I just built a set of trax with cradles and 6 tires for under $70. I will test this weekend and if they work well (which they should!!!) then i will post pics and instructions as well as parts lists and the price I paid.
So far they are very cheap, and very sturdy but weigh a little more then the real ones
I used a galvinived home grounding rod (at just over 8ft)for the axle so anything over 16ft might be to wide for this design
Homemade Beach Dolly?
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Posted: Jul 15, 2009 - 10:24 PM
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Posted: Jul 16, 2009 - 10:51 PM
Almost exactly what we just did. We used galvanized tube, welded some ball bearings from a heavy duty conveyor belt system to old car rims, used old tubeless tires; cradles are made from wood boards covered with rubber mat. Next we will rust-proof the whole thing. All components came from scrap yards, below 100 bucks. If there is any interest, I can also post pics next week. -
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Posted: Jul 21, 2009 - 06:40 AM
Here are the promised snapshots of our homemade beach dolly:
There are a few details to change, but generally it works flawlessly. Tubes are galvanized, yet the whole thing is painted to rust-proof it. Time will tell if it holds up...
If anyone wants more details, let me know. However, as nearly all parts are from scrap yards, design to some degree depends on what you can lay your hands on. -
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Posted: Jul 21, 2009 - 09:43 AM
Wow.. thats interesting
how do you trasport it? -
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Posted: Jul 21, 2009 - 12:07 PM
I would describe that as more of a trailer pulled by a person than beachwheels. Maybe go as far to call it hybrid.
Why not mount the rear cradles over the axle and ditch the rest, then you would have a transportable but somewhat heavy homemade beachwheels. BTW, great effort and unique.
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Philip
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Posted: Jul 21, 2009 - 01:14 PM
Looks great if you live on the beach but for most trailering would be an issue. plus with the axel on the rear you have to lift the weight on the front of the boat to move. better than nothing but with trax the weight is balanced on center so all you have to do is guide it and try not to over balance front or back.
On this I would suggest maybe find a way to add a 3rd wheel to that front center that can swivel for steering then it perfect a dolly to leave at your beach house if your lucky enough to have one. I imagine it would be great for those whose have mast up beach storage space as well
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
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Posted: Jul 21, 2009 - 01:59 PM
You could still center the axle under the center of gravity just like you do with a standard set of beach wheels. This looks like it would reduce the slipping around and need to tie the wheels on.
It does look a lot like a light weight trailer.
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Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
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Posted: Jul 21, 2009 - 03:02 PM
That's pretty interesting looking. I'd like to see pics of it in action with the cat.
Not for everyone but if it works for you, at your location, with your boat, then it's perfect.
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Damon Linkous
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Posted: Jul 21, 2009 - 10:09 PM
It's just for the beach, not for the road as the boat stays on the beach; I do not need to transport it anywhere. Yes, it is heavy, but then it rolls... we simply cannot weld aluminum nor find the parts in the first place.
The wheels are positioned in the center of gravity; a single person can very easily handle it. It's pretty effortless to roll it into the water until the boat floats, or shove it underneath to bring it in.
The reason for having those pads is to leave the cat on the contraption all the time - difficult to do that with only an axle, plus I'd be worried about having the whole weight rest on the 2 cradles, a relatively small surface that might deform the pontoons after a while. Maybe no issue.
The vertical bar in the front; we planned to attach a small wheel, but it's not really necessary. -
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Posted: Jul 22, 2009 - 10:46 AM
As long as it works for you.. then awesome!
PS catamarans have hulls, not pontoons. pontoons are for ... pontoon boats.. you know .. the slow, ugly, fat, aluminum (and other) boats that are good for cookouts.. and sunbathing.. and MOVING SLOW!!!!
:)
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Posted: Jul 23, 2009 - 05:32 AM
OK
Promise, I'll never call them that again!
As for deforming the hulls when each rests on a single cradle for a long time, is this in fact a non-issue? Or perhaps it depends on the type of boat. -
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Posted: Jul 23, 2009 - 09:26 AM
I can't answer the deformation over time, but remember that most boats sit on a trailer on 4 rollers.
