How to use Beach Wheels / Cat Trax for Hobie Getaway

Here's my current solution for doing it solo. It's a multi-step process, but not too challenging and not fatiguing on your body.

See photo below.

1. Hook up ropes (with loops about 1-2 foot or two apart).
2. Hook rubber straps with S-hooks to the wheels and then attach them to the ropes with good tension.
3. Go to the front of the boat and lift up. The tension from the rubber straps will automatically pull the wheels under the boat.
4. Then readjust the tension by hooking the rubber straps further up the rope.
5. Repeat until you're the wheels are as close to the side-stay connection points (boat's center of gravity) as possible.
6. It's best to ditch the rubber straps at this point and secure the wheels with rope. (Not doing so you'll find challenges as you're wheeling it down or up the beach because the rubber straps will stretch and will thus come out a ways from the center of gravity, making it difficult to maneuver.)


The key to solo-launching is to have the wheels directly at the center of gravity. It will make you chuckle with how easy it is to move the boat.

And here's my steps for getting it out of the water:

1. Point the bow toward the ocean, with the stern in the sand... somewhat dug in.
2. Bring the beach wheels to the front of the boat, and repeat the same steps as described in my previous post. It's easier to get the wheels under the boat while in the water.
3. Then haul it up the beach.


Tip 1: I take all my gear off the boat before hauling (i.e. my wife... I swear she had a girlish figure when I married her). I don't want to push/pull the extra weight.
Tip 2: If there's a heavy incline on the beach, haul the boat out at an angle just off parallel to the water line; it'll make for a longer haul but it should be easier.
Tip 3: Before putting the wheels on, move the boat to a point on the beach that is upwind of your destination parking spot. Once the wheels are on, turn our boat toward your spot and then raise your jib sail... and let the wind help pull the boat for you.

Joking about my wife.

Genious, especially the idea of using the jib to help. Normally, the wind is from the good side in my case.

I'll try these on my next ride.

I built a dolly for my Getaway this spring, and I used a 3/4" solid aluminum bar as the axel for each wheel.

For the frame, I used 1.5" rounded corner aluminum square tube. I found some garden tractor wheels that are nice and fat, and put them on steel rims with a 1" diameter axle hole, with nylon bushings inside.

PM me if you want pictures or diagrams, I think I still have them lying around somewhere.