Launching RIB without using car…

Ange · 02 April 2023, 18:21

Hi. We are very new to boats, sailing, RIBs etc (husband was in the Navy years ago but no small boats were included

). This year however we have splashed out and bought a small RIB (Talamex 3.5 metres) on a very lightweight extreme trailer. We have it stored at Dartside Quay (Galmpton) and about 2 minutes walk from the slipway (very gentle incline).
Our issue is that we did not want to use the Landrover every time we go drive down to the boat but my husbands car does not have a tow bar. What we had planned to do was just walk the trailer and boat around to the slipway, launch the boat and take the trailer back. We had tested manually pulling it around in the showroom but clearly a smooth polished showroom floor is not the same a slipway, however slight the incline.
Not wanting to be the idiots that give everyone a laugh and potentially damage the boat / damage a person (god forbid), I’ve been wondering if launching wheels would be more suitable?
We reckon the boat and outboard are in the region of 140 kilos.

Any ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Angela.

ShinyShoe · 02 April 2023, 18:43

I don't think launching wheels will make a difference. They will be lighter, but probably less easy to rotate etc

beamishken · 02 April 2023, 18:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ange

Hi. We are very new to boats, sailing, RIBs etc (husband was in the Navy years ago but no small boats were included [emoji38]). This year however we have splashed out and bought a small RIB (Talamex 3.5 metres) on a very lightweight extreme trailer. We have it stored at Dartside Quay (Galmpton) and about 2 minutes walk from the slipway (very gentle incline).

Our issue is that we did not want to use the Landrover every time we go drive down to the boat but my husbands car does not have a tow bar. What we had planned to do was just walk the trailer and boat around to the slipway, launch the boat and take the trailer back. We had tested manually pulling it around in the showroom but clearly a smooth polished showroom floor is not the same a slipway, however slight the incline.

Not wanting to be the idiots that give everyone a laugh and potentially damage the boat / damage a person (god forbid), I’ve been wondering if launching wheels would be more suitable?

We reckon the boat and outboard are in the region of 140 kilos.

Any ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Angela.

Its far easier to manoeuvre a boat on a trailer than it is on transom wheels. When using transom wheels you are physically carrying a significant amount of the boats weight whereas a trailer is more balanced and likely far less nose weight & probably have a jockey wheel. Why not try hand launching from the trailer when you have the landrover available as a fall back then if its too difficult you can use the landrover to get out & reassess for next time.

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ShinyShoe · 02 April 2023, 18:51

What does your trailer look like? Does it have a jockey? Typically sailing dinghy launch trolleys don't but people sometimes add something to make it easier..

Ange · 02 April 2023, 19:03

Thanks for the speedy responses Shinyshoe and beamishken - really appreciated. Our trailer doesn’t have a jockey and is unbraked. It’s not so much the manouverability that is of concern, it’s more the weight as we go down the slipway. The reason I’m pondering transom wheels is that a couple were telling us that this is what they use on the same slip and Witney had a bigger engine.

I think we are going to give it a try next weekend with the landrover and see how we get on - maybe get a feel for what might be possible etc 😁.

Happy Sailing 😁

ShinyShoe · 02 April 2023, 19:29

Google Trailer Hand Dolley Wheel.
I don't promise it is the solution for you. But if you struggle worth considering if this might help

Iankristy · 02 April 2023, 19:58

Depends on incline but I would suggest launching will be a doddle, retrieving slightly less so [emoji4]

beamishken · 02 April 2023, 20:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ange

Thanks for the speedy responses Shinyshoe and beamishken - really appreciated. Our trailer doesn’t have a jockey and is unbraked. It’s not so much the manouverability that is of concern, it’s more the weight as we go down the slipway. The reason I’m pondering transom wheels is that a couple were telling us that this is what they use on the same slip and Witney had a bigger engine.

I think we are going to give it a try next weekend with the landrover and see how we get on - maybe get a feel for what might be possible etc [emoji16].

