Laser bunk dolly

[macwas16]

I know that when most people think of a Laser dolley, they think of the traditional Seitech with the bow support and the ear flaps. But they also make a number of other Laser dollies including a bunk dolley. Instead of earflaps and a sling, there are simply two padded bars going fore and aft that the boat sits on. I personally am in the market for a dolly and this is very appealing because i've never really liked the idea of the enitre weight of the boat siting on two earfaps fro an extended period of time. I've always had the fear that this would eventually weeken the hull to deck joint right at that spot and I hate those black mark you get where the boat sits on those earflaps under the gunnel. I think it may also be easier loading and unloading the boat because sometmes the sling becomes resistant as you're trying to pull the up. But do you think, maybe the bunk dolly would supten the part of the hull the boat rsts on? What doyou guys think about this dolley?

Here's a link to the picture: http://www.seitech.com/m/_general/config14.asp

 

[49208]

Peter S and the rest of the team at Seitech are bright folks, if they thought the best way to support the Laser was with some flat supports on the bottom, that's what they would be selling specifically for the Laser.

I've talked to at least 10 people concerning the gunnel supports, and no one reported having problems with storage. A couple did tell me of problems trailering, when they loaded the dolly on top of the trailer and had the Laser sitting in the dolly on the supports - that's a no-no due to the bouncing and shock loading. It's also a no-no when trailering or car-topping with the Laser upside down and the dolly on top of the hull to use the supports - just let the webbing support the dolly weight.

If you are concerned about black marks, add some carpet or padding.

Regarding hard loading on the webbing, sounds like the dolly is not in deep enough water to let the hull slide thru the webbing easily.

PS - if you look closely at the dolly config you linked to, it looks to me like the pads pivot on some bolts in the upright, which are sticking out-that'll do a nice job carving up your gelcoat when loading.

 

[lasailing]

I have and use the Seitech bunk dolly because the access ramp to the floating dock at my club is not wide enough to accomodate a standard dolly. The ramp is barely wide enough to get the boat up and down and the standard dolly is several inches wider than the boat. The bunk dolly is no wider and possible slightly narrower than the boat.

I have used web sling dollies at other clubs and I think the sling makes it easier to get the boat out of the water to a floating dock. I think the boat is higher off the deck on the bunk dolly than it is on a sling dolly which means you have to lift it further getting it out of the water. When I first lift the boat the weight of the boat rest on the end of the beveled ends of the bunks and there is a fair amount of friction which doesn't make it any easier. You don't have this problem with a sling type dolly. None of this matters if you are launching on a beach or ramp.

Once out of the water and up the ramp I store my boat vertically. There appears to be some flexing of the hull around the bunks so I would not store the boat on the dolly. I have not had any problems with any part of the dolly scratching the boat.

Bottom line for me is that if a sling dolly would fit on the ramp I would prefer to use a sling dolly, but the bunk dolly gets the job done. Some bright guys at the club have come up with another solution to the width problem and that is to get at standard sling dolly and equip it with narrow wheel/tires so that it will fight on the ramp. If I buy another dolly I would look into that approach.

 

[agdavis]

I had hull/deck seperation happen to my laser with a Seiteich dolly. There are a few variables I should mention before I continue. My laser was made around 1987 based on the hull number. I don't know how many owners had it before me but there are two that I know of. Owner #1 apperently stored the boat right side up under his/her deck and got red stain on the deck. Owner #2 was a BSA Scout camp that stored it upside down on two logs year round in the sun for several years. I got it when a few "experts" said that it was delaminating and was junk. I thought they where just goofy and said I would take it. After I got it home I did notice that the deck was a little squishy in some spots but I think that is a simple repair I can do in the future. Now I hauled it around 4 times on my truck topper and decided to get a dolly to move it around because it takes at least two people to get it up on the topper. The idea was to get a Right-on trailer.I bought a Dynamic - Seiteich dolly from Westcoast Sailing with the rubber bumpers thinking I could store my boat on the dolly from the gunwale supports. I didn't read the fine print when I ordered the bumpers and only got one. Thinking it would be ok for a few days I stored it under some tarps and in a place where it would get a little shade. Two days later I took it out to polish the hull and I found a two foot long section had sepetated on the side without a rubber bumper.
From other posts on this website I plan on useing West System products to seal it up but I would like to know if I should clamp it shut or just fill it in when it is in a free state. I can flex the hull about 1/2 an inch and it feels like the two parts are completely separate. There is also a twist on the hull flange I don't know what to do with.
I looked at the seam around the hole boat and found a few other places that are doing the same. Would it be worth it to grind it out and put the epoxy in it?
Also if anyone else has had this dolly problem happen to them or a friend pleast let me know. I want to think of a good way to store my boat for long periods of time and not have this happen again.

 

[49208]

Given the age of the hull, and the prev owner's storage methods, it's not surprising the the hull/deck joint is failing. I doubt the storage of the hull on the dolly hangers caused it to separate, I'm guessing it was already cracked/failed and became easier to see once it was hanging. Your pic's with the indent in the rail indicate some sort of collision with another object. That may need a little glass work to make it watertight once you have the rails bonded back together.

As far as fixing the rails: IMHO, if you have the time now, I would most likely re-bond all around. Otherwise, do the sections that are cracked/broken now, go sailing and replace the rest of it during the fall/winter. The gap between hull/deck tends not be uniform, especially on older boats - After grinding out the old bog/filler, you should see a gap between 1/16" and 3/16" As long as it's not wider, clamping shouldn't be needed, especially if existing sections are still bonded, ie a 3' section that is cracked/broken but with good bonds on either end of it. (A reason not to grind all the bog out of the rails at once)

There are plenty of other threads here that go into detail on what to use to grind out the bog, clean / prep and fillers to use with the resin - it sounds like you have found them, so you should be good to go

 

[agdavis]

There was no collision with anything, it was ok when I put it on the dolly. However I stored it upside down on two saw horses for a night and looked at it today, the crack was closed up like the hull got warm and flexed back into shape. I think I will try and fix it like that and see if it happens again.
on a different note I am having trouble looking up the hull number to see where it was made and what kind of laser it is. The number is molded on to a pad on the stern of the hull. The number is PSI597770278. Dose anyone know anything about it? I have looked at a few other posts here but they have not mentioned numbers that start with PSI.

 

[torrid]

There was no collision with anything, it was ok when I put it on the dolly. However I stored it upside down on two saw horses for a night and looked at it today, the crack was closed up like the hull got warm and flexed back into shape. I think I will try and fix it like that and see if it happens again.
on a different note I am having trouble looking up the hull number to see where it was made and what kind of laser it is. The number is molded on to a pad on the stern of the hull. The number is PSI597770278. Dose anyone know anything about it? I have looked at a few other posts here but they have not mentioned numbers that start with PSI.

Performance Sailcraft, made in 1978. I think that was when they were still made in Canada, generally presumed to be good Lasers. But when it is approaching 40 years old and was stored outside for several years, doesn't really matter who made it.