Homemade caterpillar track for Sand....

[YellowDuck]

Anyone have any ideas????

I am looking to launch my RIB and outboard (total weight 100kgs) directly, if possible, from it's Indespension Vario trailer. I could use a local slipway, but at £14 a pop it will mount up (and I'm tight!).

I can launch the rig from anywhere on the local beach, and there are a couple of places that I can easily wheel the trailer down to the sand, but then there would be about 15-20m of soft sand/shingle decline to navigate to the waters edge....

I could leave the main trailer at the foot of the ramp to the beach, and then off load it to the launch trolley, but that will necessitate removing the outboad, moving the RIB to the launch trolley, and re-fitting the outboard, as the RIB with outboard fitted is too heavy for my son and myself to lift. The reverse of this would also be nescessary when we have finished, so it would be much easier if we could launch direct from the Vario trailer.

I have had a couple of thoughts and would welcome a second (and third) opinion on whether you think these may work, or any other ideas anyone may have.....

Firstly cut a number of 300mm lengths of 100mm x 25mm timber, about 300mm apart, and link with a nylon strap/rope (a bit like a rope ladder) lay on the sand and roll the trailer over like a caterpillar track. I would need two, and would make them about 3-4m long, so they would roll up after use and be manageable.

The second option would be a couple of strips of old carpet, in 4m lengths, about 400mm wide. Again, these could be rolled up when not in use.

Either way, I would probably go down and try them on a cold rainy day, when there is no one about, so if they fail miserably, I wont appear to be a complete to**er in front of an audience!!!!!

Any thoughts?????

[willk]

I think I'd pay the £14, and I was, until just now, the meanest man ever

The entire operation sounds like a lot of trouble and it will always have the potential to go pear shaped at any moment. It's giving me The Fear just thinking about it

[YellowDuck]

Thats £14 EVERY time I launch, and I would expect to do so 15-20 times over the season as we only live about 3m from the beach, and hopefully will pop down after work for an hour or so. Also to add, this particular slipway is the only one in the area that PWC can be launched from, so in the summer the slipway is full of jetskis....

Im not really THAT mean, but I think the beach launch option would be easier if I can overcome the soft sand problem......

[AllenF]

could you not launch it late at night after they close or b4 they open then moor on the beach????/

[willk]

Yeah, I hear what you're saying. My local pontoon charges €10 for a tie up. The slip is free but if, once on the water, you want to get off the rib it's €10 The annual fee is €250. Similar to your estimated slip fees.

Anyway, the first time you slip off the track and plant an axle in the sand, the £14 will start looking cheap. Especially if the tide is flooding

But keep us posted

[AllenF]

cant you get a secondary set of those "moon" tyres the low inflation big things and quickly clip them to a second axle to launch??

[m chappelow]

might be a bit extream but how about a scrap mini excavator and convert that ,,

[willk]

Originally Posted by YellowDuck

I am looking to launch my RIB and outboard (total weight 100kgs)

...................., and there are a couple of places that I can easily wheel the trailer down to the sand, but then there would be about 15-20m of soft sand/shingle decline to navigate to the waters edge....

I may have missed something here, but I'm assuming that should read 1000kgs (or just the OB is 100kg) and that there is a vehicle involved all the way to the foam.

Cost is the reason for this exercise so mods to vehicles, etc., must pay off over 2-3 seasons or 60 launches.

It would help if we knew what the launch vehicle was. If it's an Astra, your screwed, if it's a Massey 135, well, who knows...

I mess about offroad a bit and have done some interesting recoveries with the 110, of boats, cars (boats AND cars ) etc. If you get wave action in shingle or soft sand and you're not on your magic carpet - then the warbling you hear will be The Fat Lady - singing. I've seen a VW Toerag hopelessly trapped in six inches of water when the owner tried to drive it through a gravel bedded stream. You get the picture.

Still, I think you should try it. Might I interest you in this?

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by willk

I may have missed something here, but I'm assuming that should read 1000kgs (or just the OB is 100kg) and that there is a vehicle involved all the way to the foam.

no I think he meant 100 kg - 3m boat with 15 HP engine in his profile.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Polwart

no I think he meant 100 kg - 3m boat with 15 HP engine in his profile.

oh yeah, the profile thingy (thanks Polwart). That's a 75kg RIB then - cute!

I think the Massey idea may be useful after all - an extra set of rims on the trailer and just use a long length of string, I mean rope, for the extraction then. The Astra should be fine too.