ramp launching from trailer

T

thistle

New Member
I am looking at getting into the world of the Sunfish, as it would be great to have a small boat I can rig quickly and take out single-handed without needing to rouse up crew or spend an hour rigging my other boat. I mostly sail at a lake with no hoist for launching, and usually ramp launch my other boat, which is also dry sailed. I know a lot of Sunfish sailers just haul their boats upside down on flat trailers or in the bed of their pickup, but I suspect this is more feasible if you have (1) a soft beach for beaching the boat so it can be un-rigged and lifted onto the truck or trailer, and (2) a helper to manage the boat. I'm looking for something I can tow to the lake and get into the water in less than 20 minutes, and haul out just as quickly, any evening of the week.

What advice do you have for ramp launching, both in terms of equipment and technique? Are there any trailers that are most favored for this? I am starting fresh, and will probably buy all new, so I'm really open to try anything / not limited to what I can find second-hand.

Thank you!
 
You have a few options.
If you get a small boat trailer you can keep the sunfish on it right-side-up and rig it at the ramp and launch(5 to 10 mintes). Alumilite makes a very light trailer that can be launched by hand.
Sietech makes a great dolly that can be used at the ramp or a beach to move the boat, but it cant be used as a car trailer. You would still need a trailer or a cartop to get to the water.
If you get a Mast-Up cover for the boat you can leave it rigged and lauch in just a few minutes, great if you can leave the boat at the ramp or drydock. The cover can be used mast down when trailering as well so you get both options.
 
Any trailer suitable for the Sunfish can be used to launch from a ramp. Just back it up into the water until the boat almost floats. Then loosen the boat from the trailer and push it off into the water. If there's a dock, have a line on the boat and take it to the dock. If there's a beach, take it there. You can rig it on the beach or pre-rig on the trailer before getting it to the dock.
No rocket science is needed here.

Fred
 
These boats are built for simplicity. So if you start getting too complicated, they'll turn to dust and blow away. :p

I car top mine, rig on my home built dolly, then launch.
 

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Didn't mean to overcomplicate things... I'm sure I could car-top it or haul it in the bed of my pickup, but again, I don't feel like lifting a sunfish in and out by myself when it's time to play. I was mostly just wondering which trailers people found condusive (or not condusive) to ramp launching. I'd seen the Seitech dollies, but even the dry storage at our lake is far enough from the ramp that I'd want a real trailer. I'll check out Alumilite. If there are any other trailers people have found they like/dislike for ramp launching as well as distance hauling, I'm interested.

As far as how to ramp launch, I've got that covered.

Thanks!
 
Beware the light aluminum trailers. There have been many posts regarding bouncing on the road and some bad designs. Do a search here for more info.

Fred
 
I liked the home made dolly idea!

I made mine from a light utility trailer which is licensed. I don't live at a lake or river and the one I go to is 45 miles away. So I went to a boat shop and got two boat rollers and put one on the back and front of the trailer. I don't use a boat launch as that is too far away, so I position the trailer just in the water so the axle is not wet and simply lift the Sunfish's front on the first roller and with a rope in the handle, pull it (roll it) on the trailer. I also have some blocks of wood with carpet over them screwed to the trailer so that it sits on the carpet covered blocks just off the rollers. Just like a "big boat". Throw over a set of straps to keep it all together, and down the road I go with the sail and mast bag also tied down to the top of the Sunfish. It takes one person with little effort to retrieve or launch this boat on this trailer. The blocks can come off with a few screws so I still have the utility function of the trailer for the 4 wheeler. I also extended the front of the trailer out 4 additional feet or so to "center" the Sunfish and still be able to tow it down the road. Pics available if you need them. [email protected]

I hope you succeed with your plans. My boat is for sale as I have not used it for several years, the kids have grown up sailing on it, but have now moved away and it's ready for a new family with young kids. See the for sale forum.

Redove
 
Here's what you want. . .

Look around for a small used boat trailer, 12/14 foot, with Shocks and Coil Springs. I got mine used for $150 and there are a lot of them out there. This eliminated the bounce and I haven't even balanced the tires yet.

