Yes, but there is no movement--I've even followed the trailer on the road and the boat is rock solid.
tback,
It's not only the cat trax resisting lateral movement.
You will notice the dolphin striker strap drops into two slots and the there are two retainers that go over the front beam.
Take the cat trax away and put the back of the boat on a slippery surface and you still won't get any lateral movement.
The cat trax are just an added bonus.
Its a good setup.
Regards,
Phill
Hi all,
have to back up Phill, here I carry my boat and store it supported only by the beams front and rear. A lot of Aussies carry their boats on the beams and I have never heard of a problem. In fact
Altered
snapped a beam bolt but that happened on the water, but no problem on trailer. I think I travel more than the average sailor and living in the country, I get plenty of rough roads, do recommend soft springs though, many trailers springs are not designed for light weight F16's.
However I have seen fibreglass and timber boats blistered, where they rest on cradles on long Aussie road trips.
Hopefully you will find some photo's of my system attached.
Regards Gary.
it rolls on one set rollers at rear and another set just behind beam supports.
then a small lift of the bows puts the main beam in the front cups.
and
then another small lift as you swing rear cups on to back beam.
and then tension the back cups into place.
then if required you can slot in a second set of racks which can carry another cat upside down again on beams or
your son's mono <img src=
alt=
/> Now it's all ready to go.
another angle.
and the last one.
Gary, MAN ! Do YOU have an immaculate shine on your hulls.
I'm just down right envious ! <img src=
alt=
/>
Wouter
You should consider putting nipple rings on your bow bra's. <img src=
alt=
/>
alt=
/>
<img src=
alt=
/> <img src=
alt=
/>
Mary-
I set my trailer up to support my boat by the beams since Jim Boyer and Greg Goodall both told me I
must
do this and sent photos of their recommend trailer setup. According to Jim the worst
working
(he called it
racking
) the beams/hulls go through is when the hulls are strapped down tight to trailer crossarms (regardless of whether you use rollers/cradles/etc.) since the trailer will flex while under way and this will
work
the beam/hull connection much worse. Jim also espoused a heavy steel trailer to both decrease trailer flex as well as improve the ride- he said the light aluminum trailers were bad for cats. This is the reason I support my boat at both corners of the front beam but at the middle of the rear beam- that way if the trailer
twists
there is no induced twist on my beams/hulls <img src=
alt=
/>. I think the critical difference here is we are used to thinking of hulls that weigh a lot (ie Hobie 16 or 18 hulls for instance) vs the very light F16/
A
cat hulls. If you want to see how much a trailer flexes under way just follow an empty cat trailer for a few miles OR put some upright tubes bolted to the end of your crossarms and watch them in your mirror as you drive- they are all over the place! Strapping a (preferably heavy) boat down actually dampens this movement because the flexion is transferred to the boat! <img src=
alt=
/>
Kirt
Hi Forum,
There has been so much good information and generous contributions regarding trailers for F-16. Gary's design looks like it facilitates ramp launching and loading which I usually do. I also like the softening the springs. The TheMightyHobie18 trailer I have is over sprung for a 230 lb. F-16. It has a main leaf and a shorter helper leaf which I'll remove. I think that'll get it in the ball park.
I think I understand that Pete Pollard's trailer is by Vectorworks. Matt McDonald has told me that the cradles are available. He mentioned the double rollers but not if he had them for sale? I like Wouter's and Tiger Mike's removable cradles for the rear, although i'm not quite sure how they do it. I like Gary's
cups
because he is caring the load out wide near the hulls which puts less stress on the beams which are designed for loads going in the other direction.
Probably, I'll do something like the pictures Pete Pollard posted, with some removable cradles for the rear. Then if I still have energy, I'd like to follow Gary's idea for supporting the forward beam. Talk's cheep, it'll be different than what I'm thinking now. Thanks for everyone's input, there's a wealth on knowledge in this forum.
Removable cradles is actually very simple.
All the cradles come with a
seat
that will take the axis of the cat tracks. And the diameter of the seat fits the round rollers very well. So lift your hulls up and slide the cradle onto the rollers and underneath your hulls. Some people also clamp or tie down the cradles the the rollers, I don't I just tie down the boat to the trailer and that keeps the cradles in place. But I have excellent roads all around me.
I personally heavily favour Eric Poulsens setup as I think that can easily be homemade and it will work very well. I'm looking to rebuild my own trailer and then it will be like Erics.
Wouter
Will:
My trailer is pure stock, as delivered from Vectorworks. You could probably buy all those components from a local supplier.
The trailer manufacturer is
Magic Tilt
, I think.
When is your delivery date?
Does this type of set up hinder loading the boat with spi pole in position?
Here are photos of the AHPC factory set up (A-cat shown; F16 would be the same.
2nd photo--very clever
no tie down
fixation for the front--a custom fabricated T-nut is tightened down on the mast base--end is male (A-cat) or female (Taipan) of the cone/socket.
3rd photo--rear beam fixation (similar to Gary's set up) but with only a central cup.
Wouter, I too like Eric Poulsen's ideas, like the capture of the striker rod (or strap), but I think the beam rails make it hard to ramp launch and load. I see that there are rollers down below so there must be a way to have it work either way, hull carrier or beam carrier. Can it be loaded using the rollers and then be shifted up onto the beam rails?
I also appreciate Kirt's comments,
According to Jim the worst
working
(he called it
racking
) the beams/hulls go through is when the hulls are strapped down tight to trailer crossarms (regardless of whether you use rollers/cradles/etc.) since the trailer will flex while under way and this will
work" the beam/hull connection much worse
Pete Pollard, i'm thinking that it will be done this week or early next, then some over night letters and packing and shipping. I think i'll have it by the 23rd or 30th.
Yes.
The trailer was originally a very stout steel Hobie 18 trailer I revised. Also, the beam rail supports can be adjusted if needed (eg stacking). I love the Trex material the rails are made of--it's that deck material made from ground up plastic and wood. It has the strength and workability of wood but the weather-resistence of plastic. And best of all, it is low friction--so the beams just slide across it without abrasion to the dolphin striker or beams.
Hi Tom,
the system I use for Altered, would require having the crossbar between the two front uprights lower, but if you lifted pole ropes over the front uprights you could leave it rigged up I think, as long as you where clear of the mast support which is easy to fix.
Regards Gary.
I found putting all the pieces together a big job. Of course I'm the most mechanically challenged male in the U.S. At any rate, if you have ANY questions, let us know.
And don't worry about asking stupid questions, I already did that!
See ya on the water.
Not to hijack but I need to vent. I ordered the Blade in January with an April ETA. This shifted to Mid-May. Then it was being crated on June 5th. Now it is the 14th and with Matt non-responsive to emails/faxs/voicemails I had to phone the receptionist today to find out that the boat hasn't been shipped yet. So that officially puts me down so far for 1/4 of my 2006 sailing season.
Don't I know that customer service will be peachy if I need anything. I am starting to feel like the guys in the Mystere forum.
Eric and Kirt,
Are the transoms of your boats resting on the beams or the cat trax? If so, why? I am working on some modifications to my trailer to allow me to
hang
712. I am pretty close (almost exactly like Eric's, but no beach wheels).
Not related to trailers, bu how do the smaller wheels do in sand?
Kirt, are you going to Island Hop (back at OSYC)?