perfect beach launch boat
Submitted by grayzeee on Tue, 2011-02-15 16:05
what do you think makes a perfect beach launchable trailer boat for exploring the whole WA coast??
ideal size ? obviously not too big that you can't lauch off any beach but not too small that you can't get out offshore safely.
if i'm hearing right , you have to drag the boat up the beach a bit before trailering , so that def put's the stops on fibreglass.
what would you be looking for??
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sea-kem
Posts: 14991
Date Joined: 30/11/09
5m Ali. I know cause I beach
5m Ali. I know cause I beach launch mine 90% of the time. Mine is 5.4m and just on the edge of being too big, but the comfort is worth it. Most of the blokes where I am have 4.5 to 5m.
Love the West!
chookc
Posts: 442
Date Joined: 07/01/10
I think
I think with the right technic and gear up to 8 meter ali is doable from just about anywhere...
Of course you have to be switched on and have a good 4wd and helpers who also know what to do...
You should also have your trailer set up right as well... The lower the boat sits on the trailer the less you have to back it in making the job easier and safer on those gentle sloped beaches...
snappermiles
Posts: 2100
Date Joined: 05/11/10
the trailer
is what makes it the perfect boat! if your trailer is set up well then you can launch most boats from the beach
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Goodz
Posts: 2332
Date Joined: 20/07/09
Yeh agree with the trailer
Yeh agree with the trailer thing. My old man modified his trailer with an extra couple of meter fold out extension which makes launching his 19ft HEAVY oldschool fiberglass very managable!
I recantly beach launched my 5.1m fiberglass and putting it in was easy.... getting it back out became quite the mission as I lost my winch handle somehow during launch (didn't realise till we got back in and the tide was way in) and trying to use an adjustable spanner was very painful as waves broke at the back of the boat!
In answer to your actual question, I would definately say the perfect beach launch boat would an Ali under 6m... you wouldn't want a small boat as most places you beach launch would be to get out deep. Less weight would be biggest advantage in launching, other than the trailer.
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Its odd, but sometimes big
Its odd, but sometimes big boats aren't so bad to launch, they're soo far out into the water before you even get your wheels wet.
I was present for the beach launch of an 8m LC, that wasn't too bad, even the retrieve on just one motor was ok!
wazzbat
Posts: 977
Date Joined: 19/01/10
I saw an old fella recently
I saw an old fella recently hop out his boat and on to his tractor. He backed it up a bit then grabbed a tow rope permanently tied to the tractor (and 10m longer than the trailer) and hooked it on to the boat nd he dragged it right out of the water and up onto the beach. From there, he got it on the trailer easy. It was only a small boat/large dinghy though and he did use a tractor. Might be a tad harder with a 4x4?
Me and a few mates hired a big (6.5m I think?) plate ali boat in denham a few years back and we didn't have too many dramas launching and retrieving at Nanga. Might be a fair bit harder on your own though I'd imagine.
I fish for the future - Cause I can't bloody catch anything!
Goodz
Posts: 2332
Date Joined: 20/07/09
I also think it depends on
I also think it depends on where exactly you're beach launching... some places would almost be better than most ramps! Other places shallower places... with waves... maybe a tad harder!
carnarvonite
Posts: 8669
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Tricks
When retrieving a boat don't forget to let the trailer tyres down as well as the 4x4 and when the boat is on the trailer , reverse about 2-3 feet to get the wheels out of their hole where they have settled and to break the suction created in the hole.
If its only a tinny of around 4 metres and a drive on trailer, fit a post on the trailer just forward of where the stern of the dinghy sits so as you drive on you can take a couple of turns of rope round the post to stop the boat flowing back with the wave, once the vehicle driver sees you secure the boat he takes off lessening the time you are in the waves. The quicker you get the boat on or off the trailer in exposed beaches and ramps the easier it is. Even have someone in the dinghy at launching so he can get the boat out while the car is parked up and come in when you are ready to board.
sea-kem
Posts: 14991
Date Joined: 30/11/09
At Gnaraloo they have a
At Gnaraloo they have a couple of ali security doors to back the trailer onto for retrieval bloody marvellous. Stops the suction.
Love the West!
hezzy
Posts: 1521
Date Joined: 27/11/09
gotta agree with
gotta agree with sea-kem
having beach launched my barrington plate alli 5.3m over 10years 85% of the time , it was a good compromise in size , small enough to handle on my own , but big enough on agood day to go deeper , ..with a self draining deck , doesnt matter if you get the odd slop over the back on a launch or retrieve either
set up is critical , mine had a low tandem trailer , with a 6 metre extendable draw bar , ..., and as carnarvonite mentioned , know the tricks ,back up first before you try to go forward and suction bogs you in .....i often let my tyres down if the tide was high and beach soft , ...can help to go back and forth a few times with an empty trailer on the beach a few times to pack your track ,before you load the boat on ..... sounds like small bickes but it can make a big difference in getting everything back on the trailer and off the beach easily ,
knowing the location well , and how the beach is likly to be at that time of the year under the conditions you have on the day your going , swell , wind , tide times and surge , as well as beach conditions imo .
nanga station beach is a whole lot different to kilcarnup in winter , or port gregory , to windy harbour etc summer time
know your own and your crews capabilitys too ......some days just arnt worth it
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
Brody
Posts: 1025
Date Joined: 06/02/07
Definitely depends on what
Definitely depends on what type of beach launch it is. At Ledge, the only way it is done (99% of the time) is to drag boat high and dry onto the sand, reverse the trailer under and then winch on. For doing this, the biggest boat i would like to be retrieving is about 5.5m.
