Launching wheels - Any thoughts?

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Just a few transom wheels David!

More wheels there than a certain "SR" claims to have SIBs

4 Sibs and 2 Ribs plus 5 Fiberglass boats from 16 - 24 foot. and a jet ski. Don't care if you believe me or not it is a fact

[AaronW]

We had wheels for our Excel 3.9 with a 20HP engine but we have found Inflatable Boat Rollers much easier for every single launch from slipway to pebbles and no longer use the wheels.

Not ideal for long distances as you need to keep pulling one out and moving in to the other end of the boat but once the boat and outboard is on the roller its is so easy to move and move it under control.

On a smoother slipway the boat won't roll away like it can with wheels. On rough ground the tubes and boat just float over.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by smallribber

4 Sibs and 2 Ribs plus 5 Fiberglass boats from 16 - 24 foot. and a jet ski. Don't care if you believe me or not it is a fact

Apologies SR, I shouldn't have used the word claimed"

You never know I might take you up on that offer of a visit

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by smallribber

I had a set of very similar wheels to those and all they did was pick up small stones that jammed in the gap between the wheel surface and 'frame' and stopping them from rotating. You then ended up just dragging them which was not good

They must have had a close tread for small stones to get stuck in. The CTug hasn't really got a tread and I have never had a problem.

[Max...]

My thoughts:

Making your own SIB transom wheels

[Fenlander]

>>> looked at the Trem wheels. Around £109 for the 560mm leg and 360mm tyre. But the one review I've read pretty much slates them as being poor quality and almost unfit for purpose.

Odd I've had several sets bought both new and used over the past 10yrs and every set has been good.... just bought Trem ready for the new Elling. Also my £200+ bow trolley is Trem and very nicely made.

I've read the review and I can only comment some folks just see problems... I see solutions.

They comment...

Tyres and tubes prone to punctures... yep every single set of transom wheels, trolleys, wheelbarrows etc these days comes with budget Chinese tyres/tubes... it's not a Trem specific issue.

Axle pin not allowing outer washer to be fitted: Sometimes true across all transom wheel makes. Easy to drill a second pin hole another few mm out to allow for supplied or extra washer.... if you change wheel from OE may have needed to do this anyway as wheels have differing axle depths.

Down posn locking mechanism may fail: I've mentioned elsewhere I'm very keen on the legs that have a lower tab that engages so they don't 100% rely on the lock mechanism at the hinge point. Over the years there have been a few reports of the leg jumping out of the lock posn on bumps with several makes that don't have the extra tab.

[Moorsman]

I will be getting a light 3 mtr aluminium hull rib ,a quick silver ,and need launching wheels for it ,reading all the comments very varied,I will not be pulling it far and only on hard sand ,any suggestions,the sand hopper look good but can’t find already fitted on pop up transom type ,thanks for any help

[smallribber]

If you have the normal cheap chinese inflatable sack barrow wheels (all over ebay) you can also buy ones that have solid tyres that are some sort of light weight but durable foam and almost always yellow in colour. Obviously these don't puncture and are very good.

One down side to be aware of however if they are left a long while with weight on then they squash and develop a 'flat spot' that does come out once turned but takes a while.

I think for the OP's budget of £45 it might be difficult to get reasonable ones

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Apologies SR, I shouldn't have used the word claimed"

You never know I might take you up on that offer of a visit

No problem

[Tel1965]

SR. Why do you need so many boats ? Must be a right pain to store them all.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Moorsman

I will be getting a light 3 mtr aluminium hull rib ,a quick silver ,and need launching wheels for it ,reading all the comments very varied,I will not be pulling it far and only on hard sand ,any suggestions,the sand hopper look good but can’t find already fitted on pop up transom type ,thanks for any help

Need to read #5, #17 and pics on #13

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by Tel1965

SR. Why do you need so many boats ? Must be a right pain to store them all.

One is in a Marina, another one is on a mooring and the others are stored at home. I am fortunate that I have quite a lot of space. So no pain at all

I tend never to sell stuff

[Steve509926]

I'm waiting I'm watching

[Flamair]

Originally Posted by smallribber

If you have the normal cheap chinese inflatable sack barrow wheels (all over ebay) you can also buy ones that have solid tyres that are some sort of light weight but durable foam and almost always yellow in colour. Obviously these don't puncture and are very good.

One down side to be aware of however if they are left a long while with weight on then they squash and develop a 'flat spot' that does come out once turned but takes a while.

I think for the OP's budget of £45 it might be difficult to get reasonable ones

You misunderstand - my fault though.

I'm happy to pay far more than 45 (49.95 it was). But, I don't use the boat enough to warrant 2-300 quid. In short, I don't require the sort of quality a professional user would.

I'm happy to pay £100/£120 or so.

Fenlander - thanks for your observations.

I'm going to have a look at the Trem. What size? Bigger the better?

[Fenlander]

I think all the Trem models have the 360mm pneumatic tyred wheels. Great for the road and potholes/kerbs etc but a bit over buoyant. Re the leg length options you'd need to measure and it depends a bit how far you prefer the outboard to be off the ground.

Just a comment on the puncture proof wheels. Some solid rubber are so heavy and harsh on the ground. Others are an open cell foam that soaks up water so go heavy once immersed and take an age to drain (usually into the loadspace carpet on the way home). My final "yellow" choice are the only wheels I've found so far that totally meet my spec. If I was doing more sand launches I'd go for the sandhoppers for their extra flat width.