Happy Sailing [emoji16]

Good luck with your trial, your trailer will be far easier to manage than transom wheels, with the wheels in the centre of balance you will be lifting minimal weight & can concentrate on pushing or pulling. The fact you have no jockey wheel may be an advantage as usually trailers without jockeys have some form of steel stand or rest on the front which can make an effective brake when launching, putting your weight on the front of the trailer will slow the rig down on the slip. Even if you struggle with the gradient your car without tow bar will have a towing eye which could be used as an anchor point to take a bight around to lower the boat backwards on a rope. Even recovery up the slip onto the flat could be done with a rope & the towing eye.
Most modern cars now have detachable towing eyes which are kept in the vehicle tool kit & screw in front or rear in seconds.
Plenty of ways to make it work[emoji106]

Sent from my SM-G950F using RIB Net mobile app

Pikey Dave · 02 April 2023, 20:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iankristy

Depends on incline but I would suggest launching will be a doddle, retrieving slightly less so [emoji4]

Absolutely, launching down a slip is the easy bit. Retrieving back up is a different matter entirely. Gravity is a bitch.

Steve509926 · 02 April 2023, 20:59

Hi Ange, first and foremost it all depends upon how fit and healthy you and your other half are? Your outfit is probably similar in weight to my SD360 and 20hp EFI Mercury and we launch at various places throughout the UK. We launch from the trailer using the truck, we launch by hand from the trailer, we slide the SIB off the trailer and launch using transom wheels, and we set up from the back of the truck only using transom wheels, it all depends upon where we are and the condition/length of the slipway or beach.
From memory Dartside Quay is next to Dolphin boatyard, which I presume is the slipway you are going to use, again from memory it is good condition concrete slip with a shallow incline. I would favour launching from your trailer, either using your landrover or by hand (depends upon fitness) However I would suggest fitting a jockey wheel to the trailer and, if launching by hand, I would also use a large wedge/wheel chock to put behind the trailer jockey wheel to stop the trailer running away from you! Launch it empty, just the rib and OB, tie up on the pontoon and then put your fuel and gear in.
It is a relatively small rib and you are boating in an area which is great for stopping off and going ashore. Dittisham - when the pontoon is full, Sugary cove etc can all be accessed by beaching and using transom wheels to relaunch. I wouldn't rush into buying and fitting any transom wheels. I would sus things out first and research which transom wheels are best for you and your rib. I'm on my third set of transom wheels, and hopefully I've now found the right ones, but I won't know until the final test later this month.

Ange · 02 April 2023, 21:13

Thank you so much Steve - great that you can comment on the actual slipway - Dolphin have actually just bought the boatyard from the MDL 👍. Sounds like we have lots of choices so we’ll enjoy trying them all this summer 😎

spartacus · 02 April 2023, 21:45

Towing dolly is worthwhile investment. Launch and retrieval is only area where there’s likely to be an issue, depending on conditions. If you want belt and braces approach, run a braided polyester rope around the dolly to a mooring ring and feed out or retrieve. Better than 140kg going down the slip like a Cal Mac ship at Fergusons shipyard!

Steve509926 · 02 April 2023, 21:53

First time launch, I'd definitely go down in the landrover. Try launching by hand but you'll feel more confident having the landrover as a back up
You will undoubtedly feel like idiots, make mistakes and probably shout at each other, but chill, we've all been there and felt like prats.
My first launch was on Ullswater with an audience of about 40 people watching me!

Fenlander · 02 April 2023, 22:38

Hello and welcome to the forum.

You say a RIB but is this an inflatable with an air floor or slot in alloy floor? And with an outboard 20hp or less?

Assuming so if you are of average fitness and the walk from storage to launch is 2mins or less this is a doddle with transom wheels. The gradient on that slip looks very gentle. Choose the flip up type and there is nothing to carry back either.

On every SIB setup I've had the outboard is behind the balance point when on the transom and if you put the fuel tank and other kit next to the transom there is minimal weight on the bow handle. So for many years we've been taking the SIB from setup point to slip a good 5mins or more trundle on the transom wheels. It's not been a real problem until the combination of passing 65yrs and a long term shoulder injury has caused us to add a bow trolley.

