All,
The place I usually launch from does not have the ideal launching options for a beach cat. There is no real beach to bring the boat down to rig. There is one trailer ramp that has a pier with minimal protection for the hull. I usually launch from here, but the pier is starting to scuff up the hull, and I've had to do one or two gel coat repairs for bigger dings. There are three hoists that lead to floating piers that have relatively good protection for the hull. I was trying to figure out a hoisting rig for the boat (NACRA 500), but my recent attempts have failed. Is anyone aware of any good hoisting rigs for flush deck tramp cats.
As usual your help is always appreciated.
Mike
Not sure what you mean by a hoist, can you elaborate?
Dave
Dave,
Sorry I should have said crane. The usual type of crane that is used to hoist larger dinghies like Flying Scotts and Lightnings.
Mike
I haven't done this but you should be able to make a four point rig that goes from all four beam to hull connection points and sits across the balance point of the boat. I believe that is what the Hobie 18 owner at our club does to launch (our ramp is not friendly for single handers of heavy boats). You can still easily nick the hulls at the dock and damage the rig with the crane. Just a word of warning.
Boat Lifts??? Here's a link. Take a look. Over the years, I've seen a significant design change wrt lifts in my area of the Gulf Coast. This shift went from a single, motorized (or manual), overhead, centerline axle that wrapped up cable. The cable ran from the axle through the rafters of the dock/pier and down to straps or a connection point on the boat. Today's lift consists of two or four motors and two axles which raise two beams. Not as much cable and pulley engineering involved. You can simple raise two beams which have the ability to hold the boat in place with rollers or bumpers...like a cradle on a trailer. These seem to me to be a much better design and one that could easily handle sailboats of any kind...as long as the dock doesn't have a roof. Hope this helps.
http://decoboatlift.com/boat-hoist-lifts/deco-lifts/