Need to update my Hobie ramp! Need good ideas

Up until last winter I had a 12' wide pressure treated ramp to launch my hobie 16 over the shoreline rocks into Lake Ontario. The draw bridge section did not survive the winter. Because of the wave action I can't leave the lower 8' in the water or it will be destroyed by the lake. I have an old screw drive hand anchor winch that used to lift the 8' drawbridge. I would like to winch the bottom section up on top of the top section when it is not in use. but what arrangement of hardware????

My first thought is to somehow use old garage door track and roller hardware. Just a thought though.

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Scott

That could work... but you might have issues with the track rusting and getting debris in it.

Give us some pics of what you have to work with, drop height, how it looks now, maybe you can improve upon that.

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

My suggestion is to move to Cape May, NJ and keep your "beach cat" on the beach and sail with us...don't you own a beach block lot here?

Ahhhh Cape May , Sandy Hook, Sometimes I wish i still lived in NJ, I love the coast there, post some photo's .

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Bodhisatfa

I'm kind of in the same boat so to speak. I have to ask about the draw bridge. Could you or have you attached dock floats http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product ... 009&r=view to the end and used these as part of a hinge http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product ... 009&r=view. You would need a couple of piles at the end, with these attached http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product ... 009&r=view to keep the ramp from being torn laterally. I've thought about doing this and just letting it float.

To transition from the slope angle coming out of the water to horizontal over my sea wall, I'm using a pivot system similar to a see saw. I pull the boat up the see saw 'boards' that supports the hulls. I used 1" galvanized pipe as the center axle/pivot point. As the center of gravity shifts, the boat and boards pivot down to a level position. This prevents having a single point in the hull take all the rotational stress.

One last thing you could consider is using these. http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product ... 009&r=view
Install them at the end of your bridge, but have them attached to a set of pivot arms. You'd need two winches, where one would be attached to the top of the pivot arm, and the other near the bottom by the wheel. When you want to raise the bridge, use the top winch, to lower use the bottom winch. Obviously, I'm just throwing out a simplified idea here. Using a couple of motors, cable winder, shafts and pillow blocks on shore would be the smart way to go.

Good luck

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TC

Seesaw it up with a brake winch.