My other trailer is a Harbor Freight boat trailer. Leaf springs only and bounces like a rubber ball. Only way to fix it is to get a retro shock mount kit and for what it would cost me I could find another used trailer with shocks and coil springs. Live and learn!

Back the trailer up till it's underwater, tie a rope to the bow handle of the Sunfish and it floats on and off the trailer with one hand.
 
We had our first attempt at ramp launching last night, but we did not want to submerge the wiring (we don't know if it's waterproof or not), so the boat wasn't too the floating part. I wanted to just pick the boat up off the trailer and gently set it in the water, then walk it around the dock to clear the ramp (we pre-rigged, sail was down). Hubby wanted to slide if off the back, which I didn't want to do, because I figured it would put too much stress on the hull as it slides over the back edge of the bunks. But I am woman, what do I know?

Sure enough, I hear a creaking sound that is not good. :oops: After some fast yelling, I convince him to pick it up and carry it off the back (lifting off the side would've been easier in the first place). Getting it back in was a struggle later, because once again, he wanted to scoot from the back. We already know we can just pick it up and off the trailer, so I don't understand the insistence to do it this other way that puts undo stress on the hull. If we want to use this algae-infested lake that's a mile from our house, I think we'll invest in a boat dolly. The shoreline is mostly rock, so there is no beaching, but we could roll it to the other fishing dock and point, which has a softer shoreline, and drop it in there. The ramp is in an awkward spot, in a cove with overhanging trees, so we would have to paddle out, anyway.

On the bright side, we are beating up a boat that already had some problems & was cheap. :rolleyes: I'd hate to do this to a newer, more expensive boat!

If you go onto the Sunfish Yahoo Group, they have a few different plans for homemade dollies for cheap. Intensity Sails has a dolly that basically hooks into your daggerboard trunk for around $119, way cheaper than the big dollies out there. Of course, that works best if you already trailer your boat deck down. If it's deck up, you'd still have to flip it to get the dolly on, I think. Our club boats have the dollies that look like trailers, except they just have slings to slide the boat into. I priced them out, and they cost as much as a road trailer, so it's not in our cards.
 
my home-made dolly is probably a bit less than $100. it works great on grass, ramps, etc. soft sand is a bit tricky, though.
sunfish-pvc-dolly.jpg
 
It's almost too easy to forget life before Seitech. That's a product that changed the face of regattas everywhere. Just with that clever dolly, life at Sunfish and other events became so much more civilized. Prior to Peter Seidenberg's simple but clever invention we all had to be a bit selfish, as much as we might have never admitted it, especially at big events.

We'd have to get there a little extra early to get a front-row set-up place nearest the launch areas or beach. It became imprortant to snag the close parking spots, so we didn't have to muscle the boats over long stretches. Venues with only concrete launch ramps or rocky shores added a little bit of apprehension to an event, no matter how great the sailing conditions. We never wanted to be set up too far away from the launch too late before the start, and have to worry if any other able bodies would still be around to help with launching. Now we can park and set up where we please. Coming back in to a ramp or narrow area, especially at the tail endof the fleet, was to be avoided as the early ones in were invariably slow, back then, to unrig and carry their boats up, rather than just scooting up to the parking area intact, as we do now.

It's all more civilized now, thanks to dollies. When it comes to getting ashore in less than ideal conditions, and up and away quickly, they are tough to beat -especially since you can come in quickly and with very little assistance, if any, get up there with little risk to the hull. No need for the hulls ever to touch a hard surface.

Jumping off the ramble, one solution to avoid any lifting off the trailer might be to construct a rear pivot section of bunk, that once the boat's center of gravity is back a bit from normal trailering position would give you some angle for sliding off. (Or for that matter, Tag's suggestion with the bunks the same height as the trailer bunks for easy transition back) If the launch is generally off the back of a trailer, on a ramp, rear pivoting bunks might be enough.

As you've seen, with those nice thin-and-light '60's hulls you have to be a bit careful about concentrated stress (and touching on an earlier thread, with that airing out over the off-season I wouldn't be surprised to see a substantial improvement off the current weight).
 
