Brazillian Dollies

monkey_feet

monkey_feet

Arlington, TX
I bought one of those Brazillian Dollies about a year ago (the ones with the yellow wheels and the blue strap - hope that explains it:eek:) I bought a '05 Laser about 8 months ago and put it on the dolly.

Anyway, I was washing my hull and noticed a couple small gel coat blisters where it sits on the strap. My question is this,

1. Should I be worried about the hull.
2. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem with my dolly? I was going to purchase the toe strap like the Scitex (the current blue strap is like a industrial hose), but don't know if that will do any good. OR I was going to jerry rig something to get under the sides.

Guess that is what you get for trying to save a couple bucks!

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
monkey_feet said:
I bought one of those Brazillian Dollies about a year ago (the ones with the yellow wheels and the blue strap - hope that explains it:eek:) I bought a '05 Laser about 8 months ago and put it on the dolly.

Anyway, I was washing my hull and noticed a couple small gel coat blisters where it sits on the strap. My question is this,

1. Should I be worried about the hull.
2. Any suggestions on how to fix this problem with my dolly? I was going to purchase the toe strap like the Scitex (the current blue strap is like a industrial hose), but don't know if that will do any good. OR I was going to jerry rig something to get under the sides.

Guess that is what you get for trying to save a couple bucks!

Thanks in advance for the help.
Click to expand...

Yes, you should be worried about the hull resting on a wet strap. That's caused the blisters, plus the hull could become misshapen from resting on a strap for long periods. Seitech dollies have plastic gunwale supports that flip up. The boat rests on those and the bow support instead of the webbing.
 
So, just replacing the hose with webbing will not accomplish my goal?

Anyone retrofit these knock off dollies with some gunwale supports???
 
If you're experiencing the beginnings of osmosis in an '05 boat, I'd be going back to the manufacturer. Osmosis only happens that fast if the lay up of the boat was less than good. If you bought it second hand, now would be the time to dig each of those little blisters out, wash them with water and let them dry before dropping in some new gelcoat and sanding it all down nicely again. You don't want those blisters getting any worse and getting right into the laminate.

If the webbing is made from a natural absorbant cloth you could change it for a vinyl or plastic type that would hold less water.

My '96 boat sits on a plastic form and it's hull is still perfect. The boat is Australian made.
 
Most Brazillian dollies I've seen seem to prefer a thong.............

Sorry I could not resist. If you take the boat off the dolly and let it sit long enough, (like a week or two) the blisters should recede back into the boat if they are not too bad. Often lots of boats that sit on carpeted trailer pads will blister on the pad area due to the prolonged contact w/moisture. People avoid this by using hard plastic pads that do not hold moisture as Chainsaw states. I would recommend you not let your boat rest on its strap for periods longer than 24 hrs. You need to make some kind of rail support or store it on a dingy rack when not using it.
 
I just replaced my 1981 hull with a new 2007, Scitech dolly and all. When buying the boat and dolly I asked about storing on the strap or the flip up scitech brackets. The owner of the shop, who seemed pretty laser savy, said he didn't recommend leaving the boat on the brackets for long periods and would rather see it on the strap once the strap was dry. He said he's seen boats that were damaged at the points that rest on the brackets due to their rounded shape. thoughts?
 
H'portLaserer said:
I just replaced my 1981 hull with a new 2007, Scitech dolly and all. When buying the boat and dolly I asked about storing on the strap or the flip up scitech brackets. The owner of the shop, who seemed pretty laser savy, said he didn't recommend leaving the boat on the brackets for long periods and would rather see it on the strap once the strap was dry. He said he's seen boats that were damaged at the points that rest on the brackets due to their rounded shape. thoughts?
Click to expand...

Is this the same dealer who also said "it's a bad idea to buy a non-pro rigged Laser as Vanguard pro-rigs their "better" boats and reserves the heavier or otherwise imperfect hulls for the non-pro optioned versions" ?

You can find damage anywhere on a laser if you look at enough of them. Peter S (Mr Seitech) put the flip up brackets on the dolly specifically for long term storage.
 
Yes, same guy. Says there is a tracking sheet kept with hulls duiring all stages of production including weights and anything out of the ordinary along the line. This would be valuable to get one's hands on obviously, if they exist. Back to dollies - looking at our local fleet of 25+/- boats, half are kept on their straps and hald on the flip-ups. Guess I'll stick with flip-ups as you vouch for Mr. Scitech himself.
 
I am reviving this old thread because I just read the following in the "day in the life" Campbell sailing blog:
"I even had time to speak with Peter Seidenberg about a couple of new pieces that he’s added to augment the Seitech dolly system. He showed me the two new rubber sleeves that are meant to cover the rail tabs and prevent wear and tear under the rail where it sets on the dolly"
so searching the web i found these caps for sale at intensity sailing (http://www.intensitysails.com/secucaforsel.html).
Has anyone experienced damage from not having these caps? They seem expensive for what they are but not compared to hull damage.
 
I just use rubber tubing for the front pad, and I don't use the side flip things so it's not an issue for me. When I put my boat on the side flip support things, my strap isn't long enough to take the pressure off
 
H'portLaserer said:
Has anyone experienced damage from not having these caps? They seem expensive for what they are but not compared to hull damage.
Click to expand...

I think they are only really necessary if you are trailering your boat using the Seitech dolly as many people are now doing with the new slide-on/slide-off trailer setups.
 
Ross B said:
I just use rubber tubing for the front pad, and I don't use the side flip things so it's not an issue for me. When I put my boat on the side flip support things, my strap isn't long enough to take the pressure off
Click to expand...

It's a good thing Rossums doesn't mess around with Brazilian dollies if his strap isn't long enough to take the pressure off. When you get older you'll learn how to use the side flip things. Oh, and it's always a good idea to use "rubber tubing" on the "front pad" when you are rolling your dolly around. ;)
 
laserknight said:
Maybe this is off topic, but what is the "new slide on/slide off trailer setup"?
Click to expand...

In the UK often called a combo trailer. Its where the trolley/dolly (with the boat on it) slides onto a road trailer component and attaches to the road trailer. So you have a road trailer carrying the launching trolley/dolly which in turn is carrying the boat.

Makes life really easy as the boat does not need lifting off the road trailer onto the launching trolley/dolly, not back again. Takes only a few seconds.

Ian
 
Deimos said:
In the UK often called a combo trailer. Its where the trolley/dolly (with the boat on it) slides onto a road trailer component and attaches to the road trailer. So you have a road trailer carrying the launching trolley/dolly which in turn is carrying the boat.

Makes life really easy as the boat does not need lifting off the road trailer onto the launching trolley/dolly, not back again. Takes only a fewseconds.

Ian[/quote
Ah, thanks. Looks like a great idea, but The only one i found online doesnt look like it works with a Seitech dolly.
Click to expand...
 
Try here.

They sell this one:

trailer14.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top