DIY sib trailer

[D4V33]

Hi all, I’m considering modifying an old trailer I have for towing my sib, by removing the sides and fitting bunks. Just looking for advice on what part of the sib the bunks should support. Directly under the tubes, under the floor or somewhere in between?

My outboard lives on a trolley that will get put in the back on my car with fishing gear, so it will only be for towing the boat inflated with the floor installed.

Cheers
Dave

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by D4V33

Hi all, I’m considering modifying an old trailer I have for towing my sib, by removing the sides and fitting bunks. Just looking for advice on what part of the sib the bunks should support. Directly under the tubes, under the floor or somewhere in between?

My outboard lives on a trolley that will get put in the back on my car with fishing gear, so it will only be for towing the boat inflated with the floor installed.

Cheers
Dave

How far are you intending to tow it? is it just a few hundred metres from base to slip, or will it be long roadtrips?

[chipko]

I’d position bunks under floor and tight up to the inside of tubes. Deflate sausage keel and let ally floor rest on bunks. If you ever want to tow with motor on ensure bunks extend under transom.

[Steve509926]

Hi Dave,

This post may help. I have the bunks as chipko has said above.

https://www.rib.net/forum/f49/carava...ler-86495.html

[User name]

As a general rule, aim for the seam tape between floor and tube.

[Croolis]

I'm pretty much decided on getting a trailer. Am destroyed after yesterday's efforts lol. I've got a couple of combi trailers for sailing dinghies at sailing club that I was going to sell, but wonder if I could convert the road trailer part to a sib bunk one. 180 mile each way trips (or more).

The road trailer parts of these are basically just T shapes. Difficult to say without going to measure, but I do know the back of the dinghies hang some ways back from the wheels, so I'd have to add enough box section before and after the wheels to support everything. Basically add a rectangle of box section to sit on top of the T.

Might be unworkable, dunno. All the weight if I were putting outboard on would be south of the wheels, which Easedalenovice's Extreme has (seen the vid), but I imagine balance is a bit of a thing, can't be too far back.

I have no welding skills but all this stuff seems to be bolt on anyway, looking at Steve's setup and others.

Don't mean to hijack the thread - hopefully complement it?

[D4V33]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

How far are you intending to tow it? is it just a few hundred metres from base to slip, or will it be long roadtrips?

Hi Dave, I mostly launch less than half a mile from my house, but could venture to other local beaches/slips. Probably 10 miles at most.

[D4V33]

Many thanks for posting that image. Much appreciated.

I don’t plan to keep the trailer on the boat, as lives on it own wee trolley.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by D4V33

Hi Dave, I mostly launch less than half a mile from my house, but could venture to other local beaches/slips. Probably 10 miles at most.

Ahh right! in which case you need to make a proper job of it then. I was thinking about a few lumps of wood & some old carpet if it was just a local job. I'll bow to the more experienced SIB trailerers, we keep ours deflated in a box trailer.

[D4V33]

To be honest, a couple of lengths of timber and some carpet may be enough for this summer.
For random days out, I’d probably just build the boat where I plan to launch. I’m just thinking for occasions when I take a week off work, to save breaking it all down each day.

[D4V33]

So I’ve now been out and scraped together a pile of old scrap box section. A bit of a clean and buff and all should be fine. Plan is to knock up a trailer and get out next week if the weather allow me. No doubt it’ll need tweeks here and there, but should be able to make something to tide me over this year and can make something better at a later date.

Project sib trailer to commence after work tomorrow night. If all fails, I’ll be building the boat on the beach lol

[D4V33]

So finished work on Thursday night and got to dismantling the old trailer and chopping up my scrap metal and laying it out like jigsaw pieces. Friday night after work, I welded and bolted all the pieces together. It rained on and off all night, was a right pain in the ar5e, but got there in the end.

Saturday morning, fitted the 2x6” x2.4m lengths of timber bunks. I gave it a lick of paint, covered the bunks with some damp proof membrane, top and sides, and then wrapped in some old curtain material (was all I had).

With the transom wheels set to their longest setting. I can lift the front of the sib and easily walk it on and off the trailer.

