Boat docking ramp

[Trentriver]

Does anyone here have a boat docking ramp? I'm talking about the kind that uses a winch to pull the boat up onto the shore.

I am building one at my cottage, as I don't feel very secure leaving a boat tied to a dock for extended periods of time. Anyone else have any suggestions or experience with this?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Boat docking ramp

i have seen many, 4x6' with bunk slicks on them. old trailer, tires remove, just wheels, on rail road tracks. trailer with big tires.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Boat docking ramp

My uncle has had that kind of set-up at his cottage for 50+ years. It's used to move the boat from inside the boat house into the water. The track is heavy C-channel steel mounted on treated lumber. The dolly is a steel frame with bunks riding on metal casters. An electric motor driven winch pulls it in and out. I would imagine you could make a dolly out of a boat trailer by putting casters on it.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Boat docking ramp

I looked around and found the post by Paulspaddle, lots of good ideas in there. Here is the link to his post:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=369387

 

[Trentriver]

Re: Boat docking ramp

Guys, thanks for the help but I am not talking about a marine rail system. I am talking about something like this roll'n'go system:

http://www.seagulloutfitters.com/seapix/2006/rollngo/750profile.jpg

The boat is pulled onto the ramp with the combination of the winch and rollers only, there is no cart involved.

Here is what I have made so far, I need to find proper rollers to place on the 2X6 that will accommodate the dimensions of the boat hull. The winch will go at the top in a structure that I have not yet built, I also need to reinforce the sides to make sure there is no buckling.

 

[funk6294]

Re: Boat docking ramp

What kind of boat are we talking about? Also looking at what you want to do you may want to look for some poly bunk strips or UHMW so that the boat will slide on and off easily.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Boat docking ramp

Here is what I have made so far, I need to find proper rollers to place on the 2X6 that will accommodate the dimensions of the boat hull.

I guess it is a pretty small boat to be using a ladder as a frame?

 

[geeco1]

Re: Boat docking ramp

How about finding an old boat trailer and removing the wheels and axel? The Roll-n-go system that you posted looks much like a boat trailer.

The one thing that I might look at is some way to secure the boat for longer periods of storage. Something like a wheel-chock that can be placed behind the boat to keep it from sliding back into the water incase of winch malfunction. You could winch the boat unto the shore loader, place the chocks behind the transom, then let the boat slide back agains the chock and release the pressure on the winch.

Just a thought.

 

[Trentriver]

Re: Boat docking ramp

What kind of boat are we talking about? Also looking at what you want to do you may want to look for some poly bunk strips or UHMW so that the boat will slide on and off easily.

It's a 14 ft. tri hull. I plan on having the boat on rollers, so the strips would probably not be of help.

Thanks for the advise though, maybe I can use it in another application.

 

[Trentriver]

Re: Boat docking ramp

I guess it is a pretty small boat to be using a ladder as a frame?

Well, it's not a rowboat, but it's also not a very large boat. 14ft tri hull, with a 75 hp Evinrude. The ladder is basically acting as a frame to build around. It will not be taking the entire load by itself, it will be propped at three different points.

It's a bit of an experiment, we'll see what happens!

 

[Trentriver]

Re: Boat docking ramp

How about finding an old boat trailer and removing the wheels and axel? The Roll-n-go system that you posted looks much like a boat trailer.

The one thing that I might look at is some way to secure the boat for longer periods of storage. Something like a wheel-chock that can be placed behind the boat to keep it from sliding back into the water incase of winch malfunction. You could winch the boat unto the shore loader, place the chocks behind the transom, then let the boat slide back agains the chock and release the pressure on the winch.

Just a thought.

All good ideas, I have actually thought of some of them prior to posting here. However, I don't think the trailer would be long enough for the application. The structure that I am working on is about 14 ft long, which is much longer than the load bearing portion of the trailer.

The part of the shore where I am placing the ramp requires for extra length in order for the boat not to bottom out.