DIY Sealegs

[gtflash]

That lives down calshot for a while. Only saw it move once. The front wheel was on a manual winch. I watched him bust a gut lifting front wheel up. Not a perfect build but looked dead functional.

Originally Posted by GuyC

These were taken in 2007.

For a one off, aluminium is quite a good material to build in. There are quite a few kit boat plans on the internet.

For example:

Aluminum RIBS (Rigid Inflatable Boat) | Aluminum Boat Plans & Designs by Specmar

[Limecc]

I recall a big RIB at Salcombe that has hydraulic legs that fold into position, each one has a drive motor built into the tractor type wheels making it a 4x4. The rear legs looked to be bolted onto the transom almost like those on a SIB.

The owner lives in one of the expensive houses opposite the harbour office and he drives up the short (private) soft sand beach and uses a crane to lift it 15 to 20ft to a garage at the end of his garden.

Is this likely a Sealegs RIB? It had an outboard engine.

I guess guys in America have more experience doing this kind of engineering. Maybe there's a company selling/doing conversions?

[Fender]

Originally Posted by Limecc

Is this likely a Sealegs RIB? It had an outboard engine.

Yep, Sealegs run outboards - don't think they do any other option.
Never seen one leave the water via a slipway and then get trailered away - do they use a conventional boat trailer or something else?

[Limecc]

Originally Posted by jakew009

Has anyone ever tried making a diy version of a sealegs rib?

Another option is to build a motorised dolly with bunks and floatem poles.

Advantage is the RIB is unhindered when on the water and it would be transferable if you ever wanted to upgrade your boat. Disadvantage is it can only be used at your base location.

Perhaps 4x4 caravan motor movers could be mounted up high and adapted to drive the wheels via propshafts and bevel gears? Maybe others can suggest something better/easier? The wireless range might need to be extended.

[ldbyrne]

Aftermarket kit available it seems
Read this advert
https://m.facebook.com/groups/Ribsfo...6943384799676/

[Ferryman]

Originally Posted by Fender

Yep, Sealegs run outboards - don't think they do any other option.

Never seen one leave the water via a slipway and then get trailered away - do they use a conventional boat trailer or something else?

They do a couple of different types of trailer but they drive up the slipway or beach and drop onto the trailer. The boats are imported from NZ, the trailers are designed and built to UK spec.

One of our neighbours near Bognor had a Sealegs in the boat house at the end of their garden - straight over deep shingle and away from the open beach. An hour later, they could be in the pub in Cowes. For the right application, they’re brilliant!
I think the design has been copied by another company, I can’t remember their name but they were expensive as well.

[GuyC]

Options for a 'retractable undercarriage'

https://www.kitplanes.com/going-retractable/

[jakew009]

Originally Posted by Ferryman

They do a couple of different types of trailer but they drive up the slipway or beach and drop onto the trailer. The boats are imported from NZ, the trailers are designed and built to UK spec.

One of our neighbours near Bognor had a Sealegs in the boat house at the end of their garden - straight over deep shingle and away from the open beach. An hour later, they could be in the pub in Cowes. For the right application, they’re brilliant!
I think the design has been copied by another company, I can’t remember their name but they were expensive as well.

I take on board all the ‘they must be crap or they’d sell loads of them” comments, but I’m not sure I completely agree.

I imagine the reason not many have sold is a combination of being very expensive, presumably extremely annoying to maintain and with limited appeal to people who can just park their boat in a marina with no need for Sealegs.

I think I’m going to start by building the legs. That seems the most involved part from an engineering perspective.

It’s easy enough to get wheel motors but I have no idea if it’s possible to get a stainless one? I wonder how long a steel wheel motor would last if it was painted regularly? They are cheap enough I could just replace them every few years.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by jakew009

I take on board all the ‘they must be crap or they’d sell loads of them” comments, but I’m not sure I completely agree.

I think you are misrepresenting what people said. Very expensive and solving a very niche problem is not the same as crap.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Fender

Yep, Sealegs run outboards - don't think they do any other option.

Never seen one leave the water via a slipway and then get trailered away - do they use a conventional boat trailer or something else?

There’s a guy in Normandy with one that he trails. What a palaver! He drives it up the slip into the car park at the top & that’s when the fun starts. He basically launches & recovers the boat in the car park. He needs the space of a supertanker to get the thing on & off the trailer; length of tow vehicle + length of trailer + length of ramps + length of boat + turning space for boat. The whole process is convoluted. We are in/out & away whilst he’s still faffing. I honestly can’t see the point.

