Wheeled trolleys for hulls?

[Kris]

Has anyone here build something similar to these wheeled trolleys visible here:

https://youtu.be/uDQdjGbE7Iw?feature=shared&t=367

I actually need to build something quite similar to pull my Pahi 42 out of the water at a gently sloped ramp as it is too wide for the normal boat lifts here.

Hints how to build it appreciated.

[Robert Hughes]

I built (much smaller) trollies for the same job on my Tiki 26, and they worked fine for launching & recovery with a car.  There are some pictures if you search the forum on my name.  Obviously the construction would have to be a fair bit more robust for the Pahi 42...

[Kris]

Thanks, I found your pictures. Looks fancy ;)

You mentioned in your post that it ended up too light and floaty so that you had to add weights. If you were to construct something like that again, would you use a metal frame at the bottom instead?

I am currently thinking it might be best to use a metal frame bottom and some (replaceable) wooden V shaped part on top to give the hull some side support. But I lack the tools to weld my own metal frame, which makes it a bit inconvenient.

I am also thinking that I'll need four trolleys in total as when pulling it up the ramp I need some wheels under it near the front given the total length of the Pahi 42 hulls. So probably one under the main front beam and another one somewhere further back.

So given the total weight of 3.5t for the Pahi 42, it shouldn't be too heavy on each of the four trolleys, but it will be hard to test in advance...

[Robert Hughes]

Most of the flotation came from the tyres, but after they got too old and perished I replaced them with solid rubber ones.

Wood was plenty strong enough for mine, but with the bigger boat maybe metal would be better.

I agree four trolleys probably make more sense for the longer boat.

Regarding the V supports, I made mine adjustable to allow for assembly on uneven ground.  When the hulls & beams are properly fixed together I slacken the V supports before moving the boat, so running over dips and humps doesn't put pressure on the sides.

When you're buying wheels they should show what weight they're rated for.  In theory the weight should be spread over eight wheels on mine, but if turning a corner you need to lift one end, so a lot more weight goes on the remaining four wheels...

Kris said:

Thanks, I found your pictures. Looks fancy ;)

You mentioned in your post that it ended up too light and floaty so that you had to add weights. If you were to construct something like that again, would you use a metal frame at the bottom instead?

I am currently thinking it might be best to use a metal frame bottom and some (replaceable) wooden V shaped part on top to give the hull some side support. But I lack the tools to weld my own metal frame, which makes it a bit inconvenient.

I am also thinking that I'll need four trolleys in total as when pulling it up the ramp I need some wheels under it near the front given the total length of the Pahi 42 hulls. So probably one under the main front beam and another one somewhere further back.

So given the total weight of 3.5t for the Pahi 42, it shouldn't be too heavy on each of the four trolleys, but it will be hard to test in advance...