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Dolly Ideas

To: <swiftsolo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Dolly Ideas
From: "Greg Ryan" <gregoryrryan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 13:50:49 -0400
References: <2b.5e95c751.2e4d99c9@aol.com>
Reply-to: "Greg Ryan" <gregoryrryan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
If you are building a dolly with carpet you might want to glue the capet down 
to the cradle with contact adhesive. With some effort this can be removed and 
replaced in a couple of years without making a new dolly. 



I'm not sure how many people will be doing beach launches in the US but since 
launching from the beach my dolly is primarily designed for that purpose. 
Although we have very flat water because of a barrier island (Sandy Hook NJ) I 
have found with my 49er that a dolly designed for the beach is best. Although 
the linear poly on the bottom of my swift will be very scratch resistant I have 
noticed that the bottom of my 49er takes a beating from the sand.

I have borrowed some ideas from a New Zealand made dolly by 49er maker David 
Mckay. 

 

The dolly should be light enough but float with the center of the aft cradle 
element under the water ~6 inches so that you can slide the bow on without 
having to push it down when you have your hands full on a blustery day at the 
beach. There should be some sort of horizontal side support at the aft cradle 
that can hook under the gunwale if the boat starts to slew and heal as you are 
sliding it on. A T-shaped edge on the aft cradle about 2 ½ feet wide is 
sufficient. There should be enough buoyancy for the front to float so that the 
handle that protrude beyond the bow are above the water. I am using 2 long rods 
from the aft cradle to the bow. They are kept rigid 2ft apart by transverse 
spacers that have foam padding that floats the nose. There should also be a 
frame that holds the nose on the dolly. This is a padded tube that makes a 
diagonal from the bottom rods to the top of the handle

 

To avoid trapping sand I used expanded polypropylene (EPP) to cushion the boat. 
This is very tough material that has a flat surface that lets the sand wash off 
in the water before you put the boat on rather than trapping the sand in the 
carpet pile, which squashes down and grinds the sand into the boat as it slides 
on. I sourced the EPP from Sports Authority, as a kids pool lounge (with 
pillow)  1 ½ inch thick sheet 6 feet long and 2 ¾ feet wide. Chopped it into 
padding strips with the table saw.

There is a gap of ½ inch in the center (keel) of the cradle elements so that 
sand, which will wash down and accumulate here, can wash down  off the bearing 
surface.  The EPP is glued to the glass with contact adhesive. It is possible 
to remove it and replace it with some effort when it gets badly worn. I was 
also able to get it in pink! :-)

 

I'm not the worlds best artist but here is a couple of slides in PowerPoint 
attached showing the dolly.






  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Aikisu@xxxxxxx 
  To: swiftsolo@xxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Friday, August 13, 2004 12:12 AM
  Subject: dolly slowdown


  Hi all,

  Back to square one. 
  Building the dolly
   Tossed one carpet pattern after three layers of cloth when I felt underneath 
,the epoxy bled thru. I must of forced to much with the squeegy. It was far too 
scratchy to slide  my hull on. Starting over ,I used thickened filler 
first,waited to dry and sand smooth then cloth then straight hardener etc.much 
softer underneath, now back on track.
  The dolly ate up alot more  epoxy than I expected. I had to run and get more.
  next fiquiring out the the axel wheelset. So many choices.
  Did everyone get thru this or am I the only newbee one.

   just wanting to build my boat
  wanting to flip that hull,
  patience ,be kind to your soul
  another nare hair pulling day
  (dried epoxy on hairy arms and legs)

  My best to all,
  ken

Attachment: Dolly2.ppt
Description: MS-Powerpoint presentation

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