water flow and aid in directional stability. The front has a ss tube handle and I wheel the unit about like a wheelbarrow.

Mine is similar. The wheels are smaller ( 4 or 5") the boat has a flat bottom with two skegs. The wheels are fixed to the skegs. A bit small on rough ground but fine on a smoothish solid surface

My father found found the wheels in the public car park near a supermarket. ( as far as I know they did not still have a trolley attatched when he found them )

 

[30boat]

I welded this up in stainless.The wheels are pneumatic.The two ropes are taken to a small cleat up in the bow and hold the trolley in place .The keel goes between the two bits of wood and the trolley can be placed amidships which makes pulling it very easy.

 

[landlockedpirate]

Take your pick from these:

http://www.bournemouthcanoes.co.uk/productpages/canoeing-equipment/canoeing-trolleys.htm

I used a C Tug Canoe Trolley, but if i'm honest it became a bit of a pain after a while. It needed very careful adjustment and fitting to ensure it stayed attached and worked, because its designed for a much narrower hull.

I eventually gave up and bought one of these:

http://www.marinescene.co.uk/product/112/folding-launching-trolley/

 

[Coaster]

My father found found the wheels in the public car park near a supermarket...

Can I have them back please?

We've been looking for the missing wheels for ages...

 

[Zagato]

Take your pick from these:

http://www.bournemouthcanoes.co.uk/productpages/canoeing-equipment/canoeing-trolleys.htm

I used a C Tug Canoe Trolley, but if I'm honest it became a bit of a pain after a while. It needed very careful adjustment and fitting to ensure it stayed attached and worked, because its designed for a much narrower hull.

I eventually gave up and bought one of these:

http://www.marinescene.co.uk/product/112/folding-launching-trolley/

Thanks for the replies folks & links "landlocked" I think I would have gone for the C tug as well so thanks for that. I'll look into getting the one from marine scene, it looks a good bit of kit. I think a trolley is an easier way to go as my boat is a traditional rowing boat shape not flat, little keel etc so tricky to fix anything underneath and too heavy to lift if wheels were just at the back unless you have a bar going underneath the length like a trolley.

There is a boat jumble coming up next weekend so I will see if there is anything cheaper and suitable otherwise it will be the folding jobbie!

 

[Zagato]

Well unfortunately I have had to reject two folding trolleys from Marinescene. Marinescene have been very good, it's not their fault of course the trolleys are made by Bramber which a couple of years ago would have been reassuring but Bramber were taken over about 12 months ago by another company and who ever is manufacturing these (Bramber themselves or subcontractors are doing a very bad job - the weldings have already cracked away even before it has left the delivery van

NOT GOOD!!

Interesting their number has not been recognised, I would be wary of buying anything on line if you can from the Bramber website........

 

[Zagato]

Right, have found a good alternative which seems better than the other trolley as it is fully adjustable and you can also hitch it to a car if needed off road. Chap makes them up himself and supplies direct or through dealers.

http://www.dinghy-launching-trolley.com/

Doing all this the situation with Bramber does not sound healthy people being left with equipment that was previously ordered by Bramber!

 

[Modulation]

Main thing is to use wheels which are big, wide and pneumatic. then you can cope with all the surfaces you might pull the dinghy along. And dont try a system which leaves the wheels hanging in the water. You just wont believe how much drag a pair of wheels protruding below the hull will offer!

 

[Albert Ross]

 

[30boat]

I welded this up in stainless.The wheels are pneumatic.The two ropes are taken to a small cleat up in the bow and hold the trolley in place .The keel goes between the two bits of wood and the trolley can be placed amidships which makes pulling it very easy.