Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

[hdradaza]

I just bought a used hull and finished the reconstruction of it. I now have my boat house about 40 meters from the water. From the boat house to the water the incline is probably about 30 degrees and with really soft sand.

The trailer has normal road tires on it with a 3rd wheel in the front. I bought a MasterCraft winch rated for 2,000 lbs dead lift. Installed it in the boat house on a cemented block which goes down about 4 feet deep in the sand to keep it from popping out.

The one and only time we had the boat down, the winch could not handle the load (no pulleys used tho ) and it just stopped working. We had to use 20 guys to push the boat up to the boat house with the wheels getting stuck on the sand ( we used wood to roll over it ).

I would like to purchase a winch to install in the boathouse to help pull the boat back up . I read in another forum about ATV tires which will help. I also do not know the weight of the boat and the trailer combined and currently have no way of finding out, though I was told it was a HEAVY hull.

What type (Brand, model etc) of winch should I use ? I was suggested to buy a 2ton load to be sure. Any thoughts on this ?

What sites (links please) and what type of ATV would work best ?

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

Most boat houses around here that use the winch setup have steel rails that the trailer rides on.They take the tires off and let the rims ride up the rails.
With the tire setup i would think the wider the tire the better.I would think at least a 2 ton winch or more.Thats a lot of weight if its dragging the setup through the sand.

Almost forgot! Welcome to Iboats!!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

How big is the boat ???
From your description you are pulling up over the beach to the boathouse. Winch will depend on what weight you are pulling so if you do not know a photo would help. Fatter tires (ATV) will spread the load on the sand better. Consider running tracks to the boat house made of galvanised material that the wheels can run in up to the boat house and back.

 

[hdradaza]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

no can do for tracks. The lot owner of the beach that I am renting an area for the boat house does not want anything on the sand.

Here is a pic. I'm not sure if it helps... It is a tri hull (dont know what model) 17.5 feet

LINK

 

[wire2]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

30?? That's steep! It will take a substantial effort.

Tell us a bit more to evaluate the conditions. What length is boat? Fibreglass or alum? O/B or I/O? 4, 6 or V8?

 

[hdradaza]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

On second thought, it might be closer to 20degrees.

17.5 feet tril hull (heavy hull I heard)

Fiberglass.

Outboard Yamaha 150 v8

thanks for the help. click the link above to see the boat on water.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

no can do for tracks. The lot owner of the beach that I am renting an area for the boat house does not want anything on the sand.

Here is a pic. I'm not sure if it helps... It is a tri hull (dont know what model) 17.5 feet

LINK

Looks a heavy set up. How about some quarter round galvanised lengths of steel you could move up the beach as you get further up. As the trailer leaves one and goes on the other you would have to move the previous one ahead again till you get to the boat house. Heavy time consuming work but if you can not put down any permanent tracking it is at least an alternative where you do not need 20 people. Does it go in alright ?? at present.

Photo of the beach to boathouse might give a better idea for more suggestions.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

The wider the tires the better.Sucks you can't use a rail system.I would buy the biggest winch you could afford.

 

[wire2]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

Will the winch hold 80 metres of line/cable? A pulley at the boat and dead ending it at the winch will give you double the pull.

Is it a 12v 4x4 front bumper style? Or a separate 120v motor/gearbox/drum?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

The wider the tires the better.Sucks you can't use a rail system.I would buy the biggest winch you could afford.

I agree with this one. The wider the better. Spread the weight.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

Couple or four 2 X 10s on the sand. when done, store 'em in the boathouse

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

Anyway you could just hire out a recovery operator (tow truck) couldn't cost that much, like pulling someone out of a ditch.

 

[new_boater]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

after all this effort how do you get the boat back to the water next year

 

[hdradaza]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

new boater - nice point. As for getting people to help its no problem. The boat is garaged in a beach resort / boat factory. So there are always people around. I just hate watching 20 people push the darn thing up.

a70eliminator - not much recovery operators here in the philippines. If there was, they probably don't have the equipment anyways.

Frank - 2 x 10's of what ? Wood you mean ?

Wire2 - Yes I am thinking of that set up.

Guys - thank you so much for all the help here. You guys are really making me a new boater feel comfortable.

Can someone give me links to a winch that can handle around 2 tons and is AC 220. The most I found was only around 1.5 tons and DC. I think I might have to start looking at industrial type winches ?

Also, will these ATV tires work you think ? WIll I need 3 then ?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

I would go with some galvanised channeling over the 2 X 10's. Probably lighter and easier to store.

 

[hdradaza]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

sorry for this question. I am a totally new boater ( been in the water only twice ) so consider me a noob.

What do you mean by 2x10's ??? 2x10's of what ? wood, steel, rubber matting ? what ?

Some guys suggesting about 1/4 " rubber matting which I can roll up too...

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

2x10's of wood,for the tires to roll on would reduce the drag of the sand.

 

[arboldt]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

You've gotten some excellent suggestions, but based on responses I think you could use a bit more. You need to understand the principles involved:

1) Wheels sinking in sand resist being pulled big time. Anything you can do to provide a harder surface for the wheels will be better. If you can't use rails, maybe length of pipe. If not that, wood 2x10s. Maybe even mats. The longer and harder, the better.

2) The smaller the footprint, the more likely the tires will sink into the sand (see point #1 above). So using a very wide footprint like ATV tires would be better. Combining a wide-footprint tire and a hard surface will make it even easier. But be careful, because to minimize rolling resistance you'd have to increase tire pressure, and ATV tries aren't built for high pressure.

3) A direct-force pull always takes more energy. In a winch, the diameter of the core and size of the crank (or motor driving it) makes a big difference. However, remember our great-grandfathers lifted incredibly heavy things by hand with a block and tackle. You can, too. The more "trips" the cable makes between your pulling force (winch) and the boat, the easier it is to pull it. Sure, you'll need a much longer cable, but think about the physics and you'll see it's really easy. Stop and think about the pulleys, cables, and cranks for a boat lift. Even though you may have a heavy boat, there are plenty of lifts that a single person could use to lift it vertically. Apply those same principles, and you can certainly drag it on a 20 degree slope.

Think about these principles, and you should see a combination of things that should make your problem easy.

 

[hdradaza]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

thanks for all the help guys. will consider all your suggestions. However, I still need links to a site that sells AC powered winches with at least 2tons capacity. Please help.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Winch needed to pull trailer up the boat house from water

here is one source..
http://www.winchdepot.com/subcategory.aspx?catID=18&subCat=303
Just Google "ac winch" and you will find many more sources.

Although it has been suggested to put wider tires on the trailer, wider is only a partial improvement. Go as tall as you can as well, that is one reason tractors have really tall rear tires, for easier rolling and smoother ride.

Look for some landing mat strips. There must still be some left over from WWII.

Look at your boathouse.
Can you drive a vehicle up to the back of the boathouse?
If I could, I would then look at using a vehicle like a truck or tractor to pull the rig up and into the boathouse via a cable thru the wall and pullys if a change in cable direction is needed.

Especially if this event is seldom done, why spend the big bucks for a 220ac winch that sits un-used?