How bad is dragging across the beach for your hulls?

The best boat ramp in my area has roughly 50 metres (55 yards) of sand to cross.

Beach wheels here are $450 and my boat (H-14) is worth $800. I've waited for a year for second hand set to pop up but no luck yet. I'm also not the type who would build my own.

I'm at cross roads here. I'm bored of sailing the local lagoon (no beach wheels needed there) so I need to graduate to the harbour or I'm going to lose interest fast.

My boat is old, so if I do start sailing the harbour and I like it I'll probably buy new wheels and probably buy a new boat too.

If I find the harbour a crowded headache then I'll probably take a break from sailing. I don't want to risk wasting money on beach wheels if it turns out the harbour is a crowded nightmare.

So is it ok to drag my late 70's hulls a few times, back and forth, over 50 yards for a season (max 10 times a year maybe). Or will I ruin them quickly? Either way I'm going to sell the boat after this season either for a newer one or for a new past time.

Other than leaking, what's a sign that your hulls can't take any more abuse?

50 yards is a long way - not just for the boat, but for you as well. It's not easy to drag a boat that far. You'll leave a trail of gel coat in the sand.

I'd look into building a cheap set of wheels. There have been a number of threads about them in this forum.

As for what abuse the boat can take, look at the bottom of the hulls. You'll want to do a bottom job long before you get to the "leaking stage". There are hull templates available for download in the support section of the main Hobie site. Print them out on card stock, cut them out and put them on the boat. You'll very quickly see how much bottom has worn off.

old carpet + rope = under-skeg protection

H14 = 240 lbs = drag it across the sand, miss the rocks.

Dragging your boat across the sand won't do any significant or long-term damage to the boat as long as you don't allow the hulls to wear excessively. You will simply need to re-build the bottoms regularly. When the gelcoat wears off the bottom, you'll need to re-build. You can tell the gelcoat is worn when you see the start of a yellow/brown stripe along the keel line of the hull (this is the fiberglass beginning to show through).

If dragging the whole boat is too difficult, you may want to make separate trips for the mast, boom, sails, etc.

When I was a kid, we used to go to the shore for vactation and it would take three or four adults and several kids to drag our Hobie 18 100 or so feet across the beach. Then one year we discovered those plasic wheeled cat trax and thought they were the greatest invetion since sliced bread. Have never been without beach wheels since.

sm

A 14 is pretty light. Is it possible to enlist three other people to help carry the boat across the sand?

You could use this
http://www.pescareinliberta.it/ITAITA10 ... ndrico.htm


or two of these
http://multikoeb.dk/jagt_fiskeri/fender ... 61_da.html

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Poul
FxOne 165

I'd Rather Regret The Things I Did, Than The Things I Didn't

Trust me, the Cat Trax are well worth the money. They last forever and can be used on pretty much any cat. Like the Hobie, they stand up to years of harsh conditions (aka, salt water) with very little maintenance. I got mine from under a friends beach walkover (he didn't know what they were). They had been there for probably 10 years and performed perfectly after I filled the tires with some green goo. It beats the heck out a bottom job. If you are going to get another boat you'll need them anyway so why not get them now and save yourself the struggle of dragging/carrying your boat?

I agree with mwworlando completely. I wasn't as lucky as he was and ended up buying my Cat Trax new complete with cradles. They are worth every penny I paid. Somebody should get an award for inventing them. I solo my H14 a lot. I can easily take my boat off the trailer and dunk it in the bay without it ever touching the ground. It doesn't really matter what the surface is; grass, gravel, asphalt or muck. One of my favorite launch sites even has a bit of a hill. No problem. I can roll it out of the water and right up the hill myself. And, when I move on to my next cat, the Cat Trax will go with me.

Thanks for the info guys.
I've got no problem when I have a guest with me as we just carry the hulls down and rig at the water side. I don't often have someone with me as the H-14 is just not the same 2 up.

I'm starting to think about just biting the bullet and buying some. I've looked to see if I can find components to do a DIY job but I'm guessing something like that is cheaper and easier to do in the US than it is here. Unfortunately most of the DIY guides that people have posted are so old that they've disappeared (geocities etc).

My Cat Traxs are 1989 and still look almost brand new.I have had only one flat and have the original tires on them(zero dry rot).My 21SE is a bit heavy and I have thought about getting a second set of Cat Traxs to spread the load over four tires.
If you can made sailing easier for yourself than do it.You will go more often so it's a win win situation...
Enjoy the Holidays,Bill 404 21SE

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Bill 404 21SE

Got to agree about the cattrax. I went for years dragging my H16 up onto the beach. Then when I got the H17Sport and a bit older it got just too difficult. I too put out the BIG bucks for new cattrax (with cradles) and too agree it was worth every penny. Some times I can even harnest enough wind that the boat 'sails' up the beach (though precaution needs to be taken so you can depower immediately if needed).

I too have been a victim of dragging. If you continue to do this, I can help you with your future, you will be buying a new boat. It is easier to build/buy a set of cat trax than constantly redoing the bottom of your hulls. If you choose not to redo them then get ready to scar the boat when your season is over. It doesn't seem like much but the trips up and down the beach does wonders!