Dinghy Wheels - Do they Really Work ?

[SurferShane]

Way to go on heavier dinghies or if you need to drag across rough terrain that might damage a dinghy.

The only negative I have found is that if you tow the dinghy while trolling fishing lines, the lines are sure to tangle in the wheels.

[allendick]

Is there a definitive answer to this question? To me, it seems to come down to Beachmaster or Danard. Both have superior design and manufacture to others as far as I can see.

Beachmaster has the best website and the wheels look great. There is no doubt at all how they work. The Danard, I assume can be removed, but even after corresponding with the website, I am no wiser as to how easy or hard they are to remove.

The Beachmaster wheels look far less dorky and stow nicely, but are only 10.5 by 3.5 inches The Danards are 16 x 4 if I have this right.

On the rocky beaches of the Gulf Islands and San Juans, I wonder if the difference in diameter matters. Smaller wheels might not ride over gaps as well as larger diameters. 3.5 vs, 4 inches in width is not likely to be significant IMO.

The Danards also lift the stern higher allowing the outboard to remain down right up until the bow hits bottom whereas the Beachmaster may require the outboard to operate in shallow water position. My Nissan 9.8 does not seem to have a shallow water stop.

However, a higher stern approaching a beach means the bow will be deeper in the water and thus the dink will be hitting bottom farther from the beach and I'll be having to roll up my trousers farther, so is this an advantage?

My 42-foot sailboat is used in charter and at times the dink is stowed inverted on the foredeck. From what I can see, the Beachmaster wheels would not be a problem except maybe clearing the lifelines when being hoisted over them by the spinnaker halyard. It appears they would not contact the deck while inverted on deck, or scuff the deck in the stowing process.

With Beachmaster there is nothing to drop overboard, lose, or stow separately.

So, I'm inclined towards the Beachmaster wheels although if I never had to stow the dinghy, I'd probably close the Danards.

Comments?

[Cheechako]

everything is a compromise. Of course bigger wheels on rocks etc are better, but I would go with what seems best overall for you. 10" wheel is pretty big , 16" is huge...... are these wheels plastic? You might compare how rugged the wheels are, PNW rocks could be rough on the axles/wheel center if plastic. You want rugged wheels.
Make a wooden peg to put in the motor mechanism to keep it tilted up.

[allendick]

True, and I've discovered the secret to running wheels in sand or over rough terrain is to keep tires as soft as feasible without having the rims hit on rocks or having the tire come off the rim. I've gotten out of sand and mud many times by letting the tires down to about half-height, and this flotation trick works in situations like this, too.

[Dustymc]

Originally Posted by allendick

The Danard, I assume can be removed, but even after corresponding with the website, I am no wiser as to how easy or hard they are to remove.

You slide them around in their track. Takes about 1 second.

Originally Posted by allendick

I wonder if the difference in diameter matters.

It does.

Originally Posted by allendick

Smaller wheels might not ride over gaps as well as larger diameters. 3.5 vs, 4 inches in width is not likely to be significant IMO.

Larger diameter also means a larger contact patch - the Danards should be much better in soft sand, as well as rocks.

Originally Posted by allendick

The Danards also lift the stern higher allowing the outboard to remain down right up until the bow hits bottom whereas the Beachmaster may require the outboard to operate in shallow water position.

You don't have to drop them in the water - I usually just run the dinghy up on the beach and then worry about wheels to get above tideline.

Originally Posted by allendick

With Beachmaster there is nothing to drop overboard, lose, or stow separately.

And this is indeed a problem with the Danards, at least on my little boat - they're sorta BIG and a pain to stow. I've never used the Beachmaster, but assuming they work as well as everyone suggests the decision comes down to performance as wheels (Danards) versus stowage (the tucked-in Beachmaster looks like a pretty fabulous design).

[allendick]

I think I've decided. I just wrote Beachmaster to see if the $64 shipping to Canada is tax and duty paid or if there is going to be added cost.

Danard are American made and come under the NAFTA rules. 5% tax only.

[allendick]

I wrote Beachmaster and they do not include duty and tax in that $64. It is just postage. Has anyone any experience with importing boat parts into Canada? In Alberta, There is just Federal GST and no sales tax, and in B.C., a provincial tax as well, but in both cases there will be an unknown Federal customs duty as well. That is what I don't know.

I suppose that I could try phoning the tax office, but as I recall, the last time I did that a few years back it took a long time and they did not seem to know with certainty either, so I'm hoping that someone here may have some experience.

[Reiziger]

For the real Bling Bling lovers, the SeaLeg from NZ.

Link:

YouTube "The SeaLeg"

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by ausaviator

I use these bad-boys.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ler-76441.html

Not great on soft sand, however on the other hand, you can put the wheels down and there's slightly less chance of your dinghy floating away when the water comes in.

I use these on my cathdral-bottomed fibreglass dinghy, but they're fitted to the top of the transom. Just turn her over and go (with apologies to Ricky-Lee Jones). Brilliant.

[muskoka]

The Beachmasters appear to be beautifully made - I think I've made my mind up!! I also really like the way they've engineered the demountable wheels.

[allendick]

Yeah, me too. My Beachmasters are on the way right now.

[appick]

Has anyone tried these out? The wheels look to be the same size as the Denards only a heck of a lot cheaper! Amazon from what I've experienced so far has a great return policy I'm thinking about giving them a shot as I have a solid frg 9ft Rigidboat that weighs 150lbs plus motor.

http://www.amazon.com/Norestar-BLW-3.../dp/B00FZXXWES

[ausaviator]

Those look to be a similar size to mine and work really well. I paid about Aud $120 for them. My ratchet / pin system is a little more simple but they look like they will work well.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Unless you're beaching on hard pebbled beaches all the time they're a waste of effort and money. Also they look ridiculous.

This is what I love about this forum. The blanket statements, made with absolute certainty.

We use our dinghy wheels a lot. We often beach the dinghy on fairly soft sand in places with a big tidal range. It would be impossible to drag the dinghy far enough up the beach without wheels.

That said, we do have fairly large inflatable wheels. And the dinghy is fitted (standard fitment) with 4 of them. And they do slightly restrict the steering lock on the motor.

They're also very useful on hard surfaces, like boat ramps, where we sometimes take the dinghy up and secure it to a tree or signpost.

[RaymondR]

My dingy is quiet a heavy little monster so I have it set up as a tricycle with a steerable front wheel. The wheels were salvaged from golf carts as they are all plastic and have fairly wide rubber tyres.


The dingy is aluminium so I put horizontal tubes through the side tanks aft into which tubular axles slide. I use agricultural pins to retain the wheels so that I can slip them off when using a big motor and want to be able to get up onto the plane.


The front wheel is mounted on an aluminium tube which slips up through a sleave welded through the front buoyancy tank and is also easily removed.


It's a fun sort of thing as it's sturdy enough to ride down steep boat ramps and I have been told it looks quiet cool the way I slip into the water and motor away rapidly. It's also fun to land on a beach with a bit of a surf running as the front wheel touches bottom first and rolls along into quiet shallow water before the boat grounds.


I am going to replace the golf buggy wheels with low pressure polly wheel as the golf buggy wheels are not that good in soft sand. Also I am thinking of motorizing the front wheels with a whipper snipper motor so that I can ride it out of the water and don't have to haul it up boat ramps.


All in all, I would not be without a set of wheels on a dingy.