If you are willing to spend $1,000 for a trailer then I highly recommend the Sunfish version of the Kittyhawk trailer. It addresses all of the concerns regarding some of the aluminum trailers. Your boat is carried upright suspended from the gunwhales, the hull is not touching anything. It has a swivel fitting in the bow for loading/unloading your Sunfish to a dolly if you want to do that. It has one leaf spring per wheel so it is very softly sprung, ideal for the Sunfish. The entire trailer weighs about 100 pounds and it has a hand grip so you can launch by hand from the trailer if you want to. Basically anything you would want to do can be done by yourself easily with little effort.

I ordered mine from Colie Sails in NJ in October 2011. At the time it cost $910 plus freight charge to your location. The only thing I would change would be to put on submersible lights if you're going to ramp launch from the trailer.
 
$1,000 for a trailer?! :eek: The idea of putting a $300 boat on a $1,000 trailer seems crazy to me, but of course, we're buying bangers, not new boats. However, I can see the logic of investing in a trailer so that you don't have to invest in another boat down the road. But that would wipe out our boat budget. We might devise our own dolly as a winter project or invest in submersible trailer lights.
 
emilikins said:
$1,000 for a trailer?! :eek: The idea of putting a $300 boat on a $1,000 trailer seems crazy to me, but of course, we're buying bangers, not new boats. However, I can see the logic of investing in a trailer so that you don't have to invest in another boat down the road. But that would wipe out our boat budget. We might devise our own dolly as a winter project or invest in submersible trailer lights.
Click to expand...

I agree completely, I wouldn't have bought my trailer if I had a $300 boat. I bought a new racing Sunfish and I really liked the one person simplicity of the Kitty Hawk trailer. I take care of my things and usually keep them for a very long time so for me it was worth it. The original poster said he or she would probably buy all new and it sounded like a one person easy to use trailer setup was the goal, that's why I suggested this trailer.
 
The Kitty Hawk trailer does seem nice. When I bought my Trailex, some ten years ago, the Kitty Hawk version didn't exist, I believe, but they were making Laser trailers.

One can get immersible trailer lights from a place such as this one:
http://www.etrailer.com/

Some people really like the LED versions, but not everybody agrees.
 
thistle said:
I am looking at getting into the world of the Sunfish, as it would be great to have a small boat I can rig quickly and take out single-handed without needing to rouse up crew or spend an hour rigging my other boat. I mostly sail at a lake with no hoist for launching, and usually ramp launch my other boat, which is also dry sailed. I know a lot of Sunfish sailers just haul their boats upside down on flat trailers or in the bed of their pickup, but I suspect this is more feasible if you have (1) a soft beach for beaching the boat so it can be un-rigged and lifted onto the truck or trailer, and (2) a helper to manage the boat. I'm looking for something I can tow to the lake and get into the water in less than 20 minutes, and haul out just as quickly, any evening of the week.

What advice do you have for ramp launching, both in terms of equipment and technique? Are there any trailers that are most favored for this? I am starting fresh, and will probably buy all new, so I'm really open to try anything / not limited to what I can find second-hand.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
Most trailers today just have pads for the boat to sit on, but this is bad for the bottom of the hull and usually no way to easily roll the boat off of the trailer. My fix was to add a couple of 2x4's extending the length of the trailer aft, and then add a roller at the end so you can easily launch the boat singlehanded. Regarding the hull damage, I made a conventional trailer into a double trailer allowing air ride suspension. I added a wide 3" tie down strap to the upper frame so that I could raise the hull off the pads and ride suspended. Has worked fine. Strongly suggest a trailer with the larger dia. wheels if you can afford it.
 
I'm sure there are modifications to the suspension that could be made and different types of trailers that are more friendly to Sunfish, but I've found, after 2 seasons of trailering to and from the lake, that if I drive smart I will save a lot of potential wear. I would think we tend to take the same route to and from the lake each outing. I know every seam, crevas, pot hole, dip, etc. that exists on my commute. I know when I need to slow down or change lanes. To me it's all about the right bunk system and smart driving that extends the life of your Fish.
 
Rocket trailer, I launch from my beach, or the ramp just like a normal boat. If your trailer lights are not sealed, just unplug them before you dip the trailer in the water.
boat rack 1.jpg
 
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