So if I'm correct that yours is a light SIB, you have no infirmity and the trundle is short don't discount the transom wheel idea.

tehguy · 03 April 2023, 00:09

I used to hand launch a 3.9m SIB with 25hp outboard. We had launching wheels on the transom and a custom made trolley wheel type thing that sat under the keel at the bow, so the whole boat was on wheels.

The boat was stored about 150m from the water and it was a short walk with the boat along a quiet road in the cycle lane so as not to block traffic. The slip is also very shallow. It could easily be launched by two people although recovery needed at least three.

Ange · 03 April 2023, 08:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Hello and welcome to the forum.

You say a RIB but is this an inflatable with an air floor or slot in alloy floor? And with an outboard 20hp or less?

Assuming so if you are of average fitness and the walk from storage to launch is 2mins or less this is a doddle with transom wheels. The gradient on that slip looks very gentle. Choose the flip up type and there is nothing to carry back either.

On every SIB setup I've had the outboard is behind the balance point when on the transom and if you put the fuel tank and other kit next to the transom there is minimal weight on the bow handle. So for many years we've been taking the SIB from setup point to slip a good 5mins or more trundle on the transom wheels. It's not been a real problem until the combination of passing 65yrs and a long term shoulder injury has caused us to add a bow trolley.

So if I'm correct that yours is a light SIB, you have no infirmity and the trundle is short don't discount the transom wheel idea.

Hi, it is actually a small Aluminium RIB by Talamex RIB (Silverline) with a 20HP engine. Your setup sounds great and might be something we try 👍

Fenlander · 03 April 2023, 13:31

Ahh OK I'd not noticed they did the alloy hull model. That changes things a bit as they are about 35kg heavier than an air floor model like ours and all that extra weight will be forward of the balance point on transom wheels so make the bow much harder to lift any distance.

If I was starting from scratch with that outfit not having a trailer I'd probably go transom wheels/bow trolley combo or a very light launch trailer/trolley for short distances. But as you already have a trailer it does make some sense to add a jockey wheel and move it by hand. However if it is a road trailer it will weigh perhaps four times that of a simple launch trolley so on steeper slipways (steeper than the one you mention) together with the Rib & motor will be more weight to control.

Peter_C · 03 April 2023, 18:01

Once I built launch wheels for my previous 4.2m inflatable with a 40hp that weighed about 230kg/500lbs I never dipped the trailer again. I could remove it from the trailer and solo launch but it took 2 or more people depending on the launching location to recover. A small boat is easy enough solo. I wouldn't hesitate to put a set of Beachmaster wheels on, especially for landing on remote places so the boat could be pulled out of the tide line/breakers.

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/beachm...ion-89002.html

Steve509926 · 03 April 2023, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_C

Once I built launch wheels for my previous 4.2m inflatable with a 40hp that weighed about 230kg/500lbs I never dipped the trailer again. I could remove it from the trailer and solo launch but it took 2 or more people depending on the launching location to recover. A small boat is easy enough solo. I wouldn't hesitate to put a set of Beachmaster wheels on, especially for landing on remote places so the boat could be pulled out of the tide line/breakers.

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/beachm...ion-89002.html

I've not tested them in anger yet Peter, hopefully by the end of this month I will be able to report back on how they perform

paulbrown22 · 05 April 2023, 16:41

When my parents had a house right by Salterns Marina in Poole, my brother and I used to pull our TomKat RIB (~4m, 30hp Mariner) out the garage on it's unbraked bunked trailer (with jockey wheel), walk it the ~150m to the slipway, launch/recover manually, and walk it back home again. At the time we were two reasonably strong teenagers though, often with father there as well to help push if needed! (Although to be fair, Dad and I hand launched/recovered it last year very happily as well, ~20 years later...)

Maybe worth testing one day when you do have the Land Rover with you to see if it's possible. Walking on the flat is easy enough if the trailer is in good shape, it's controlling the launch down and then having enough muscle (and grip) to pull it back up that's more challenging.