Making the C-Tug Cart TI friendly.

Haven't had a chance to try the TI on the Sandtrax yet CR Yaker.
It's been difficult finding any dry sand as we've had a very wet June with 260mm+ so far and more to come this weekend.
I originally used the C-Tug as a secondary cart on firm ground in conjunction with the 4 wheeled Trax cart I made, so it should work for you. A better option I feel would be 2 Sandtrax. but I won't be able to test this for a while.

Thanks Stringy,
I picked up a C-tug sandtrax here in the US. Very well built. Works great on the Revolution 11, but really overkill. A bit heavier than I anticipated. Also it does not float, so definitely is limited to an onshore/shallow calm water, only cart. I'll give it a try this September with the TI in combination with my heavy duty scupper cart (which looks to still be my primary cart to carry on the water)

_________________
Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014

Because it doesn't float it's one of the easiest carts to fit. We stand either side of the hull at the rudder, in knee deep water, each holding a strap and just slide it under. Moving it up to the rear drivewell we each grab a handle (our TI has them ) and lift the hull slightly to help slide it and locate it under the rear drivewell.
It wouldn't be too difficult to make it float if that is important. Just add some closed cell foam under the hull pads or stick some between the ribs on the beams.

I still haven't tested the Sandtrakz with the rigged TI on soft sand, but thinking the TI's weight would be better handled with 4 wheels (especially after watching Nohuhu's above video) I recently purchased a second C-Tug with both sand and hard wheels. I wanted to try Nohuhu's suggestion of joining the two carts to make a 4 wheeled cart. I also wanted it to double as a trolley cart for transporting all our camping gear to the waters edge.
Much like this Wheeleez cart


Joining the carts was easy. After a trip to our local hardware superstore I came home with 2 x25mm water tank flanges and a 25mm x300 poly riser pipe to suit,


For strength I added some 25mm bimini tube which fits OK inside the riser tube after some persuasion with a mallet. Adding a bevel with a file to the tube end helps.


The two carts are now easily joined together and can be separated in seconds by undoing the large flange nuts.


To get the tray I also purchased a cheap wheelbarrow.
Adding a bungee button each end of the tray makes for simple attaching with bungee loops





The tray is big enough to carry large objects


or they can be strapped direct to the trolley


Unfortunately fitting the four wheeled cart to the TI proved not as easy as fitting two singles, so that didn't work out, but I now have an all surface trolley cart for gear carrying that breaks down simply to two separate carts.

You must be close to the world authority on trolley carts Stringy Railblaza should be hiring you for their R&D

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Yes, Stringy, you could make it float. That being said, it doesn't matter, I have found that the C-Tug Sandtrax is insufficient to handle a TI (fully loaded) by itself, even on hard ground, no way. So to carry it on the water in place of the heavy duty cart is never going to happen. The heavy duty cart works for me pulling the TI down the beach alone and into the water, although it sometimes can be a challenge in soft sand near the waters edge.
Where the C-Tug does shine is upon pulling the TI up the beach after landing in combination with the heavy duty cart. It helps tremendously if you can find the correct balance between the two and is not so difficult to slide under the TI having the heavy duty cart already in place and the help of a cooler to prop up onto.

_________________
Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014

Hey Stringy,
Just thought I'd ask if you have done any more testing on joining 2 x carts together, trying to see whether this is a viable option for transporting my fully rigged TI using 2x carts with SandTrakz tyres... Is it really hard to get them into position?

Hi Dammit,
I was disappointed that getting the 4 wheeled cart under the hull was much harder than getting the single C-tug into position. After trying all types of carts (see pic p3 of this thread) the C-tug is still my preferred cart for easy fitting, due to its very light weight. The TI is cantilevered over the end of the trailer and the C-Tug with the strap in a large loop is slipped over the rudder and slid into position under the rear drivewell. Retrieving is similar - the submerged C-tug is guided under the hull using the strap. This method minimises having to pick up the TI.
It proved easier to fit two C-tugs separately, than the two joined together.
I still haven't tested the 4 Sandtrax in soft sand. I intend to get that done next month sometime when we will be away camping with our TI.

Let me know how you go with testing the 2 x carts on Sandtrakz - eager to hear your findings

Btw I sent you a PM too.