[Fender]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

There’s a guy in Normandy with one that he trails. What a palaver! He drives it up the slip into the car park at the top & that’s when the fun starts. He basically launches & recovers the boat in the car park. He needs the space of a supertanker to get the thing on & off the trailer; length of tow vehicle + length of trailer + length of ramps + length of boat + turning space for boat. The whole process is convoluted. We are in/out & away whilst he’s still faffing. I honestly can’t see the point.

Sounds like fun
Boating for us is about enjoyment, limiting any of stress and not instigating a divorce with the other half during a boat recovery ( its got close in the past ) so in 99.9% of scenarios a 'normal' rib is the preferred choice, lighter, faster, cheaper and less complicated...................just saying

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Fender

Sounds like fun

Boating for us is about enjoyment, limiting any of stress and not instigating a divorce with the other half during a boat recovery ( its got close in the past ) so in 99.9% of scenarios a 'normal' rib is the preferred choice, lighter, faster, cheaper and less complicated...................just saying

I’ve seen one or 2 where I’ve thought that they served a purpose. There’re a few down in the Camel Estuary in Cornwall. A couple are used on drying moorings, enabling the owners to drive down to the water at any state of the tide. Another couple are owned by owners of waterside properties that have direct beach access.

[paintman]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I’ve seen one or 2 where I’ve thought that they served a purpose. There’re a few down in the Camel Estuary in Cornwall. A couple are used on drying moorings, enabling the owners to drive down to the water at any state of the tide. Another couple are owned by owners of waterside properties that have direct beach access.

Saw one in St Mawes a couple of years ago.
Appeared from somewhere up the Percuil River & drove up onto the beach next to the harbour.
They went & did some shopping which they carried back to the boat & then relaunched & disappeared back in the direction they'd come from.
I'd never seen one before & thought it a clever idea for that area.
The price of them though.....

[spartacus]

This is a great compromise. Instead of changing the boat, change the delivery method for launching.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3xZKA7rPNdU

[jwalker]

I guess it depends also on how you use your boat, limiting your thoughts only to aid launching/recovery is missing an opportunity. If you go boat touring they would be a serious asset; many times the limit on places to stay is dictated by whether there is a harbour or a usable jetty or good anchor holding. If you do manage to anchor and wish to go ashore, short of swimming, you'll need to carry another boat so you do carry extra load. Anchoring is often limited by water depth because drying out is an issue, seabed material and the possibility of changing weather making access to and from the shore difficult. A good sealegs system on a stay aboard rib could be a brilliant solution...just park up on the shore and off you go the next day..how good would that be?!!

[jakew009]

Originally Posted by jwalker

I guess it depends also on how you use your boat, limiting your thoughts only to aid launching/recovery is missing an opportunity. If you go boat touring they would be a serious asset; many times the limit on places to stay is dictated by whether there is a harbour or a usable jetty or good anchor holding. If you do manage to anchor and wish to go ashore, short of swimming, you'll need to carry another boat so you do carry extra load. Anchoring is often limited by water depth because drying out is an issue, seabed material and the possibility of changing weather making access to and from the shore difficult. A good sealegs system on a stay aboard rib could be a brilliant solution...just park up on the shore and off you go the next day..how good would that be?!!

Yes this is exactly what I am thinking! Hell you could even road register it as a special vehicle and drive it to a petrol station in some seaside towns.

Also my partner would never sleep on board a floating rib (to be honest I don’t think id’d fancy it much either), but on land, it would basically be a campervan with no rolliness...

The more I think about it the more it appeals, I just hate the design of the Sealegs ribs.

[Davie]

About 40 years ago I had a boat in that was build for cutting reeds. The old dude from the estate had built this contraption. It was propelled by a pair of augers that went down each side of the hull. This thing drove on land, mud, water and ice. I know it’s not ideal for going on the tarmac but this thing climbed up wet grassy banks. It really was a work of art, no idea what happened to it.

[GuyC]

Originally Posted by Davie

About 40 years ago I had a boat in that was build for cutting reeds. The old dude from the estate had built this contraption. It was propelled by a pair of augers that went down each side of the hull. This thing drove on land, mud, water and ice. I know it’s not ideal for going on the tarmac but this thing climbed up wet grassy banks. It really was a work of art, no idea what happened to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9c7...ature=youtu.be

He's possibly not my favourite presenter

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by GuyC

He's possibly not my favourite presenter

Hmmm, see what you mean[emoji57]

[willk]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Hmmm, see what you mean[emoji57]

And he's ducked getting a Darwin. Although given his somewhat cavalier approach to workshop safety - there could be a Joint Award in the offing.