Oppo, your thoughts

"zeontestpilot" (zeontestpilot) 09/21/2015 at 07:00 • Filed to: Question

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I have my gramps boat, which I can use at anytime. The issue is taking it to the lake nearby, as I have no way to properly take it down there. So I was thinking of building a makeshift trailer.

Since my car had no hitch, I was thinking the golf cart would be a good idea to haul it with. Them the other day I re-noticed this mower attachment seeder in my backyard (pic below). No idea if it works, nor do I think I’d even use it. But it has a hitch to connect to, and the wheels that can spin independently of each other (which is what I wanted). I just need to get a longer rod for the axle.

I’m was thinking that the trailer should be made out of wood, with a boxy shape to fit the boat. The left and right side with have two vertical prongs to keep the boat from falling off, the front with have one prong, and the back will have either a foldable or detachable prong so I can easily remove the boat. That’s all I have so far, haven’t thought of the rest yet.

How about it oppo, do you think it’s feasible to make a trailer out of the seeder and some 2x4’s? Should I be aware of something? Better idea? I’d love to hear it. My end game is a way to easily transport the boat to and from water.

davedave1111 > zeontestpilot 09/21/2015 at 07:15

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You’re hauling it behind a golf cart? I don’t think you can go too far wrong. One thing you might want to consider is using the boat as the main chassis beam. Throw some wheels under the back, hitch the front to the golf cart, off you go.

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 09/21/2015 at 07:19

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The short answer is yes, this is doable. Some clarification, do you just want something to get to the lake, and then you can manually launch it (we used to have one of these, so I know how light they are), or are you trying to make it like a “real” boat trailer that you can back into the water?

pip bip - choose Corrour > zeontestpilot 09/21/2015 at 07:31

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yep it’s doable!

8)

zeontestpilot > shop-teacher 09/21/2015 at 07:33

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Just transportation, not a launcher. It should be easier that way, right?

zeontestpilot > davedave1111 09/21/2015 at 07:34

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You mean attach wheels to the boat itself? I can't since it's not mine.

zeontestpilot > pip bip - choose Corrour 09/21/2015 at 07:34

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Awesome, then I need to tinker around with some designs then....

davedave1111 > zeontestpilot 09/21/2015 at 08:06

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Not permanently. I was thinking something more like a heavier version of this kind of thing:

Google ‘kayak dolly’ and there are loads of pics of different ways of building the same kind of thing. Shove it under the back, it’ll probably need some rope or bungee cords or ratchet straps or something to keep it in the right place, but boats have loads of places to attach that kind of thing already - cleats, eyelets, etc. (Or maybe you could get away with a rear-facing wedge.)

Then tie the front of the boat to the back of your golf cart.

How far are you going with it?

zeontestpilot > davedave1111 09/21/2015 at 09:18

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If it could be firmly attached, I have a nice, long, bumpy hill to go down to reach the lake.

One thing that was convenient with my idea, was that I can put the put upside down in the trailer to protect it, and right side up when I want put tackle boxes, motor, etc in it.

Though the dolly does look cheaper.

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 09/21/2015 at 10:41

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Much easier. Probably safer too, you don’t want to plunk your golf cart or lawn mower in the drink.

This is what I’d do. The outer perimeter is 2x4’s (treated of course), and the middle boards would be either 2x6 or 2x8. They use the pontoon “tunnel” to keep the boat in place. You’ll have to work out how to attach this to the lengthened/widened seed spreader.

davedave1111 > zeontestpilot 09/21/2015 at 10:59

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Well, if you want the cheapest, simplest solution, just turn the boat upside down and use a simple dolly which the transom drops into. You could probably knock something up in half an hour.

Or make a trailer because it’s more fun :)

shop-teacher > davedave1111 09/21/2015 at 11:10

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Oh, the dolly on the transom is a good idea!

davedave1111 > shop-teacher 09/21/2015 at 11:20

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I thought so :)

One of those lightbulb moments after you mentioned turning the boat over.

zeontestpilot > davedave1111 09/21/2015 at 12:01

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Yeah, the trailer does seem more fun, and I can unleash my inner engineering designing it. :)

zeontestpilot > shop-teacher 09/21/2015 at 12:20

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I was thinking that it’ll be possible to flip the boat over on the trailer, so it doesn’t collect rain often. Then put it in normally to haul the tackle, battery, motor, etc. but your idea is good too.

I was planning on putting something to keep the axle attached, like a bracket.

Also, there's the hurdle Of connecting it to the cart. Both the cart and seeder have the same two prong connection. So I need to devise a way to put them together...

shop-teacher > zeontestpilot 09/21/2015 at 13:19

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I saw that in another comment after I posted my design. That’s a good idea for storage. You could still do that with this design, simply make the length of those 2x6’s or 2x8’s a bit shorter than the inside length of the boat.