Hauling on the Beach

Discussion in 'Multihulls' started by Charlyipad, Apr 29, 2016.

  1. Charlyipad
    Joined: May 2014
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    Location: St Simons is ga

    Charlyipad Senior Member

    Hi guys, I am dredging for ideas. I want haul my 36ft cat up on the beach. Her design weight after building was 4400 lbs. With gear and other stuff now she must weigh ~ 6000lbs? I have no clue really. Kurt Hughes Daycharter 36.

    What I would like to do is bring her up at high tide, slip some fenders underneath, then use a pair of "come alongs" and winch her on up above the weed line. Before, when the hulls were moved around, we used soda bottles and small fenders. On the beach we put down sheets of osb plywood to act as a hardd surface so she would roll smooth at the splashing. It worked, but just OK.

    It seems to me an easier method would be to go with four large cylindrical fenders, tied off like "wheels" so they wont shift around. Bring her up till she grounds, then get down off the boat and tie them in place.

    what I dont know is what diameter size fenders would support the boats weight. I do know that the 15 inch dia. poly form fenders are pricey, so I am casting about for other options. What do you guys with big cats do?

    Thanks!
     
  2. Stumble
    Joined: Oct 2008
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    Stumble Senior Member

    Do you want to do this once or every day? It makes a huge difference in how involved the design can be.

    if you are just doing it once then borrow a bunch of 24" long fenders and buy a 12v winch from harbor freight and just roll it up the beach.

    If you need something permanent then build a beach dolly. Basically a giant set of CatTrax (four point not two however).
     
  3. Charlyipad
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    Location: St Simons is ga

    Charlyipad Senior Member

    I am thinking something portable, like four dollys, etc, that I can carry on the boat with me and position when I get there. To be used once a year at least, probably more often. And it would be nice just keep at home for emergencies, if I have to make a repair. If I use cylincrical fenders, I would want them to be thick enough to give good clearance under the hulls for painting etc.

    Thanks
     
  4. Charlyipad
    Joined: May 2014
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    Charlyipad Senior Member

    I've see those big a** pneumatic salvage rollers. They are very cool but out of the question expensive. It would be nice to have pneumatic fenders though, that I could position, and then inflate. The regular boat fenders I have seen online would probably work, but they are still pricey if bought new. The cheapest rig would be about four hundred bucks for four. I may have to go that route, except I still wonder if a 12 inch diam by three ft long fender would support the weight. Then you have the problem of keeping it in position, which would be doable easy enough I guess, if you ran the line through the hole along the long axis of the fender. edit; Nope, it just occurred to me that wont work either. They would bind up unless they could rotate clear of the hull
     
  5. Marmoset
    Joined: Aug 2014
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    Location: SF Bay Area

    Marmoset Senior Member

    someone needs to invent tank tracks for skegs! not powered or anything, just free wheeling for roll. no clue what it would do hydrodynamically though for drag.


    Barry
     
  6. Charlyipad
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    Location: St Simons is ga

    Charlyipad Senior Member

    I might try some 12-16 inch sections of plastic pipe, if I can find some cheap enough. Maybe wrap them in carpet. Don't know if the extra effort would be any better than just using dock fenders.

    edit: Yikes one foot long sections are $32/ea on ebay. guess thats out
     
  7. waikikin
    Joined: Jan 2006
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    waikikin Senior Member

    Like grass skis?
    Jeff
     
  8. catsketcher
    Joined: Mar 2006
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    Location: Australia

    catsketcher Senior Member

    I have pulled two boats out onto the lakeside.

    The Twiggy was a trimaran of about 1500kg that we put a hardwood shoe on. A bolted on 4 x 2 fitted inside the daggerboard case. We laid down free MDF into the water and pulled it out with a 4x4. Rope around the back.

    I doubt whether fenders would do it for your boat. My 38ft 3500kg cat was launched and retrieved with 2 dollies made from box trailer axles. You can pick up old trailer axles for free or cheap at wreckers. Weld them together to make a four wheeled (non steering) dolly for each hull. I bent the axle on one set so I reinforced the whole thing with square section and it worked well.

    I had a draw bar made from 50 x 50 angle iron with more angle acting as a spacer. Once the boat was resting the spacer did little. The great thing about having 8 wheels is that it comes out of the water easily even over mud. 4x4 was just ticking over and the whole thing worked very well.

    We even turned the whole thing 45 degrees by gently turning the 4x4 and the wheels just warped a little. Did two launching and one retieval - each about 200 metres with this setup. Would love to still be able to use it but we moved and I can't use the shore there anymore. Had it stored next to the house in a car space.

    cheers

    Phil
     
  9. Charlyipad
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    Charlyipad Senior Member

    Phil, what kind of tires did you use?
     
  10. aussiebushman
    Joined: Oct 2009
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    Location: Taralga NSW

    aussiebushman Innovator

    Phil is right - a wheeled "dolly" is a far better option than pipes or fenders - I know because I pulled out my 6.2 m Tri using PVC pipe and it was hopeless. No matter how you try to clamp or rope them, they shift around. Old trailer axles with wheels are close to free if you are prepared to look around and they can be fixed together with a couple of lengths of steel or even timber and a few bolts. Make sure you use a nice long draw bar

    Alan
     
  11. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    If using plastic pipe, use schedule 80 and link them together with line or chain. I don't like this idea much as things can get away from you pretty quickly on much of a slope.

    Maybe something along the lines of how cars are moved around on the shop floor, except with much bigger (taller) wheels. If the tire dollies are placed under the jacked up skegs/hulls and roll on lengths of plywood, ripped to an appropriate width . . . this would be portable and space saving.
     
  12. aussiebushman
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    Location: Taralga NSW

    aussiebushman Innovator

    Actually PAR, I think the tires must be fatter, rather than taller, to spread the load more evenly on sand or other loose surface. It is the same principle as 4WD guys use- wide tires with much less pressure than for on-road
     
  13. catsketcher
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    catsketcher Senior Member

    I used the whole assembly from a box trailer - wheels, hubs, axle. Welded to another axle to make a 4 wheel non steering dolly. Make 2 of each. Easy to use although it takes a fair bit to organise
     
  14. PAR
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Agreed fatter tires are necessary too, especially if on the beach, though taller will roll over stuff much better, so you'd need both. ATV or garden tractor tires would be my choices.
     

  15. Charlyipad
    Joined: May 2014
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    Location: St Simons is ga

    Charlyipad Senior Member

    I have a vision of a galvanized pipe for an an axle. about five feet long.

    two short pieces of slightly larger galvanized pipe for sleeves. about six inches long each.
    The axle will turn inside these so they will be greased.

    a platform of plywood to be fastened to the sleeves with u bolts.

    then two longitudinal two by fours about two or three feet long, with carpet stapled to them, and mounted on top of the plywood platform, fastened to a coupe of cradle pieces that have been scribed to the hull curvature. maybe just use wedges or something to get the fit right.

    then fastened to the axle, some plywood wheels. two plywood circles each wheel, with some one by or two by's for the "treads", cut the same length and fastened to join them. Making the wheels about a foot wide each.

    Plan would be to make four of these gizmos, with rope attachment points, each side and end. Then anchor the boat near shore, and position them underneath, either from the boat or in the water with a snorkel.

    THEn motor the thing up to the beach, till contact, at high tide, and pull her on out.

    Do y'all think it will work??
     
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