On a recent 10 day camping trip I finally got around to testing the Sandtrakz x2 dolly cart in soft sand.
I was impressed!
The Sandtrakz worked well in the soft sand. I was even able to drag the TI (with some difficulty) up a sandy slope.
The paddle marks how far I got with the hard wheels, so the Sandtrakz are a real improvement in soft sand.


It's important to get the balance right so the wheels are evenly compressed. With the TI's bulk spread over the 4 wheels the Sandtrakz can handle a rigged TI OK.



Some video showing how easy launching/retrieving becomes with the 4 wheeled cart. Whilst the sand at the waters edge was firm, the sand under the water and on the slope was very soft.


The trolley cart got a good work out as well and made transporting all our gear from car to waters edge much easier:

Our granddaughter even enjoyed the ride when the rest of the family joined us for a few days:

Hi Stringy

I've purchased a C-Tug and also the Hobie cradle designed for the plug in cart. I haven't used it "in anger" yet and probably need to make some mods.

You have been using your's for a while now, how do you find the strap slots that you have cut into the cradle?

Do they work ok?

Do you think there are other solutions that might work better?

What about the tubes that sit in the scupper grooves? Do I need them? What's the best way to secure them? I was thinking just cable ties to the cart pads.

Cheers

Brad

_________________
Brad K
Papaya Tandem Island - "Dry Reach"
Lengthened Jet Ski trailer
"Kayaking Bob" Spray Skirts
Trampolines

Hi Brad,
The slots in the cradle for the webbing have held up ok. I guess you could rivet/bolt a webbing saddle under the cradle if you didn't want to cut slots.
You may not need the tubes. I added them to eliminate the rocking I was getting with the hull on the cradle alone. Without the tubes you would need a way of attaching the cradle to the C-tug pads so it didnt slip. You could fix it direct but then you lose the ability to strip the cart down, unless you can make it quick release somehow.
I like Flaneurs mods he posted earlier. Looks like PVC and cable ties work ok.

C-TUG have just release a Double up bar to join two C-Tugs together.
https://www.c-tug.com/products/double-up-bar/

I did have a problem with just one C-Tug since it would twist off due to only one strap.

Maybe we finally have a solution that can fit in the front hatch?

If you could even fit two C-tug Sandtrakz into the front hull, it wouldn't leave you room for anything else. Not a good solution. Also the Sandtrakz weigh more than the Heavy Duty scupper cart, about a pound more. The heavy duty cart is a must for heavier surf entry exit. Also it floats. So storing the heavy duty cart on a tramp or in front seat when solo, works for me. I still think the combo of Heavy duty scupper cart and Sandtrakz a better solution than two Sandtrakz. I don't have the luxury of time to fit a cart under the TI upon landing. It all has to be done ahead of time before entering the surf zone. Thus the heavy duty scupper cart shall remain my main go to cart.
Most of the time I can get on just fine with the heavy duty scupper cart alone, pulling up the sandy shore. Amazing what a little gym conditioning can do. But, just in case, I keep the Sandtrakz available in the cab of my truck.

NOTE: Everybody situation is different, different shoreline, swell etc. What works for me may not work for another.

BradK, I have the cradle also. I never use it. It's just one more thing to carry or get in the way. As long as your not keeping the TI on wheels very long, it's really not needed.

As much as I complain about the heavy duty cart with the TI. I've come to realize its an amazingly durable cart for it's weight and size.

_________________
Mark
Tandem Island- 2013
2 - Sports - 2014

Yesterday was the first outing for the season and the first time I have tried my Trax cart. Previously I have launched directly from the trailer but at The Entrance boat ramp it's hard to get from the ramp to an area where you can rig the boat.

I've used a Hobie cradle and PVC tube. The only difference to Flaneur is that instead of cutting the PVC tubes I heated them with a hot air gun and pressed the dents into them. I've also just used cable ties to attach the tubes to the trolley plates and to keep the straps in place on the cradle.







I will see if I can get some rubber chair leg end to go on the end of the PVC tube this should help stop the trolley from sliding along the hull.

The trolley seemed to work ok for the short trip across the grass from the car park to the water. I'll see how the cable ties hold up to extended use.

The sailing was great too!

_________________
Brad K
Papaya Tandem Island - "Dry Reach"
Lengthened Jet Ski trailer
"Kayaking Bob" Spray Skirts
Trampolines