As we wrap up our dinghy wheel test, scheduled for the October 2011 issue of Practical Sailor, we want to remind readers that there are a range of do-it-yourself options available, particularly if all you need are wheels to get you from the dinghy rack to the waterline. At most yacht clubs and marina, dinghies must be moved from storage areas and tracks to launching ramps; and, although a strong man can carry a light dinghy on his shoulders, for lesser mortals a wheel is a much better idea.
There are a number of commercially available, clamp on dinghy wheels, all of them needlessly complicated for use on wood ramps or paved dinghy parks.
Here we show you the simplest of all dinghy wheels for a conventional fiberglass or wood dinghy: a skeg mounted wheel.
If youve never pushed a wheeled dink, youll be amazed at how easily they can be moved; even a child can do it.
The drawing shows just how simple the whole thing is. It consists of nothing more than two straps bolted through the skeg and a wheel held between the straps by another bolt serving as an axle.
Replacements for everything from lawnmowers to hand trucks, wheels can be bought cheaply in a variety of sizes online, or at your local hardware store. Replacement urethane wheels from Razor scooters (available online for about $10) are also an option, although the sealed bearings will probably need regular replacement if you use them in saltwater. Since pushing a dink is much easier than pulling, a really small wheel is to be avoided because its apt to hang up with a thud every time it encounters a small unevenness on the ground. A wheel of about 3-inches in diameter or more will serve well.
The straps should be of stainless steel or bronze strap about 1/8-inch thick by 1 -inches wide. The length of the straps should be such that there is about 4 of bolting length in addition to the half diameter of the wheel, plus 1-inch. This allows you to drill the axle hole 5/8-inhc from the end of the straps and still have some clearance between the wheel and the skeg. As an example, for a 3-inch wheel, each strap should be 6 -inches long. If your skeg is a really short one you should cut the 4-inch bolting length to about 3 inches.
After cutting to length, clamp the straps together and drill both at the same time so that the holes line up. Quarter-inch bolts are more than adequate, and the three skeg bolts should be on 1-inch centers.
In the drawing, the skeg is cut away in a neat semi-circle around the wheels perimeter. This is a tidy treatment if your skeg is wood, but not really necessary; and, if my skeg were fiberglass, wed definitely hang aesthetics and not cut the skeg, which might well be a structural element. Just let the wheel hang out aft.
The only problem youre apt to face in this project is matching the skegs width to that of the wheel. To get the proper width, shim either the skeg or the wheel with stainless-steel or bronze washers.
Through-bolt the straps to the skeg, saw off excess bolt length, and youre nearly done. The axle bolt should have a lock nut on it, and, after tightening the lock nut, upset the threads with a chisel so the nuts can’t back off. As an alternative, if youre very lucky in your width, a clevis pin can be used in lieu of a bolt for the axle.
CALL TO ACTION???
