I installed some hull cradles (by Sailboxes.com, an advertiser here) on the trailer today. It took about 3 hours, but boy o' boy, do they work well. Such a drastic improvement over the cheap rollers that came with the trailer. These things are awesome. Pics are below:
Front Cradle
Rear Cradle
Awesome, I may have to look those up!
Thanks for the compliment Karl...good job on the installation.
motivated wrote: It took about 3 hours, but boy o' boy, do they work well.
Did you use the roller brackets that came with your trailer to mount the cradles?
Did the steel plates that you show on the side of the cradle (that the pivot pin runs through) come with the cradles?
Awesome, I may have to look those up!
Forget it Dave, you don't care if your hulls break. I have two extras in my back yard waiting for you.:-D One was rebuilt with carbon fibre & kevlar from the Osprey V-22 program, my buddy went down & bought nearly all available after they canceled that project, some will find its way into the N36 this summer.
I also have your extra boards, & your choice of boom.
klozhald wrote: [quote=motivated]It took about 3 hours, but boy o' boy, do they work well.
Did you use the roller brackets that came with your trailer to mount the cradles?
Did the steel plates that you show on the side of the cradle (that the pivot pin runs through) come with the cradles?
Yes, I removed the rubber rollers from the roller brackets on the rear and used half of the roller for the front. The front cradles don't need much in the way of lateral movement. The rear cradles need more lateral leeway, so I removed the entire roller.
The steel plates are simple zinc plated cut washers from Home Depot (I believe they are 5/8's). I used a drill press to drill out the three holes in the washers and used stainless bolts with locknuts for fastners. You can gain access to the interior of the cradle by simply cutting away the carpet on the top (so you can put the nuts on the end of the bolts).
I've had them on the trailer now for a few months and so far, they're working perfectly. I feel much more confident when going on those long road trips with the Hobie in tow.
Edited by motivated on Dec 06, 2011 - 05:51 AM.
Cradles are nice, I have a pair. My observation from long term use is they trap moisture causing blisters. Anyone else have this happen?
headhunter wrote: Cradles are nice, I have a pair. My observation from long term use is they trap moisture causing blisters. Anyone else have this happen?
There are mentions of blistering in other threads.
If you search the forums, you'll find them.
Sheet In!