Adding Wheels to a Dinghy

[rpwillia]

I have a really nice double hulled fiberglass dingy. Usually if I use it I am moving it by myself. It has a decent lip on the back that is about 1-1.15" wide. Has anyone see some kind of wheels I could drill holes and bolt them to the transom so when it is inverted I could just pick up the front and drag it? I saw a friend's Walker Bay that has wheels molded into it and thought that was pretty nice.

 

[Apex]

I had a pair of these mounted. Just took them off, as it is harder to clean around, and I don't need.

Retractable Wheel Boat Dolly | West Marine

Check out our Retractable Wheel Boat Dolly and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

 

[Davidasailor26]

Practical Sailor reviewed a few models of wheels at Dinghy Launchers: Wheels for the Dinghy - Practical Sailor. The review is from 2011 so some of the models may have changed.

 

[justsomeguy]

I've got the now-discontinued Davis 1481 model on my inflatable.

Davis Instruments Wheel-a-Weigh Launching Wheels : Amazon.ca: Sports & Outdoors

Davis Instruments Wheel-a-Weigh Launching Wheels : Amazon.ca: Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.ca

Big inflatable wheels.
Yes, they add windage when up, slightly difficult to counter their buoyancy when locking them down, take up room in the lazarette, yada yada yada.
But when landing, they keep the propeller above the bottom so you just motor right up onto the beach, letting you and your nimble bow person minimize the foot-wetting experience. Launching from the beach can be done completely dry.

 

[rpwillia]

Wow, I guess I just used the wrong search terms. I like the options, but my dinghy is a Sumner dinghy that is double hulled so I am not sure I can mount the West Marine or the Davis stuff to my dinghy easily. The Practical Sailor guide was helpful. Thanks for all the suggestions. Ray

 

[MitchM]

You can make 1 or 2 u shaped wooden removable brackets to mount upside down over transom which terminate in a small Wheel on the lower ends. I saw the Design in practical boat owner the british diy boater mag, but don t have the plans any more....

 

[Sailm8]

I use these Clamp on Dinghy Wheels, $79.95 | Whitworths Marine

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I like the options, but my dinghy is a Sumner dinghy that is double hulled so I am not sure I can mount the West Marine or the Davis stuff to my dinghy easily

I see plenty of fitting that go through the cabin top and though the inner liner. Is the inner liner of your dinghy made of thin material? I installed some non marine harbor freight wheels on the outside and a piece of wood across the transom on the inside. The fiberglass is sandwiched between the wheel and wood. Something like this could help spread the load if your inner liner is a bit weak. Wood isn't the best look but then again my dinghy is a piece of crap. These wheels are big enough that I can pick up the bow and wheel it to the dock

 

[rpwillia]

@Sailm8, I like the way those clamp on wheels work. I have a wooden dolley I built years ago that worked great on the older solid fiberglass dinghy I had, but with the new fancy double hulled one, not so much. Perhaps I can mod my dinghy to have adjustable clamps.

 

[Sailm8]

I actually use a 4 wheel furniture mover on the bow and the wheels on the stern and roll/pull it to my garage for storage.

 

[Tim22]

I installed these seaman wheels on my 8 foot dinghy. Works great. Seamax Deluxe 4x4 Boat Launching Dolly with Dual 14" Wheels System, Commercial Grade Quality for Inflatable Boat & Aluminum Boat: Amazon.ca: Sports & Outdoors

Tim