Dinghy/Inflatable Wheel Suggestions

[geoffschultz]

I've searched this forum and the Internet as a whole looking for suggestions on dinghy wheels, and I haven't found any. My boat will be arriving in San Diego some time soon to begin a multiple year trip down to Peru. Being an east coast guy, I don't have any friends who have experience with wheels, so I thought that there might be some west coast sailors who do.

I understand that I want pneumatic wheels, but I want something that's sturdy enough to support a 10' dinghy weighing 125 lbs and a 15 HP motor weighing 85 lbs for regular use in remote areas.

Thanks, Geiff

 

[Rick Sylvester]

I have the 8" Davis wheels

http://www.go2marine.com/product.do?no=155897F

They work great. On an Achilles 9.6 with a Nissan 9.8.

I've easily dragged it across many yards of soft sand with no problem. Easily removed.

The bigger inflatable wheels are supposedly better for gnarly terrain but they're more $ and mine work fine. The smaller hard wheels also look less goofy when folded up and won't go flat.

 

[Stu Jackson]

The smaller hard wheels won't work in the sand you'll find in Mexico. Once you get to San Diego, go to Minney's or ask around, they'll know what you need.

 

[Stephan]

Found a nice stainless steel launching wheel kit with pneumatic wheels in Italy. Importing them now. Perhaps a bit overkill for a 10' dinghy, but these would easily go over soft sand or pebbles. They also may be more than you want to spend.

Launching Wheels Link: http://www.defender.com/ProductDisplay?prodnum=455213


The wheels come off the axles with removal of a quick pin, so you do not need to navigate with them in the "up" position. Some folks use the leg to hold a stern light when in the up position.

Hope that helps.

Stephan

 

[geoffschultz]

I wanted to close out this topic with my results. I didn't like any of the dinghy wheels that used tubular struts or used pins to lock the strut in place. I went to the Dinghy Doctor in San Diego and they had wheels that used solid 1" aluminum for the struts and have a bracket that is also milled out of solid 1" aluminum that uses the boyancy of the tires to hold the struts in place via a slot. It certainly wasn't cheep, but it looks like it will last.

The wheels are made by Danard Marine, but if you go to their web site, you won't find them there. However, if you search for "danard dinghy wheels" you'll find a lot of people singing their praises. Clearly they believe in stealth marketing...

-- Geoff

 

[geoffschultz]

Here are some photos of my tricked out dinghy. These are very strong with solid struts.

Dinghy Wheels Up

Dinghy Wheels Down

On Davits

-- Geoff