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Hard rollers

(10 posts) (8 voices)

Started 2 months ago by slider
Latest reply from SailBirdMike

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slider
Member

I'd like to ask the experienced folk about my roller scheme.

I have eight 20" rollers cut from 4" PVC sewer pipe. These all fit in my aft buoyancy compartment, and don't weigh much, because they're the thinner walled stuff.

Slider is a 16 foot cat. Her hulls are flat-bottomed with a maximum width of a little under 12 inches. Loaded, she'll weigh about 800 pounds without crew. So about 400 lbs per hull.

Does anyone foresee difficulty getting up and down the beach?

Long ago I used to haul our 27 foot Wharram cat out on the beach to bottom paint her, using a similar system. I'd rig a handy billy to the anchor line, with the anchor up the beach, and reverse it to get the boat back in the water.

I plan to give my system a try before loading up to leave, but sometimes crap happens.

Any advice?

Ray

Posted 2 months ago #
lugnut
Member

Ray:

In my first EC, I used 2" PVC for rollers. It worked, but the pipe tended to get bogged down in the loose sand above the wave line. For the second, I brought 4-foot 2x2s (the longest I could easily store) to lay like a RR track under the PVC and it worked much better, but we had to "re-lay" the track a couple times before we reached the water. Since then I've used inflatable fenders. Bit more work that the PVC and 2x2s but much faster to lay down and pick up.

Oaracle loaded probably weighs a bit more than one of your hulls, BTW.

Lugnut

Posted 2 months ago #
slider
Member

Thanks, Gary. I remember having the same trouble with small pipe.

I'm hoping the 4 " pipe will roll a little better, since it will have more surface area in contact with the sand. I suppose even if it doesn't roll, maybe I can still slide the boat. I have a 4 part boom vang, that I'm fitting with snap shackles so it can be quickly removed and used as a tackle.

Ray

Posted 2 months ago #
DaveOnCudjoe
Member

Ray,

I've estimated the launch weight of my Sea Pearl at about 800lbs. My first year I used a 6part block and tackle and 4inch pvc which worked poorly. Took and hour to get to the water. I mounted a sheet winch on the bow for a windlass and that has worked flawlessly ever since. A track to roll on helps tremendously, I merely guide Maggie down the beach once shes up on the first roller. The launch rules change so often that I can't keep up but I've always begun the launch with Maggie sitting in the sand with nothing under her and pull her up onto the first roller. If you are a solo entry and not a former linebacker you may want to re think the 4:1. As a catamaran, inflatables may be worth considering since you would need a lot of track for hard rollers and the sand will build up in front of even 4inch pvc. Dave

Posted 2 months ago #
slider
Member

Dave, thanks-- but now I'm worried again. I'm going to try to give the system a workout before we load up to go.

One encouraging thought is that if you had trouble moving an 800 pound boat, maybe I'll have half as much, since each hull will only put 400 lbs of pressure on the rollers. So the total 800 lbs will have the weight distributed over 6 rollers.

My wife is going to crew for me; maybe that will help, since she's pretty strong, and younger than me.

If my trial is a disaster, maybe I'll bring some short sticks that can fit under the cockpit duckboards, but I'd like to avoid the weight.

Ray

Posted 2 months ago #
smittypaddler
Member

About rollers and getting off the beach, are we allowed to pile our gear on the beach and load it after we get the boat in the water?

Posted 2 months ago #
DonKeyHoTey
Member

Ray, perhaps either a tarp that you're already planning to carry or some strips of tyvek or geotextile under the rollers might help them roll more easily over the sand without piling it up in front of them?

Posted 2 months ago #
Ridgerunner
Member

smittypaddler wrote:

About rollers and getting off the beach, are we allowed to pile our gear on the beach and load it after we get the boat in the water?

That's what I did with my Sea Peal the first time I did the EC. I used Rubbermaid totes. I now use rollers, but I am sailing in the double class now.

I used a tarp the first year, and I never did get all of the sand out of the boat ;~)

Posted 2 months ago #
Patowatomie
Member

Ray, How about some hobie style beach cat wheels like Roleeze or cattrax? I moved my old H18 with them easily and it's 400lbs or so. Stowing it might be a bit of a pain, but the wheels could be made to slide off the axle with a cotterpin.

Dan

Posted 2 months ago #
SailBirdMike
Member

We rolled Clarity (18' trimaran, probably 650+ lbs loaded) using two 6x18 boat fenders. They actually worked well getting on and off the beaches, but I'll carry 4 next time (great pillows, ya know!) to make it less hairy when moving the rollers from one end to the other. They are also great to jam under the amas when attempting to create a non-vertical sleeping surface.

Not entered this year due to a blown ACL (motorcycles are more fun when you avoid crashing), but I'll be at Checkpoint Choko all week... see you there!

Posted 2 months ago #

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