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Boat and Knots
My Boats A navigation page with links to my various boat and dinghy builds, sails and spars.My Ten Knots The 10 knots I use around my boats. I've finally figured out a good assortment of knots that seem to do the job.
Carbon Fiber Mast
Photo and documentation as I built.
Carbon fiber properties, Carbon Fiber compared to other materials.
My Carbon Fiber Research Includes a couple of good videos and links.
The First boat launch trailer I made was not strong enough. I reused the materials for the Apple pie dolly.
Pride Marine has a page on commercial dinghy dollies.
Marine Cradle Shop Inc makes cradles, dollies and trailers for dinghy and boats. My launching Dolly for my Skerry comes from them and I like it.
Nautic Expo Lots of products including launching trolleys
The Lowly Launching Dolly
My club has a great number of home-made boat launch dollies. Here are a few. Some have lasted better than others. I dug a few derelicts from a corner and admired the ingenuity with which they were put together.
Plastic Pipe Dinghy Dolly
There were several dollies made from black plastic pipe. A few had failed at the joints which were not well glued. They were made from 3 inch pipe.
The wheels are attached with cotter pins mostly.
Below the dolly wheel were held by a pipe attached to an aluminium bar by u clamps. Lots of washers to stop the plastic wheel hub from rubbing. Wheel assembly still strong. Some of the pipes were broken.
I don't think that black pipe is quite strong enough for a large dolly. It is too brittle and not stiff enough. I think it would float too high to be easy to use.
Wood dinghy cart on a welded pipe frame.
This wheel is made from wood and is still strong! Looks medieval. 2 layers going in opposite directions, of 2x6 lumber. There are a few Robertson screws on each side. In the centre there is a square plywood plate bolted on. The steel bar just fits in a hole drilled in the wheel and held in place with a cotter pin. There is not even a washer. Its about 12 inches in diameter. The wood is quite soft, not oak or any such lumber 2x6. There were not any knots that I saw. It rolled quite well. I find this quite brilliant in its simplicity and retro cool.
Aluminium pipes and fiberglass box.
Simple little tender launch trolley. Aluminium pipe fits into holes in the fiberglass box. Steel pipe holds the wheels and also goes through the fiberglass box. An aluminium brace is broken and replaced by green rope. This makes the launch dolly a bit floppy but its still working.
2 Launching Trollies made from angle iron
These 2 Dinghy dollies on the left, are both put together from angle iron. The top one is not welded. The lower one is welded and has a triangular configuration.
Dolly welded from square steel pipe
Welded sturdy boat dolly
Dolly on the left is sturdy. It has quite large wheels. The pile of boat dollies on the right are used for the school boats. The dolly can be adjusted. There is a screw that allows the long quare pipe to slide forward or back. The dolly can be shortened that way. That's the kind I'm using for the Skerry.
Read about my Launch Dolly
This is the dolly I made for my little Apple Pie Tender. The dolly has been working very well. I would not change anything. The Carbon Fiber joint is holding perfectly.
email me: Christine