Transom Trolley Dolly

[The Gurnard]

Its hard to believe that the Guppy has now had a full season on the water. I bought her in March and went to sea on average three or four days a week since then. I have now winterised her as October draws to a close.. but I have not finished with her yet.

The off season is a time for improving the many modifications I made to make life with her as easy as possible. One of the mods I made was a Transom Dolly Trolley.. to haul her up and down the beach.

Why bother with a Transom Dolly Trolley when you can buy Transom Wheels ?

1 If you have three SIBS like I do..then the cost of three sets of Transom Wheels could almost buy another SIB. They are not movable between boats..certainly not on a spur of the moment.

2 On some brands of bought transom wheels.. the wheels are too small and tend to bog down in soft sand or mud.

3 A few of the leading brands are not really strong enough.. you cant turn sharp corners while pulling the boat without the support tubes buckling.

4 I think transom wheels when in the upright position .. look like oversized donuts and ruin the aesthetic look of small boats

5 I hate spending money when its not necessary

My first transom dolly trolley cost me £15 to make. It was constructed from scraps I had around the shed. The two 380mm diameter pneumatic wheels were on sale at Screwfix.. two for the price of one..hence the cost of £15. They handle soft sand .. pebbles..and even some rocks ..with ease.

Basically it was a plank of wood with a “shelf” screwed to it..to sit the boat’s transom bottom on. I used a clamp to hold the top of the plank onto the top of the transom. The wheels were on a permanent fixed axle ..which made the dolly rather large for easy transport. I used two ropes attached to the dolly to pull the boat.. in principle.. they acted like the drawbar on a trolley.

All worked well and made life easy for last year’s boating season..my only complaint was I couldn’t keep the engine attached to the Transom when the dolly was there..although I often sat it on top of the plank to get it to the waters edge.

Although its now off season for me..I still enjoy making things for my boats..so it was time to improve my Dolly Trolley.

I had been keeping my eyes open all summer for some aluminium box section that I could use this time around. Eventually I came across some discarded ali framing for holding Solar Panels onto house roofs.. so put it in my shed for this project.Here is my improved Transom Trolley Dolly ..which will make life a bit easier next season. It cost me nothing ..as it was scraps I collected over the summer.

I wanted it to be compact for transporting in the car. The axle is secured to the frame with two bolts and wingnuts. The wheels are kept on the axle with R clips.

Ten seconds assemble the dolly.

I modified the boat to avoid using a clamp mechanism at the top of the dolly. Two 8mm holes were drilled through the transom and its plastic plates. The holes are well above water line so no issues there. .. but I then inserted two 8mm brass tubes through the holes and sikaflex’ed them into place.. thus sealing the transom again.

Its very easy to attach the Trolley Dolley to the boat.. lift the transom and sit it on the Dolly’s shelf. This automatically lines up the Dolly Holes with the transom holes. Slip two 6m bolts through the holes and tighten with wing nuts.

I can now push or pull the boat easily. Pushing sits the boat against the dolly so no transom strain..pulling is by the ropes fed from the dolly..and under the boat..so again no transom strain.

But with this new set up..I can now attach the outboard engine to the transom

And can then remove or re attached the trolley dolly without having to touch the engine. It fits my others small boats too..so for an outlay of £15 quid for the wheels..I can move any of my boats.

My best mod dolly yet...and as easy to use as transom wheels...and a hell of a lot cheaper ..so with the savings .. I can buy lots of gravy over the winter season

[Si Crowe]

i like your style... i hate the look of transom wheels too....

there is only one thing id alter in your damn good design and that's to use big r clips going through the transom bolts you use on the inside of the transom with those big penny washers instead of wing nuts...

may just make it faster to install and remove...

as they are there purely to locate and not support....

[The Gurnard]

Thanks for the interest Si and a good idea re the retaining bolts or pins. I have a small lathe which would easily make up a couple of aluminium pins which could be held in place with an R clip.. and I could also have a tapered end on them so its even easier to push through the holes and line things up.

I should add..that I only use them for Launch and recovery and will leave the Dolly in the car while on my trips... so having them dangling in air on stalks as I go ... is not an issue for me

I know some folks like to take their wheels with them ..but in all hosesty.. I seldom see others use them when landing for a break. ?

Everyone seems to use them like me .. on launch and recovery only..or am I missing the point of transom wheels ?

Each to their own though

[Si Crowe]

"I have a small lathe which would easily make up a couple of aluminium pins which could be held in place with an R clip.. and I could also have a tapered end on them so its even easier to push through the holes and line things up."

that would be spot on... 6mm ally bar threaded at one end (a man of your means no doubt has a tap n die set )for a nyloc nut for the outside of the transom and nicely milled on the in side with a 3mm hole to take a retaining R-clip.

the quicksilver 330 sib i had ages ago had transom wheels and to be honest they were utter shite and looked terrible.

i like the easy solution you've come up with and at a push you could take the wheels off once afloat and if needs be take them with you but like you say, for a brief beaching they really aren't needed. never had them on the tinker tramp i had as a kid when coming ashore at hurst castle or any other beach we dropped in at.

[The Gurnard]

that would be spot on... 6mm ally bar threaded at one end (a man of your means no doubt has a tap n die set )for a nyloc nut for the outside of the transom and nicely milled on the in side with a 3mm hole to take a retaining R-clip.

Yup..I have a tap and die ..but I also have something better ..which is why the lathe will be handy. I have 12mm or 16mm diameter round bar..in both aluminium..or brass.

I will keep the 12 mm end instead of a nyloc nut.. turn the pin part down to 7.5 mm to fit nicely through the 8 mm transom hole tube ..with a taper at the very end..and a hole for the R Clip.

Cant decide which will look nicer.. the Aluminium pin..or polished brass ones

I love it when a plan comes together

[Si Crowe]

Man with a plan....nice little Job for a winters evening...

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[Si Crowe]

Ally would be more in keeping imho

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[The Gurnard]

Ali pins it is then Si

As a parting post to the DIY Transom Trolley Dolly.. it is completely modular in construction. The Lugs on the vertical Aluminium bars are bolted into slots so the height can be fully adjusted etc. If you wonder why I have made it so tall.. its because my axle is standard 1” aluminium bar.. which fits most “wheel barrow” wheels... including my brothers very expensive sand trolley ones

I noticed they too are only held on by R clips..so when he is sleeping..and I have a heavy soft sand pull to do.. I might just do the soft wheel shuffle and slip his off and slide them onto the transom trolley dolly axle.

Yup.. its a great accessory for the Frib..and my other boats .. and cheap to boot.

Im all tyred out now so wont continue this post..at least for today

[9-R]

That looks professional. Well done!

[Andy B]

I know some folks like to take their wheels with them ..but in all hosesty.. I seldom see others use them when landing for a break. ?

Everyone seems to use them like me .. on launch and recovery only..or am I missing the point of transom wheels ?

I quite often drop mine if there's a chance of hitting the bottom.
But like you say that's usually when leaving or approaching a beach/slipway.
They aren't much good if the bottoms muddy mind as they just get stuck and in a right mess!