Vevor Boat Trailer - Use as a Sunfish dolly?

arsweb

arsweb

New Member
There's a Vevor brand (made in China) "boat trailer" being sold at Walmart and I wonder if it would be usable as a Sunfish dolly just to put in and pull out of the water over about 15-20 feet distance. I'd pad the supports, of course, and perhaps swap in my ramp tires since reviews indicate tire quality is variable. Is anyone using one of these and do you think it would work out? I'd love to get a Dynamic dolly, but funds are super tight as I'm unemployed at the moment and I've found myself needing a dolly because my previous wooden ramp set up has rotted beyond saving over the winter. Link (or if you don't want to click, a search of "Vevor boat trailer" will pull it up in Google):

www.walmart.com

VEVORbrand Boat Trailer Hand Dolly Set 360LBS Storage Motor Accessory Boat Mover Suitable for Fishing Boats, Small Motors and Sailing Boats - Walmart.com

Buy VEVORbrand Boat Trailer Hand Dolly Set 360LBS Storage Motor Accessory Boat Mover Suitable for Fishing Boats, Small Motors and Sailing Boats at Walmart.com
www.walmart.com
 
Kazz330 said:
I just bought one and assembled it, hoping to try it out to do the same! hoping some other people can shed light on this.
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Haha, well if you get to test it before anyone else replies, do report back! If budget weren't at issue, I'd just buy it because I have other boats I could always use it for (aluminum canoe, 15 ft row boat, etc) that don't get as much use as my Sunfish, but if I'm going to have to pony up for a Dynamic, I'd rather not sink funds in this one too.
 
I have one and have used it for a couple of months (last fall). It works, but only well after I replaced the rear rubber support pads with plastic bunk pads. This allows it to slide off and on much better. With the rubber pads it would not slide well at all and marked up the boat. It is what I am using for a temporary dolly until I find a deal on another type, such as a Dynamic dolly. The steel tubes are painted and the where the paint is wearing off at the links it is rusting. So this would not work well in a salt water location.
 
I looked at that. I am in salt water and decided no way would it survive long.

My advice is to watch for rust starts and get on them quick. If it is like all the other made in China stuff the paint looks great but is porus in some areas. They get rusty quick in some places. I sprayed the rims down with a protective grease. Does not look great but seems to slow down the rust a lot. Inside the tube I might put in some kind of protective wax you can buy.
 
I had been thinking about building up a few beach dollies this Summer from either aluminum or stainless steel. After seeing Chinese stainless dollies are already available from the online jungle, I don't think I'll bother with it. https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-La...1481N3Q/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B071481N3Q&psc=1
I might test some ideas for double axle or tracked setups for soft sand that would work in Southwest Florida. We have no boat ramps facing the gulf, only narrow sand walking paths.
 
I owned one of these purchased from Amazon. It is okay. All steel so not sure how long it would last in and out of salt water, including the wheels. The pads do not fit the Sunfish hull all that well. They rotate to accommodate the shape of the hull, but not enough to fit the Sunfish ideally.
 
I ended up getting one - so far so good, and easy for one person to wheel over, up, and down the terrain I'm dealing with (grass and a shale rock slope to water). I'm in fresh water only, but will monitor for signs of rust!
 
arsweb, did you find it easier to put the center of balance just forward of the axle?

Are you just using the dolly to get to the beach, or using it to water launch?
 
signal charlie said:
arsweb, did you find it easier to put the center of balance just forward of the axle?

Are you just using the dolly to get to the beach, or using it to water launch?
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I'm just seeing this reply - the balance is just forward of the axle and this does make for easy moving without worrying about the boat tipping off the back when guiding down a slope. I'm using it to pull the boat in and out of the water - I have about 15-20 feet of loose shale slope to reach water from where I secure it on higher/flat/grassy ground. It's really easy to roll around and handle for one person, and my boat had water in the hull all winter and the foam is still damp, so while I don't know the hull weight, it's more that what a dry hull would be.

My neighbor bought one too after seeing mine, his preference was to shorten the dolly by one notch and have the weight centered over the axle. He hasn't yet tried to get it into the water (down a much steeper grade slope than what I have) - will be interesting to see how that works for him.
 
Another Vevor dolly, just put together last night in the dining room to escape the heat outside. I only have a few minutes 'run time' on it but certainly beats the alternative of no dolly. It is heavier than an aluminum one but has a much lower price point. I imagine I'll turn the boat around and better balance it during future use.
tops_vevor1.jpg
 
I made a dolly using:
1/2” galvanized rod X 36” long
two wheel borrow wheels. Add a tube and they will never be flat
washers, cotter keys, scrap wood

Tilt the Sunfish on edge and slide your dolly into the CB trunk. Hold the bow down and roll it into the water. I use this dolly to load transom first into my pickup. The dolly shown is over 30 years old.
 

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Glad to see this post because I have been wondering about these Vevor dollies after seeing them on Ebay for a little over $100. I'm thinking about getting one for next summer to take to Wisconsin. Rick and I are getting tired of lugging our Sunfish collection up and down the hill.
 
norcalsail said:
Glad to see this post because I have been wondering about these Vevor dollies after seeing them on Ebay for a little over $100. I'm thinking about getting one for next summer to take to Wisconsin. Rick and I are getting tired of lugging our Sunfish collection up and down the hill.
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I have one and it is a pain. It worked ok (a temporary fix) after I changed out two of the rubber pads that marked up my Sunfish and would not allow it to slide. Then I found a good used Seitech dolly and realized how difficult the Vevor dolly was. Recently got another Sunfish and tried using the Vevor dolly for it and hate it. Thankfully found another used Seitech dolly and can stop using the Vevor.
 
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