Have seen 3 or 4 cars written off (sunk) due to retrieving like you would at a ramp or hard beach.
glastronomic
Posts: 892
Date Joined: 16/02/11
Beach launching with a
Beach launching with a Fibreglass boat, as long as it is not to heavy, is not a problem.
The driving on the beach is also a limiting factor.
Picture taken a few weeks ago, just south of Cervantes, a beautifull spot.
All I need to do is learn how to catch fish!
Paul H
Posts: 2104
Date Joined: 18/01/07
I've had a situation with a
I've had a situation with a two wheel drive (commydoor) where I didn't have enough water depth to get the bow of the boat over the rear roller - boat was only just floating. (did have concrete ramp down to the waters edge but sand behind that for the trailer). Was fortunately calm and didn't want to leave the boat (40km from our base) there so got out of trouble by disconnecting the trailer putting the jockey wheel on and running it back with 20 foot of rope. Hooked the boat up to the winch and lifted the front of the trailer (lowering the rear roller low enough). Winched the boat up with the draw bar under my left armpit (leaning my weight on the trailer) and winching with the right untill the boat got up far enough for the weight to start getting to the front of the trailer. winched the boat up pulled the trailer out of the water with the rope to the bottom of the ramp. then chocked the trailer wheels and reversed up and hooked up the trailer and drove off. Hard work and don't recommend it as usual practice but can get you out of trouble.
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Pete D
Posts: 1681
Date Joined: 07/06/07
The Ultimate!
Saw this on Channel 44 - On the water last weekend.
Would be a fantastic option for beach launches anywhere. From memory, about a $25K extra.
http://www.sealegs.com/recreation-61m-rib
Your trailer never gets wet!
Would have to be great for sea rescue groups aswell.
Cheers Pete
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
i'm liking the extended
i'm liking the extended drawbar idea. is that something you knocked up yourself????
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
pelagicyachts
Posts: 1322
Date Joined: 23/02/11
bigger boat do able - just
bigger boat do able - just need a bit more prep and some sand grabbers (4x4 tracks) and some diff breathers!! :-)
Gnaraloo bay on a low tide....
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
having done many a beach
having done many a beach launch from SAFFA land, I would go for a 5m cat with twin 40hp's on the back.
Small motors easy to lift in the shallows, twins turn fast and able to power out on breaks. But then you don't have the same condtions here that we had.
With the reefs around here, yes I'd say allie, and self draining decks a must. but hey thats just me.
Now this is the toy I'd like to exploring the area around WA with beach launch in mind. http://www.naiadboats.com.au/naiad/images/53xla.jpg
nice Naiad 5,3m ... best of both worlds... allie bottom, full wet deck and pontoons to keep you a float.
Remember weight is a killer on sand! I'd go lightest motor I could. With that Naiad 5,3 I would put on a 90hp Evenrude ETEC, for the ligth weight and punch out of the hole shot when crossing breakers and sand bars...
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
pelagicyachts
Posts: 1322
Date Joined: 23/02/11
Durban? Sordwana? -
Durban? Sordwana? - interesting launching thru 6-8 foot breakers - i have some great memories of the boats at Sordwana flying in to the beach fast enough to slide over the sand into the river.... :-)
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
Shelly Beach was onw of the
Shelly Beach was onw of the easy ones, but Soddies could be a bugger on a NW swell. Hairy ones where off Mozambique cause bugger all charts and markers to show you safe passage.
Cape Beach launches where a piece of cake, more issues with bogged 4x4's on the fine sand than breakers to get out over.
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Perhaps one thing to consider
Perhaps one thing to consider re size is also getting to the beach. Even if you could launch a 7m, I would imagine a 5m would be a lot easier to drag around tracks that may go for a while before you get to the beach?
I once saw a 4wd that had a towball on the front. What would be interesting if you had a reversable trailer. Nose into to the water as you backed it in, then flip the post and attach a bar and its ready for a retreive :p. Probably too much effort for so little reward in practice. Would be interesting as a demo though.
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
most SAFFA beach launching
most SAFFA beach launching 4x4 have a tow hitch on the front as well, helps to keep the drivers eye on the surf and in many cases you drive fast into the surf / water edge, slam on the brakes and send the boat off the trailer in one nice smooth motion into the water...by the way takes pratice and nerves...lol
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
sea-kem
Posts: 14991
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I have a towball that I take
I have a towball that I take on and off the Triton. Brilliant for the beach launch.
Love the West!
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
Easy
599 centre console poly craft.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
meersy
Posts: 278
Date Joined: 20/04/10
Polycraft,polycraft,polycraft
Polycraft,polycraft,polycraft
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
The other one is the
Triumph got to love the Bubba tests.
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?