Getting sib down over pebble beach?

[Jay4fishing]

Hi one of my most favourite marks to fish is off a pebble beach, I used to fish it out of a kayak. This year I bought myself a second hand suzumar sib with a 8hp engine. It’s got small plastic dolly wheels on the back.

I went to the beach yesterday, blew up the sib, attached motor and pulled it on to the pebbles only for it not to move at all, the wheels wouldn’t budge.

Any idea how I could get it down over the pebbles? I was thinking of adding bigger wheels to the back?


Any advice would be great, thanks

[Fenlander]

Hi Jay4 and welcome to the forum.

Is this an alloy floor Suzumar?

Unless you are on a very smooth surface those plastic dolly wheels are useless. There are many different transom wheel sets that would be a great improvement and if needed then there are further a variety of wheel/tyres sizes/types that can be used as the axle is usually one of two common sizes.

However depending on the pebble size and length you have to get over can still be difficult. With a 8hp motor it might be better to carry this and then the fuel tank on its own then the SIB shouldn't dig in so much.

Here is a thread about some transom wheel types... https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/trem-h...tec-69303.html

Another about the wheel/tyre choices... https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/best-w...els-72495.html


And another about bow dollys... https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/how-fa...els-71295.html

In general I'd say the largest diameter and broadest inflatable tyre type would be your best.

[Mikefule]

Failing that, you can buy inflatable rollers that are long enough to be most of the width of the hull. You need to take one roller out of the back and feed it under the front every couple of feet, but it can be done.

I used to launch a heavy sib across a beach by dragging it sideways on two long poles, like one of those "litters' they used to drag injured people in in old westerns. Fine if you have somewhere to leave the poles.

[Fenlander]

>>>Failing that, you can buy inflatable rollers

Yes a good call Mike. They can be a bit of a faff but they are capable of getting you launched or recovered places where transom wheels would struggle.

Thread here... our rollers pictured in post #45.

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/inflat...ers-67455.html

[Max...]

As Fen says - wide F1 type are best:

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/making...els-68175.html

[jeffstevens763@g]

Have a look at grass mower wheels good width on those

[Jay4fishing]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Hi Jay4 and welcome to the forum.

Is this an alloy floor Suzumar?

Unless you are on a very smooth surface those plastic dolly wheels are useless. There are many different transom wheel sets that would be a great improvement and if needed then there are further a variety of wheel/tyres sizes/types that can be used as the axle is usually one of two common sizes.

However depending on the pebble size and length you have to get over can still be difficult. With a 8hp motor it might be better to carry this and then the fuel tank on its own then the SIB shouldn't dig in so much.

Here is a thread about some transom wheel types... https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/trem-h...tec-69303.html

Another about the wheel/tyre choices... https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/best-w...els-72495.html


And another about bow dollys... https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/how-fa...els-71295.html

In general I'd say the largest diameter and broadest inflatable tyre type would be your best.

It’s one with an inflatable deck, about 2.6m I think. I’m gonna get it blown up later because I need to figure out how I can fix some new wheels and an anchor to it lol

Not sure if you know the place but it’s off budleigh salterton, it can get quite steep but it’s a bit shallower where they keep the boats.

I’m not too sure about taking the sib and motor down separately, I fish alone and won’t have anyone to watch it while I’m bringing the rest down from the van lol

I’m keen for trying to make some new transom wheels though. I’ve got a shop near me that stock all different types of wheels so I will what they got

[Jay4fishing]

Originally Posted by Max...

As Fen says - wide F1 type are best:

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/making...els-68175.html

Where did you buy the bits for it mate? I’ve been looking today but had no luck.

I’ve got an old kayak trailer that I could use the wheels off but have no idea how to attach it lol.

How do you upload pics here?

Thanks

[Jay4fishing]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

>>>Failing that, you can buy inflatable rollers

Yes a good call Mike. They can be a bit of a faff but they are capable of getting you launched or recovered places where transom wheels would struggle.

Thread here... our rollers pictured in post #45.

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/inflat...ers-67455.html

Might have to get these, it’s not that far of a walk, just awkward getting over the pebbles. I’m considering a wheel barrow and wheeling it all down

[Max...]

Originally Posted by Jay4fishing

Where did you buy the bits for it mate? I’ve been looking today but had no luck.

