Please share your experiences with catamaran hull cradles? How durable are commercial (e.g. fiberglass) cradles? How long do cradles last before the fiberglass fails? Does special hardware (e.g. nylon washers) need to be used to attach fiberglass cradles to a trailer in order to prevent the fiberglass from cracking at the area of attachment? How often does the marine (e.g. bunk) carpet need to be replaced? How is the carpet attached to the fiberglass? Does anyone use a lubricant on the carpet to help the hulls slide?
Thank you in advance for the information.
Durable: very - no failures (other than self inflicted failures such as backing into something or bolts coming loose).
Long do they last? At least 4 years (that's all the time I have on them.
Special Hardware? No - nuts and bolts - use nylocks and don't overtighten.
Carpet lasts a good while. I don't know how they attach it but I suspect they may do it in the mold.
Lubricant on the carpet - yes, occasionally.
The carpet while durable, holds sand which scratches the surface.
I covered mine with a foam pad I found at Wally world. Sleeping pad found in the camping Dept. Used contact cemment to attach.
After a year of heavy use the foam is just a little compressed. One pad should be enough to recover several times. They have a little more stick than carpet and I like that so I don't have to tie the wheels to the boat.
My Trailer has cradles and they have cracked lengthways (fore to aft direction) a few times. I believe they are being broken by passers by who try to sit or stand on them when my car and trailer sit in the parking lot while I am out sailing.
The last time I repaired the crack, I stitched it with long strand spectra core from a piece of rope. Then I saturated with epoxy and covered with woven glass.
Here is a link to a few pictures of my sloppy but strong repair.
Sewing up a cradle like the lacing on a football's skin.
GARY
would that be to prevent carpet burns?