Dinghy Bottom Protection

[RDW]

I have a Caribe 10 foot RIB. The bottom of my dinghy is getting sanded away to a degree by pulling it on the sand. I should probably treat it better but when I have been in Maine and I am the only person or just one other person it is 50-75 feet up the beach.
I am thinking about putting 2-4 rub strakes on the stern bottom to help protect the bottom. Any body got any thoughts? If you think it is a good idea how would you attach them? I do not want wheels. It is just one more thing and I am already setting low in the water, so to speak.
RDW

[Cheechako]

Is your RIB double bottom? If not , I would screw the strakes on from the inside and of course use sealant. If it's a double bottom, I would probably dry fit the strakes from the outside, drill and tap screw holes, then 5200 the strakes on. I usually use teak.

[colemj]

Laminate a couple layers of kevlar tape along the "V". That will be tough and sacrificial and cheap. For much more money, someone makes a rubber "keel guard" product that is used a lot on jet skis that are run up on beaches constantly.

Mark

[RDW]

It is a double bottom. I have thought about 24 inch stainless steel rub strakes. The bottom is worn down to the fiberglass. I was considering using West System epoxy to build up a ridge to form fit the concavity of the rub strake and then placing short screws into the Epoxy. Thoughts?
RDW

[RDW]

It is not the V or keel it is the flat bottom at ther back of the boat.
RDW

[cfarrar]

We've got brass, half-oval strakes on the bottom of our fiberglass peapod. They're flat on the backside, so they lie against the hull. We used short screws, bedded in epoxy.

[zboss]

Dredging up an old thread.

Any suggestions on the thickness of kevlar that should be applied to the bottom? The sand and rock has also worn away a big area on our bottom as well.

We are going to epoxy some Kevlar on the V and also at the extreme rear of the bottom of the dinghy.

Are there any other recent developments in this area?

[RDW]

I didn't look to see how long it's been since I initially posted this information. My work is held up well. It was not very good looking cosmetically. We have not been in Maine since it was done so we haven't given as much abuses before. I like your idea of KEVLAR but I also think the metal strakes added a lot
rdw

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by zboss

...Any suggestions on the thickness of kevlar that should be applied to the bottom?...

Kevlar provides good abrasion resistance. The strength is already in the fiberglass. So you should not need to build up the Kevlar--just one layer should suffice. Add more only if necessary. Tape form would be the neatest.

[SailRedemption]

Originally Posted by zboss

Dredging up an old thread.

Any suggestions on the thickness of kevlar that should be applied to the bottom? The sand and rock has also worn away a big area on our bottom as well.

We are going to epoxy some Kevlar on the V and also at the extreme rear of the bottom of the dinghy.

Are there any other recent developments in this area?

http://www.gator-guards.com

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[UNCIVILIZED]

If you can dig up good information on how to attach it, Kydex could make a decent skid plate. Of course so would some thin sheet stainless.
What's with the opposition to wheels, they'd let you avoid having to deal with the issue at all, pretty much? Not to mention making it easier to get the dink up the beach.

[zboss]

We don't want wheels because they add weight. Our dinghy only weighs 87 pounds - our 4 stroke engine weighs more than the boat.

After much discussion with other cruisers we have decided that the answer (at least partially) is to avoid dragging the dinghy up on the beach when possible and simply anchor it out. Maybe have two anchors... one anchor out the bow and another up on the beach.

I don't know... maybe its a combination of techniques.

[Red Sky]

WM sells a set of wheels that weighs 5lbs.

[UNCIVILIZED]

If you go with the 2 anchors theme, the idea is to have a continuously looped line, between the one inn the water & the one on the beach. So that when you want to board the dink, you just pull her ashore using the lline.
And from what I gather, many who go this route, use one of the screw in anchors, on the beach end.

Albeit the weight of 2 anchors, plus the tackle to go with, & a skid plate on the dink will wind up weighing more than wheels.

Is the dinghy weight thing an issue when lifting it aboard, or something else? I ask as I'm not getting where you're trying to cut weight or why. Especially since, with the proper wheels, they'll make moving the dink up & down the beach a fair bit easier than would a skid plate.

Ah, & have you considered adding handles to the dink's transom? As in real handles.
They're another of those "little things" which make handling dinghies a lot easier.

PS: You can use a fender (or trio of them) as rollers, underneath of the dinghy, to assist in moving it up the beach.