Electric Powered Cat Traxx.

I'm throwing this out to the group to find out how many people would be interested in a 24v battery powered Boatbot that can get 3-4 boats over a sand dune and down to the beach, 50 yards and back on a single charge? And it only takes one person to do it, operating at about walking speed. It's like putting your boat on a wheelbarrow and guiding it to the beach and back to the trailer. It weighs aprox 120lbs fully assembled with batteries but can be broken down into lighter parts, the tires are closer to center so it can be hauled under your boat if you have 1/2 of the space available or in front of it if you don't. This is a working prototype and has been used with 16 & 18's. Cost is not figured out yet as it is still in refinement, it maybe in the $700.00 range? Or maybe the plans with a list of suppliers and parts required? This has nothing to do with the original "Cat Tax" and no parts are used from it. This is a completly new set that does work, I admit there has been 1 or 2 hickups along the way but it is doable.

Just want to know what people think.


Buxton

everyone will want one, however $700 will stop 98% of the people, notice I didn't say 99%!

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Brad Stephens
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$700 is a lot of money. Does your idea solve a problem worth it? And how many people have this problem?

The $700 price tag is a little bit of a turn off, but there are probably enough people that have more money than muscles that would be interested in it.

I would be concerned about any machine, especially electric, that's going to be used in a sand/marine environment. Salt water and sand are not friendly to gears, motors, or electronics. Is this device submersible? Also, the charging of the unit. Is the idea that you charge it up before you leave your home, or can you charge it "on site"? And what happens if the battery runs down, is it stuck under your boat, or can you still move it manually?

It sounds like an interesting idea, I just wonder how practical it would really be.

sm

This system would have merit, where you are sailing in areas with a high tide change. We certainly could have used one at Oak Harbor Regatta this year, where we had over 100 yards to move the boats, before and after racing.

Caleb

Sounds like a neat idea. Got any pics? Nothing generates interest like pictures of a product or invention in action.

I don't think $700 is all that bad, if you consider that a good set of cat trax will run you upwards to $500.

If it could be used in a 'freewheel' mode, then all the better, save bats for uphill, soft sand areas, and retrieval. Roll free on pavement and hard sand.

The key would be relative simplicity, and corrosion resistance. Also may need the abiltiy to be partially or completely dunked if used in the surf.

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Jim

2007 Hobie Wave

This option certainly depends on the launch area: I know of a fellow that had a direct shot from beachspot to water, so he rigged a winch and battery at the boats cradle to pull the boat back up after sailing. Launching wasn't the issue since it had the downward slope, but dragging an 18 back up after several hours of sailing was challenging. The winch contraption worked in this case. Sorry, no photos or reference on parts used other than he did it all from the secondhand market and it was relatively inexpensive. Of course the powered cat trax option provides more flexibility, but there are probably all sorts of regulation hurdles it will have to pass as well, which will end up making it cost $1,200 by the time all of the attorneys are paid ...sorry fellow attorney sailors.

Would it be submersible?? Very interested...beach is steep.

Since you haven't given us any details it is hard to help you, but I would say $700 might be a show stopper for most. Though geezers like me might not mind some help getting a boat up the beach, will it be that much easier than a good set of beach wheels?

Some design questions:

1. Will the motor, battery, and gears be protected from the environment, especially salt water and sand?

2. Will it break down and stow easily on the boat/trailer?

3. Will the batteries be 12V and able to be recharged from the car?

and suggestions:

1. Mount the wheels on an axle that has a simple differential/transmission midway between the wheels.

2. Design the differential so it works when completely exposed to the environment.

3. Put the motor and battery in a sealed module that easily attaches to the end of the pull bar. Use a hollow pull bar (with a driveshaft inside) that easily connects to and disconnects from the differential. That way you can position and attach the wheels to the Hobie, before the pull bar or motor unit is attached and thereby reduce the chances of exposing the motor to water, etc.

4. Configure the motor so the drive unit can be easily disengaged for manual towing or have a handle that installs at the end of the pull bar instead of the power module.

5. Design the motor/battery module with a power plug/receptacle so it can be recharged from a car's cigarette lighter, and/or use a separate battery module that plugs into the motor module, so that you can easily swap the battery with a spare.

6. Consider a lighter weight alternative to a battery powered electric motor unit - a small gas powered 'weed whacker' type motor (will need to be geared down) that connects to the drive shaft as described above.

Gee, maybe I should make one of these! I would need to make another 'Storpedo' to carry the motor and driveshaft.

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Alan
'86 H16, Sail #89057

My boat sits in a boat yard 500 yards away from water, If I could forgo driving my tow vehicle to the lake knowing I could "walk" the boat from the yard to the beach I would see it as a very viable option. Marketed as motorize cat trax it comes across as too expensive, marketed as a motorized hand trailer it comes across just fine. Could it climb a boat ramp, loaded?

_________________

Frank, sailing '02 Getaway in Wichita KS. Lake Cheney
(Hobie 17 RIP, storm of '05)

^^^This is the key IMO.

It would be good to hear more about this unit. I suspect that there are going to be some difficult design issues to overcome, specifically:

- The ability to submerse the unit and the ability to deal with the environment in general (water, salt, sand).

- The power to weight ratio. I'm afraid that there simply isn't going to be enough power available to pull a 350 to 400lb boat (especially up an incline in rough terrain) in a package that's light enough to be easily handled. I'm just thinking about how much power is available for example with one of those WalMart electic shopping carts. They're fairly heavy and pretty low on power. Even a riding lawnmower requires at least a 10HP gas motor.

On level ground it might be ok, but then a non-powered dolly works fine on flat level ground anyway.

I'd like to hear how they've overcome some of these issues.

sm

I would be very interested in some sort of powered Cat Trax.

And $700 would not bother me if it worked.