Excel's 250mm transom wheels

[TmMorris]

Does anyone know who makes the kit that Excel sell? I'd like a set of the brackets and as mine are now attached to the boat, using them as a template to make up a set is the harder way to go.

Thanks

Tim.

[Oldman2]

These look close but maybe the arm lengths are different. https://famebest.en.alibaba.com/prod...h_wheels.html?

[TmMorris]

Thanks. I suspect they are the same. I'm hoping just the brackets can be bought but it's hard trying to search as I'm not sure there is any brand name etc.

[Wazzajnr]

Measure and sketch then get a local sheet metal place to knock a couple up maybe?

[TmMorris]

Yup. I could cobble some together from angle iron but it seems strange that they aren't sold separately ( they are in the US https://www.seamaxmarine.com/collect...unching-wheels) as not only if you have more than one dinghy it saves having multiple sets of wheels but I just would have thought that given that a lot of the time you need to transport the dinghy in its bag from the car to the set up pint that utilising the existing wheels makes more sense than adding a whole trolly to the kit?

In my case, the plan is to fit a suitable board inside the boat bag and a pair of sliders on the underside and then all you'd do is clip the transom wheels in to take the bag to its set up point.

Another madness being that a sack trolly can be acquired for less than the cost of paying to have the brackets made!

[Oldman2]

https://www.hcaliffod £55 and free shipping?? I have not done a company check! When it sounds too good.....

[Tonus]

Oldman2 I think the arms are too short on those ones…

[Oldman2]

Originally Posted by Tonus

Oldman2 I think the arms are too short on those ones…

At that price who cares, he was only after mounting brackets, the rest would be spares.

[Tonus]

True that - perhaps they’ll make a measurement of the bracket for you if you contact them?

[Oldman2]

Originally Posted by Oldman2

https://www.hcaliffod £55 and free shipping?? I have not done a company check! When it sounds too good.....

I just did a check and yes the site is too good to be true, dont touch them with someone else's barge pole!

[Fenlander]

I guess with the linked spare brackets being about 70% of the total cost of the wheel set it's clear why they are not readily available.

[TmMorris]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

I guess with the linked spare brackets being about 70% of the total cost of the wheel set it's clear why they are not readily available.

Stamp, fold, plate, pack. It's one of those things that costs pennies so long as you sell millions.

Anyway, nipped down to a friend's farm at lunchtime and raided his scrap metal pile to discover a perfect bit of box.



Quickly set about it with the pillar drill, a little bit randomly.



And then attacked it with a die grinder, angle grinder, slung the now separated two parts in the sand blaster then a quick dunk in phosphoric acid:



Not as good as a Chinaman but bearable for a stockbroker on a lunch break.

This evening I've cut the base board out of some scrap 8mm phenolic ply and a pair of runners from a bit of 2x4. Just slapped a bit of varnish on them and tomorrow I'll assemble it with the boat bag and see if it actually works!

[Oldman2]

Well done & stronger than the originals too I expect. The only major problem you will have is rust. Have you someone local who gets metal dipped in a galvanize tank, slip them in his next batch.

[TmMorris]

Originally Posted by Oldman2

Well done & stronger than the originals too I expect. The only major problem you will have is rust. Have you someone local who gets metal dipped in a galvanize tank, slip them in his next batch.

Yup. The phosphoric actually does a good job of inhibiting new rust but all I'm going to do is red oxide and then satin black them as it really doesn't matter if they rust.

[Wazzajnr]

Originally Posted by TmMorris

Yup. The phosphoric actually does a good job of inhibiting new rust but all I'm going to do is red oxide and then satin black them as it really doesn't matter if they rust.

I don't know where you're based but if you're anywhere near Lancashire, I've got a batch of zinc plating to do next week if you want them doing.

[TmMorris]

Originally Posted by Wazzajnr

I don't know where you're based but if you're anywhere near Lancashire, I've got a batch of zinc plating to do next week if you want them doing.

That's very kind. Many thanks for that offer.

I've pressed on and fitted the brackets and skids to the boat bag.

I'm not convinced it'll work but it looks dry tomorrow so I'll give it all a test!! The bag that the Excel boat comes with is junk so it's not the end of the world if it's a disaster.

[TmMorris]

Ok. It works. It makes putting the bag on the carry rack a doddle and means it's easy to move the bag to a set up point away from the car.

The design flaw, which I suspected might be the case, is that the flex between the skids and the wheel fixings is a little excessive and a clear weak spot.

I'll ponder the best fix using a bit of angle iron.

[Pikey Dave]

Loving the ingenuity, good effort [emoji106]

[Oldman2]

Try to find some alloy angle to keep the weight down