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Why don't we have more water blasted small craft?
Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 1:20 pm
by catsailor
Been thinking about this one since I got caught on a short ramp at low tide on the Miles River a month ago. So I like the size of my trailer wheels and would not want to go smaller like the wheels I saw the new Precision trailers equipped with at the Annapolis show but would love to hear thoughts on water balasting and center boards. Seems like the SCAMP design is right on with regards to both these subjects.
Getting a boat to sit as low on the trailer would solve launching and retiriving especially with short ramps and low tide.
BTW I own a Monty 15 #616
Re: Why don't we have more water blasted small craft?
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:04 pm
by Ray Frechette Jr
Some small vhull boats can be set up for launching and recovering without ever getting the steel wheels wet.
I own a Coresound 20 set up on a trailer and I never submerge the trailer in the salt water. I back up until the rubber tires touch the water and I have keel rollers set up on the trailer supporting the boat's weight entirely. I simply tie off a box line and disconnet the trailer winch strapa nd roll the boat off the keep rolers single handedly.
Boat rolls back and splashes in the water.
Recovery is similar. Back trailer till tires touch the water and then nose boat up to aft most keel roller and attach winch strap to Bow Eye. If windy, have one person hold boat in place while I go forward and winch the boat onto the trailer. Winching it aboard the keel self centers in the keel rollers so as an added benefit there is no need to pull up and back in several times to center the boat on the trailer.
With this set up, I only need a launch that allows me to get close to the water.
Ray Frechette
Great Falls Boat Works.
Building Dreams One Boat at a Time
Greatfallsboatworks.com