Years ago I remember watching someone raise their main sail while the boat was on beach wheels. They were pulling down on the halyard hard enough the wheels crushed the bottom of the hull. They did not have cradles on the beachwheels, but ever since then I have never raised the sails while the boat was on beach wheels.
It occured in an unusual situation and at least 10 years ago. But in was in Santa Cruz with some high surf, they didn't want to beach launch so they rolled the boat to the boatramp and were going to launch through the harbor. So sitting in the parking lot on beach wheels they tried to raise the sail when they crushed the hull. Don't remember the boat type but it wasn't a H16 or H18.
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Posted: Jul 23, 2009 - 10:25 AM
I have never heard of a cat having problems from a craddle.
i (and most people here) raise our sails with wheels underneath with no problems (craddles and not)
There are issues with cats on rollers for long times (esp when snow builds up and adds weight to the cat) -
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Posted: Jul 08, 2010 - 12:40 PM
I have yet to see a homemade set work 1/2 as well as the real deal
outer wheels (or 4) are not needed for 99% of beachcats (sharks are 10' and heavy and i bet they WOULD work with the right set of cat trax)
iron bar??? why not make it out of anti-matter if more weight is desired :)
a line inside the tire area will get caught under the wheels.. and / or wrap around the bar.. both will stop your forward movement
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Posted: Jul 08, 2010 - 04:06 PM
Lon have you found a cat yet? Hopefully so. I think the design you found would work, not sure how well it would work versus the cat trax ones. The delon plastic needle bearing design for the cat trax bearings really works well in this application.
I bet the steel pipe wheels shown above would weight over 100 lbs. Probably better then carrying a cat up the beach, but would take extra effort to push compared to the cat trax.
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Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
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Posted: Jul 08, 2010 - 11:47 PM
Cat trax are worth their weight in gold. I can move/launch my H16 by myself on the beach with them. I thought about the homemade version but one of my friends gave me some old cat trax and they worked perfectly after I patched the holes in the tires. Yes, they are expensive but you get what you pay for. -
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Posted: Jul 08, 2010 - 11:53 PM
CatTrax only weigh 46lb. -
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Posted: Jul 09, 2010 - 12:38 AM
Yeah the 4 tire setup like that is similar to the one used by Cateez in the past. If you are going to try and make your own use an aluminum axle to save weight, steel will kill you. Locally source it to get the length you need, I can get up to 20' lengths from a local metal supplier. The ties, are meant to be tied off to the shrouds to prevent the wheels from moving around under the cat (although I don't think anyone actually uses them). Use the widest/largest smallest tread (slicks if you can get them) tires you can find, or they will bog down in sand. The system on that web site would work if you need to move your boat around on a hard surface but would probably fail pretty quickly in the sand.
The cattrax system is so simple and effective, really pretty ingenious. I just got mine brand new and am so impressed with how easy they go together. I wasn't convinced about the price but after actually putting them together I think that, althoguh it would be possible to piece one together yourself, it would probably cost more in the end than buying it from Florida Sailcraft and then you still have to figure out all the sizing and layout.
What you are paying for are 2 sealed low pressure balloon wheels and hubs, 40 delrin (UHMW Plastic) needle bearings (dowels really) that go between the hubs and the axle, a 9 foot length of 2" dia 3/32" thick walled aluminum tube, some stainless cotter pins, rubber tubing and custom molded plastic end pieces that slide over the tube. The wheels themselves would run between $100 and $150 alone (plus shipping) and the rest of the pieces would easily make up the difference up to the $400 price tag.
There is definitely a reason that you rarely see them for sale in good condition and then they sell really quickly. Great product, fair price.
edited by: Wolfman, Jul 08, 2010 - 11:45 PM
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Dave Bonin
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Posted: Jul 09, 2010 - 10:16 AM
depends on the boat. if they have a sharp pointed hull (h16, g-cat) then the ropes are required (esp without cradles). Most dager cats have a rounded or flatter hull shape and you can get away without using the rope.
my cat has very flat hulls (behind the front beam) but due to the weight of my cat (520 without coolers and radio and anvil) the type of sand/grass and the steepness of our beach..i have to use the ropes or the wheels slide around... and just a few inches of center... ugggggg
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