I’ve got an old kayak trailer that I could use the wheels off but have no idea how to attach it lol.

How do you upload pics here?

Thanks

See link in post #5.

eBay for everything - alu stock, bolts, fixings, wheels etc.

[Fenlander]

Is it these pebbles?

https://goo.gl/maps/Xs4ASeJ7KbWmM76E7

I checked that area where you can get through the gap to the road out as an emergency landing area** when we were at Teignmouth a few years back.

To be honest I would have thought a 2.6m air deck and 8hp not too bad to get to the water there. I would say it would be 50-50 if the F1 wheels (sandhoppers) as Max calls them or the largest inflated tyres would be best for rolling over large pebbles.

Pic below showing advantage of the largest inflated types in diameter which helps loads rolling over a larger pebble, step or pothole etc.

**When we are at a place new to us I always look both ways along the coast for possible landing spots in case of emergency where we could pull the boat out and get a taxi back to collect our car to then get the boat.

[glasgowdan]

Is there nowhere else to launch within a mile or two?

[Windsurfer]

So just to confirm the sand hopper type wheels are the best for south coast shingle launching (apart for the wheeleez)?

I have a t32 H/W and my launching wheels are the 260mm inflatable tyres and find it just drags on the shingle.

[Fenlander]

My personal opinion is the larger diameter conventional tyres as shown in my image above (post #11) are equally as good or better than the sandhoppers because their greater diameter (360mm dia) offsets their less flat profile than the sandhoppers (260mm dia).

If you measure the width the sandhoppers are 95mm and the conventional ones 90mm.

For me the main advantage of the sandhoppers when I've used them is their lack of buoyancy hence easier to push down into the water.

But either will be better than the 260mm dia narrow tyre I suspect you have now.

[Windsurfer]

Thanks Fen , I’ve seen the some sand hoppers at 300mm diameter. Would you still recommend the the larger inflatable for the shingle ?

My other option was the wheeleez but would mean I need to modify my axels as there not long enough.
I was thinking about slipping some 25mm axel straight over the existing 20mm axel and using a pin to hold them in place.
The down side is there expensive!

[Max...]

Here in Sussex it's pebbles, shingle, sand and the F1 slick type/sandhopper rolls over everything regardless really well. I leave them at shore. Small pneumatics are useless but all the sailing boys use them on their launch trolleys but they are very large diameter.

[Fenlander]

If you can get 300mm dia sandhoppers then that extra diameter will help. For me why I'm 50-50 on sandhoppers vs large inflated tyres is when you come across kerbs or similar the sandhoppers are very jarring as they have no give.

But on the flipside the large inflated tyres can be an absolute pig to get under water when fitting/flipping down.

That's why I have a third alternative... but I don't do large pebbles and I'm sure they're a bit narrow for that surface.

[mm289]

I haven't used sand hoppers yet but might consider them as down in Kent we have a lot of shingle beaches as well.


TBH on out FRib 330 we tend to carry it down the beach folded and assemble on the beach, also tend to "try" and time runs out to launch at low tide and recover at high so we don't have as far to walk when knackered


I would concur with Fenlander on the downside of pneumatic tyres re-buoyancy. On the FRib they are a pig to release when under water/launched as the pressure of the buoyancy makes the releasing tabs really difficult to undo.


We have just cheated and invested in a trailer to make launching easier on slipways, but thats is another story


Cheers,


MM

[Mikefule]

Point about inflatable tyres. On a small SIB like mine, when the wheels are all the way up, the head of the engine can contact the tyres, restricting steering at low speed or in reverse. However, if you drop the wheels without pushing them down to click into the supporting position, inflatable tyres float. Thus, the wheels/legs are out of the way of the top of the engine, and the tyres are out of the way of the prop.

This works perfectly with my Zodiac 310 with either of my 2 engines, a 4 stroke 9.9 and a 2 stroke 3. Don't just try it on your own set up without checking it first with the engine off!

If I had non-inflatable tyres, they would have to be either be all the way up or all the way down.

[Windsurfer]

So are the F1 type of wheels just a different name for sand hoppers or a different wheel.?

This is the 300mm sandhoppers im looking at for shingle launch, I trailer to the top of the beach but it’s a long run to the water with short steep sections at the top.


https://www.rosscastors.co.uk/wheels/rubber-trolley-wheel/wide-tread-rubber-trolley-wheels.html