Launching wheels on a 4.2m SIB?

[nelvar]

Does anyone use launching wheels on the transom of their 4.2m aluminium floored SIB?

I am looking for at the best option for moving a 90kg SIB about 200m between a slipway and a static caravan (ie. I really don't want to drive).

Ideally I would want to do this with an outboard attached.

My head says to just get the biggest set of launch wheels available, attach them to the transom and man-up, but I am wondering if anyone has a similar setup and how they manage maneuvering it?

Thanks in advance.

[Pikey Dave]

We have a 3.8 air floor with a 20hp Suzuki. We have 350mm pneumatic tyres on our launching wheels. It’s on the limit of what 2 fit healthy adults can manage. Get any kind of gradient/soft ground/lumps & bumps & it can be hard work.

[chipko]

Agree, big strong transom wheels would do it.

However, if practical to leave on beach/near slip, have you considered a launch trolley option. We used to keep our sib on one and hand balled from caravan to beach using a dolly. It could also be towed at low speed behind the car...on private land.

[nelvar]

Originally Posted by chipko

Agree, big strong transom wheels would do it.

However, if practical to leave on beach/near slip, have you considered a launch trolley option. We used to keep our sib on one and hand balled from caravan to beach using a dolly. It could also be towed at low speed behind the car...on private land.

Attachment 136230

Hi Chipko,

Can I ask how long your SIB in that photo is?... and do you have any photos of your launch trailer without the boat?

I like your solution, but I am guessing it is custom made by you?

I don't mind hacking a shop bought frame

Dave

[nelvar]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

We have a 3.8 air floor with a 20hp Suzuki. We have 350mm pneumatic tyres on our launching wheels. It’s on the limit of what 2 fit healthy adults can manage. Get any kind of gradient/soft ground/lumps & bumps & it can be hard work.

Dave,

thank you. That is what I was expecting to hear

Dave

[chipko]

Hi Dave.

It's a standard galv. folding launch trolley which we simply added bunks to, and a cheap dolly. Like these;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folding-L...cAAOxy3JtRflPQ

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Metal-Car...YAAOSwb5Vf2Gm-

The boat was a 3.5m long Zodiac...67kg (bare boat)

Below is same trolley, different 3.8m sibs and alternative towing options.

[Fenlander]

I'm sure chipko used his bow dolly in post #3 also just with transom wheels. I have a similar arrangement with a Trem bow dolly I had to order from Italy. It makes a huge difference when the person at the bow isn't carrying any weight just pulling along.

[nelvar]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

I'm sure chipko used his bow dolly in post #3 also just with transom wheels. I have a similar arrangement with a Trem bow dolly I had to order from Italy. It makes a huge difference when the person at the bow isn't carrying any weight just pulling along.

Fenlander,

thank you. You have set me off on a new track...


Transom wheels and a bow dolly!

A bit of internet trawling and I found this link which also shows a man single handedly launching a 4.2m RIB - it can be done

https://www.my-inflatable-boat.com/i...ng-wheels.html

[chipko]

Fenlander, you're quite right we did cobble together a bow dolly/transom wheel combo, which worked well. However for regular use felt uneasy of the stresses exerted on the bow fitting with the force of dragging a heavy rig over dunes and soft sand. We could also leave our boat inflated on the launch trolley over the season, which suited us best.

If reasonably flat/smooth terrain then the bow dolly/transom wheels combo is a great solution. Very impressed with your fancy Trem set. We spent ages, unsuccessfully, trying to source a set of the Zodiac/Bombard ones.

Dave, if you're after a set of robust transom wheels, then the Trem heavy duty ones are very highly rated. Personally, the best set I've seen are some Russian copies of the Seamax ones. Very strong with a huge fixing bracket able to effectively spread the twisting/pull out loads on the transom. Only drawback is they come with small wheels so worth replacing with a pair of 16" dia. foam filled ones.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Transom-W...4/333184758747

[beamishken]

When we used to sib/caravan we prefered a launching trolley to transom wheels for a couple of reasons firstly we think flipped up wheels look awful and get in the way of ropes & fishing. Secondary the boat can be positioned on the trolley so there is only slight weight on the front making it easier to push rather than carrying a large percentage of the weight. It could also be hung on a vehicle if needed on the site

[Ferryman]

Definitely a decent quality launching trolley - you can pull them a long way with much less effort and they’re easy to tow behind a car as already mentioned.
Legally on private ground of course [emoji51]🤞

[Fenlander]

I'd not noticed you are operating from a static caravan. In that case agree a trolley would be best and just leave it at the waterside if secure or trundle back to van.

Our transom wheels plus bow dolly arrangement is perfect for daily operating from a car at varying locations where assembling a trolley each time would be a faff. We do not usually leave the flipped up wheels on the SIB but they do give that option in the specific circumstances we know there will be a pull out at the other end. When we don't have them with us if there were an emergency need to pull out of the water en-route we carry two large inflatable rollers which do the trick.

[bob77]

I have a 4.2m alu floor and 20hp 4-stroke. I think lifting the bow and holding the weight is as hard as moving forward, but quite doable for short distances on flat ground (heavy though!).

One launch place I have is on a gravel car park with a soft sand beach with occasional 1ft high piles of seaweed. I use the launch wheels until the wheels dig in the soft sand and then use the Trem inflatable rollers to pass the sand and piles of seaweed or stones.

Before I purchased launch wheels I could easily roll the laden boat up a concrete slipway on my own using the rollers (with my misses running back and forth with the inflatable rollers). On the wheels only though, it needs two people to recover up the slip, stopping every 10m or so for 20 seconds.

I purchased the rollers early on after reading Gurnard's post. They are great, just an extra bit of faf inflating and deflating.