I'm about to take ownership of a Marstorm Tornado is very good shape. I currently use a tilt trailer for my old SailCraft tornado and have homemade hull forms to support it both as a launching trailer and for when it's tilted. I'll need to make some changes to the setup to accomadate the spinny pole on the new boat. I've been thinking about switching to rollers instead of the hull forms to aid in launching/recovery...but not sure how to make them work with a tilter.
Perhaps putting long bunk boards along both inner side gunwales to not only guide the boat on/off cleanly but also to stop it sliding off sideways when tilted?
Another thought was to fashion a couple of beam clamps on vertical supports to suspend the upper hull in place just when tilting. These would be postioned after the boat was tilted. Given the ~70 lbs single hull weight, will the stresses be fine on the beam/bolts/hull etc?
Mike.
The coolest tilt trailer I've seen is the Tilley trailer that grips and lifts the boat by the beams without touching the hulls. The boat rides upside down at an angle, and is lifted and placed onto the ground beside the trailer, then launched with beach wheels.
Tilting Trailer Pictures
I have seen 2 ways to add rollers to a tilt trailer.
1) flip up - The roller are on hinges and hang below the hull supports when not in use. Since the rollers are normally used to help put the boat back on the trailer, they are at the rear of the supports. If you are going to use them in both directions, you will need some type of lock, like a pin to hold them in place.
2) The roller is only on the back and just below the supports. It only touches the hulls when the sterns are below the level of the supports. It helps getting the boat on and off.
#1 is used on the class association trailer plans and #2 on Texas Tilt. I can send pictures of #2
My question is why not pull the boat off and use beach wheels? It is a lot easier to rig and store the boat on beach wheels and stern chocks. Also most tilt trailers are expensive complicated things that DON'T like salt water and hull supports love to eat cenetrboard gaskets.
I'd like to see the pictures you have.
Dolly or beach-wheel launching is not that easy for my launch location. I keep my boat at a harbor in a drysail compound that is across the road from public launch ramps. I'd have to wheel the boat good 800 yards, then down the steep & slippery cement ramps...reversing the process for retrival. I like to sail single handed at times and this may be too difficult for one person to manage. It's something I've considered doing...guess I'll give it a try once I get the new boat (comes with beach wheels & chocks).
Another thought was to make a flimsy, cheap lauch dolly that can be hitch to my car for launching. I've made something similar using television antenna poles (galvanized steel), muffler clamps and wheelbarrow wheels. I'd just need to add a second support cross peice so that the boat was actually straddling instead of just balanced over the one axle.