Beach Storage

A conversation among Whalers
alligatorgun
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:15 am

Beach Storage

Postby alligatorgun » Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:31 am

My wife owns a 1973 Sport 13. We own land on a channel (that is not beautiful) connected to a beautiful lake. The channel is very tannic stained and is horrible to leave a white Whaler with a white lower unit in. We are going to re-power this spring with a new E-TEC 25 which is even more reason to keep it out of that gross water.

The channel frontage is pretty much level and grassy. For my Alumacraft fishing boat I removed the axle on a standard roller trailer and mounted it on the "beach" so the rollers are just above the water. I just just pull my boat up to the rollers and winch it up. The deep vee helps to center the boat on the trailer and eases the winching.

[The SPORT 13] hull is so different than [Alumacraft fishing boat] I am not sure the standard roller trailers you find used here in Wisconsin would work.

Does anyone have a situation similar to this?

Seen anyone else's idea?

I'd like to keep the total cost under $1000. I paid $350 for my used roller trailer.

Even a little insight into how to properly support a Whaler Sport on a trailer or the like would be helpful. The trailer it came with is not even close to correct. Thankfully we live two blocks from the lake and that's as far as it's trailered.

Thank you.

ConB
Posts: 248
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 2:52 pm
Location: Suttons Bay, MI

Re: beach storage ideas

Postby ConB » Mon Feb 12, 2018 11:42 am

How deep is the cannel? I would consider a boat hoist. I have seen Whaler 13s on a SeaDoo boat hoist so you don't need a big one.

Con
!987 Outrage 18 / 2011 Yamaha F150
1969 13 / 30hp Johnson tiller

alligatorgun
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:15 am

Re: beach storage ideas

Postby alligatorgun » Mon Feb 12, 2018 1:27 pm

I should have mentioned, boat lifts are out of the question. The channel is relatively narrow, and the bottom is at least 5-feet of muck. At one time it was dredged at 8-feet; now it's maybe 2.5-feet deep!

jimh
Posts: 11673
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Beach Storage

Postby jimh » Mon Feb 12, 2018 2:02 pm

I think your idea to use a trailer with the tires, wheels, and axles removed is a good plan, assuming the lake level does not fluctuate very much. Find a cheap trailer--very cheap--with two or three crossmembers.

Or--even better and cheaper--make your own beach non-moveable trailer from some lumber. You just need two cross-members and two beams to hold them in position. The roller brackets mount to the cross-member lumber. The short bunks mount to the two beams. The winch post can be mounted with two long converting beams from the closer cross-member, or maybe just on a lumber post driven into the ground (assuming the wooden trailer won't ever move out of position).

Add keel rollers to at the rear. Add inexpensive vertical guides at the rear if deemed helpful. Add a second keel roller at the second cross-member. And maybe one more at the winch post, as you determine. Don't use wire rope on the winch.

For light boats like a SPORT 13, don't go to excessive lengths on the rollers. For the aft roller, use a 12-inch roller. For the second or third roller you can use slightly narrower rollers, but you only save about $10 per roller--hardly a deal breaker.

You just need two short bunks at the rear of the trailer. For more ideas on trailer set up with keel rollers and short bunks, see

Trailer Trailer Rigging For Boston Whaler Boats
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/trailering/trailer.html

ConB
Posts: 248
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 2:52 pm
Location: Suttons Bay, MI

Re: Beach Storage

Postby ConB » Mon Feb 12, 2018 4:03 pm

How about a "Jet Dock" with most of the dock on the beach. How steep is the water to beach transition?

http://www.jetdock.com/boat-lifts/

Con
!987 Outrage 18 / 2011 Yamaha F150
1969 13 / 30hp Johnson tiller

alligatorgun
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:15 am

Re: Beach Storage

Postby alligatorgun » Tue Feb 13, 2018 10:33 am

Thanks for the link to the trailer article. It looks like I can support the weight of the boat with lots of nice keel rollers, I just have to figure out something near the water to kind of "aim" it correctly to winch it on to this set-up. I have an acquaintance that does welding and fabrication, I'll run it by him.