Sunday morning was pretty windy but I was keen to test it all out. So got to the beach. Took the sib off the trailer. Lowered the transom wheels so I could get the outboard on. Got the outboard out the car on its trolley and tipped it onto the trailer. All went smooth and was set up in no time with no heavy lifting. Was a great day, even caught some fish

[Steve509926]

looks a good, neat job.

[Croolis]

Originally Posted by D4V33

So finished work on Thursday night and got to dismantling the old trailer and chopping up my scrap metal and laying it out like jigsaw pieces. Friday night after work, I welded and bolted all the pieces together. It rained on and off all night, was a right pain in the ar5e, but got there in the end.

Saturday morning, fitted the 2x6” x2.4m lengths of timber bunks. I gave it a lick of paint, covered the bunks with some damp proof membrane, top and sides, and then wrapped in some old curtain material (was all I had).

With the transom wheels set to their longest setting. I can lift the front of the sib and easily walk it on and off the trailer.

Sunday morning was pretty windy but I was keen to test it all out. So got to the beach. Took the sib off the trailer. Lowered the transom wheels so I could get the outboard on. Got the outboard out the car on its trolley and tipped it onto the trailer. All went smooth and was set up in no time with no heavy lifting. Was a great day, even caught some fish

Cool. Must be nice to have a welder and know how to use it .

So what do we think about SIB trailers and long distance trucking with them? You do it a lot do you Steve?

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Croolis

Cool. Must be nice to have a welder and know how to use it .

So what do we think about SIB trailers and long distance trucking with them? You do it a lot do you Steve?

Not often, I mostly use it whilst on holiday within a 30 mile radius of where we have the caravan.

Last week I did go up to Windermere with the sib on the trailer, 130 mile round trip and I've done a couple of trips up to Largs, 450 mile round trip.

Don't want to tempt fate, but I've never had a problem.

[Fenlander]

>>>what do we think about SIB trailers and long distance trucking

In a previous life I've trailed 4-5.5m smallcraft loads and the towing has never been an issue. Unlike a caravan they barely are noticed on the back of most cars. For me now it's where to store the trailed outfit at home and the added need to find a trailer space at the destination after launch.

[D4V33]

I tow a trailer several days a week, so pulling this little boat around is a doddle. I can also leave the trailer on the beach and drive off and park the car elsewhere, which is great when it’s busy and spaces are hard to find.

Much like yourself Fenlander, there will come a point when I no longer have somewhere to store the trailer, but will make the most of the trailer while I can, but at some point I’ll need to either get rid of it and just build the boat at the launch site or sort somewhere else to store it.

[D4V33]

My only grumble with the whole setup are the Boatworld transom wheels. They look great, are strong enough for the job, but all the holes for the height selection and even the slots for the pin release are rough and will need filed out, which is a bit of a pain, coz they’re not exactly cheap. I’ll take a few photos if I remember next time.

It makes height adjustment a bugger.

[Croolis]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>>what do we think about SIB trailers and long distance trucking

In a previous life I've trailed 4-5.5m smallcraft loads and the towing has never been an issue. Unlike a caravan they barely are noticed on the back of most cars. For me now it's where to store the trailed outfit at home and the added need to find a trailer space at the destination after launch.

I don't have a garage, but am at the end of a quiet suburban cul de sac and have two spacious parking spaces. Even so, I'm not going to leave the boat set up. I'll be breaking it down and putting it and the engine away when get back, no way I can leave it out permanantly. I'll leave the trailer out though, behind my motorbikes and parked car it's not highly visible.

I just want to be able to get the boat out of the water and drive away immediately. I'm always destroyed when I'm pulling the boat in, my 12 year old too. Breaking it all down and loading the car is not much fun, followed by a four hour drive home.

I've trailered my fibre glass/wood sail boats, but not huge distance. Never had a problem doing it. A concern for an inflatable is stones hitting the underside at speed. I guess I can stick on some covering for the bottom when I've loaded it.

My Vevor transom wheels, I went over all the ally with a file to remove burrs when I took delivery.

[Fenlander]

>>>A concern for an inflatable is stones hitting the underside at speed.

A bit of overthinking there, probably more likely to hit the remains of a pallet with nails sticking out at sea.