I had a long time to ponder this during eight hours of driving out to the in-laws and back for New Year's. The need for an outboard on the short trips this boat will make is driven almost entirely by the weight and drag of wheels and suspension capable of operating at driving speeds.


For reasons of:


Aesthetics

Cost

Ecology

Teaching kids seamanship

Aggravation (not dealing with a balky "bargain" outboard)

Storage

Maintenance (frequent water pump impeller replacement operating over sand)

Peace

I would prefer to row the short distance back and forth to the boat, just as long as I don't have to do it a half dozen times at the beginning and end of each trip.

Getting a boat on and off a trailer is primarily a problem if it is done in the water on this shallow beach. The wheels on the boat will be a big help at the water's edge of this kind of beach, however. The answer is a boat with beach wheels only. These won't need springs and will operate only at low speed so they can be light and minimum drag. No springs or axle needed. A rowing boat, even large enough to take a daysailing party, will be light enough to drag up and down the beach on its wheels. With a winch, it can quickly be gotten on and off of a light, snowmobile type, trailer.

I'll have a sketch of this idea on the web site soon.

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Tender.htm

Thanks to everyone who responded to the original posts. The comments (mostly negative) really contributed to giving this some more thought.

--

Roger Long

I have a 14' aluminum Jon boat, for fishing, that sounds like what
you're looking for. Very light, rows easily. They can be found used
for a few hundred $$.


--
Scott Vernon
Plowville Pa _/)__/)_/)_

"Roger Long" wrote in message
news I had a long time to ponder this during eight hours of driving out to
the in-laws and back for New Year's. The need for an outboard on the
short trips this boat will make is driven almost entirely by the
weight and drag of wheels and suspension capable of operating at
driving speeds.


For reasons of:


Aesthetics

Cost

Ecology

Teaching kids seamanship

Aggravation (not dealing with a balky "bargain" outboard)

Storage

Maintenance (frequent water pump impeller replacement operating over
sand)

Peace

I would prefer to row the short distance back and forth to the boat,
just as long as I don't have to do it a half dozen times at the
beginning and end of each trip.

Getting a boat on and off a trailer is primarily a problem if it is
done in the water on this shallow beach. The wheels on the boat will
be a big help at the water's edge of this kind of beach, however. The
answer is a boat with beach wheels only. These won't need springs and
will operate only at low speed so they can be light and minimum drag.
No springs or axle needed. A rowing boat, even large enough to take a
daysailing party, will be light enough to drag up and down the beach
on its wheels. With a winch, it can quickly be gotten on and off of a
light, snowmobile type, trailer.

I'll have a sketch of this idea on the web site soon.

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Tender.htm

Thanks to everyone who responded to the original posts. The comments
(mostly negative) really contributed to giving this some more thought.

--

Roger Long

--

Roger Long



"Scott Vernon" wrote in message
...
I have a 14' aluminum Jon boat, for fishing, that sounds like what
you're looking for. Very light, rows easily. They can be found used
for a few hundred $$.


--
Scott Vernon
Plowville Pa _/)__/)_/)_

"Roger Long" wrote in message
news I had a long time to ponder this during eight hours of driving out to
the in-laws and back for New Year's. The need for an outboard on the
short trips this boat will make is driven almost entirely by the
weight and drag of wheels and suspension capable of operating at
driving speeds.


For reasons of:


Aesthetics

Cost

Ecology

Teaching kids seamanship

Aggravation (not dealing with a balky "bargain" outboard)

Storage

Maintenance (frequent water pump impeller replacement operating over
sand)

Peace

I would prefer to row the short distance back and forth to the boat,
just as long as I don't have to do it a half dozen times at the
beginning and end of each trip.

Getting a boat on and off a trailer is primarily a problem if it is
done in the water on this shallow beach. The wheels on the boat will
be a big help at the water's edge of this kind of beach, however. The
answer is a boat with beach wheels only. These won't need springs and
will operate only at low speed so they can be light and minimum drag.
No springs or axle needed. A rowing boat, even large enough to take a
daysailing party, will be light enough to drag up and down the beach
on its wheels. With a winch, it can quickly be gotten on and off of a
light, snowmobile type, trailer.

I'll have a sketch of this idea on the web site soon.

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Tender.htm

Thanks to everyone who responded to the original posts. The comments
(mostly negative) really contributed to giving this some more thought.

--

Roger Long

I once saw a guy who aparently had a similar problem to your's. (this was
back around 1960 in the Hudson River). He had solved it by modifying a small
(12 ft?) aluminum boat. He had steel brackets attached to the side rail
areas that were pivoting arms. On these arms were stub axles and wheels
which he could rotate down so they extended below the boat, allowing him to
tow the boat on the highway and launch it. Once in the water he pivoted the
wheel assemblies up 90 degrees so they didn't create drag in the water. He
also had a short trailer tongue and hitch bolted to the bow of the boat
which he could pivot and lock in a straight up position when using the boat
in the water or pivot and lock it down for towing. I can remember seeing
him both towing and using it several times over about a 2 year period. It
seemed to work quite well for him, but it did look a little strange. It all
looked as if it had been home made and not something that he had purchased
and I can remember thinking that it was a pretty ingenius design at the
time.

--
Charley



"Roger Long" wrote in message
news I had a long time to ponder this during eight hours of driving out to the
in-laws and back for New Year's. The need for an outboard on the short trips
this boat will make is driven almost entirely by the weight and drag of
wheels and suspension capable of operating at driving speeds.

For reasons of:

Aesthetics
Cost
Ecology
Teaching kids seamanship
Aggravation (not dealing with a balky "bargain" outboard)
Storage
Maintenance (frequent water pump impeller replacement operating over sand)
Peace
I would prefer to row the short distance back and forth to the boat, just as
long as I don't have to do it a half dozen times at the beginning and end of
each trip.
Getting a boat on and off a trailer is primarily a problem if it is done in
the water on this shallow beach. The wheels on the boat will be a big help
at the water's edge of this kind of beach, however. The answer is a boat
with beach wheels only. These won't need springs and will operate only at
low speed so they can be light and minimum drag. No springs or axle needed.
A rowing boat, even large enough to take a daysailing party, will be light
enough to drag up and down the beach on its wheels. With a winch, it can
quickly be gotten on and off of a light, snowmobile type, trailer.
I'll have a sketch of this idea on the web site soon.
http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Tender.htm
Thanks to everyone who responded to the original posts. The comments
(mostly negative) really contributed to giving this some more thought.

--

Roger Long