Boat Rollers...

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Hello Gentle Rowers, In Issue 16 August'99 of OWR (an 'alltime' issue IMHO)last page--"Boat Rollers"... I contacted Tendercraft Boat Shop per the article and they apparently no longer have access to the "rubberized canvas roller" shown in the article. What they do have is a 'plastic' version... What I'm looking for is softish inflatable 'boat rollers' about 10" in Dia. & 48" long (give or take) that have a grommet at each end so they may be attached horizontally to the outside of small boat gunnel when not in use. Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, etc.

Thank you, in advance, for any return post, product suggestions or quality sideways ideas to move a small boat up the beach on rollers!

Tom Vetromile

-- Tom Vetromile (tom@justinagency.com), June 28, 2000

Answers

Hi Tom

I have a suggestion that is better than rollers. I use it on my John Welsford designed 15 foot dory skiff. I think it is essential that a single person boat can be managed easily on land by one person. I have made a front wheel from an inflatable industrial wheel (12 inches in diameter) and mounted it very simply under the bow; at the stern I tie the oars so the handles project beyond the stern (the blades rest on the top of the rowing thwart). Then I wheel it as a wheelbarrow. With a short ramp off the trailer I can get it into the water in a couple of minutes, then take the wheel off and put it in the boat. The whole thing is very simple and quick to operate, and the inflatable wheel rides over beach rocks well, so I can launch the boat anywhere, or move it around a beach when cruising. The weight (about 90 lbs) is much easier to bear, evenly on both shoulders than a much lighter craft on one's shoulder. I have even wheeled it 200 metres across a beach with camping gear on board. I'd be happy to dscribe it in more detail if you wish.

Best Wishes John Hitchcock

-- John Hitchcock (kj.riverside@xtra.co.nz), July 04, 2000.


TOM: I purchased four of Tendercraft Boat Shop's plastic boat rollers. They do the job and get my 110 pound skiff up the beach easily. With a couple of friends we can haul up a 550 pound SeaPearl 21. These plastic rollers do not appear to be very tough, so we were surprised to find a roller still inflated after a few days of having the SeaPearl resting on top of it. One advantage of inflatable rollers over logs, PVC pipe or wheeled devices is that you can secure them in the boat for flotation. Unfortunately the Tendercraft rollers do not have grommets at the ends, so there is no way to easily and securely tie them in the boat. Keep pullin'

-- John Mullen (mullen@connect.net), September 17, 2000.

I have found some various size boat rollers (Italian) at a boat building shop in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. I purchased 2 only 9" x50" inflatable rollers that are rated at 200kg.(440 lbs.) They work great on my 500lb. sailboat. The shop is Abbott's Boat Works....they build Solings, Wayfayers and the new 3 woman oylimpic keelboat. They have more boat hardware then any store that I have seen. Charleston SC.

-- Charlie Cole (cmcole792@hotmail.com), May 28, 2002.

For any solution to beach rollers or similar products, go to www.praktek.com. Look at the three models of rollers they carry and the item, fenders. Depending on what you want to spend they will do the job you inquired about.

-- Gary D. Abernathy (gabern@praktek.com), December 04, 2002.

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