Trailer for dinghy instead of store aboard?

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HeadedToTexas

HeadedToTexas

Guru
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
1,744
Location
Sandusky Bay
Vessel Name
Escape
Vessel Make
Mariner 37
Our boat gets stored inside during the winter and the dinghy adds some complexity to the process. I am thinking about buying a trailer to store it at home and leave it available for local excursions when the weather permits.

The last trailering I did was a 17’ Boston Whaler in the early 1980s. Our 10’ RIB is quite a bit more manageable. The old trailer had both bunks and rollers for the keel. I see a lot of PWC trailers that have only bunks and no centerline rollers. Do the rollers make launching or retrieving a small RIB any easier?
 
The couple of times I've brought our dinghy home for winter I either rented a u-haul trailer or had a friend with a pickup throw it in the back. Brought the dinghy home and just tipped it on its side against one of the side walls in the garage. A trailer would make the process easier, but it's probably not worth the cost for that level of use. Last winter I just left the dinghy in the davits when the boat went inside for winter, kept things simple.
 
I bought a used PWC trailer for my 13' aluminum boat. Ended up selling the boat and now use it for my 10' Trinka dinghy. It only has bunks and a winch post. Think I gave $300 or $400 for it on Craigslist. Spent about $200 on it this summer replacing hubs, bearings, wheels, springs and a few other bits to mount a 4' x 3' x 2' dry box (doing a road trip next week and need the extra storage for scuba gear).

As far as loading the dinghy on it, just submerge the bunks at a boat ramp and secure the bow eye to the winch post. After hauling out, you can easily adjust the dinghy on the trailer. Make sure to keep the bearings full of grease. I will be doing about a 3,000 mile road trip, and decided new bearings were cheap insurance.

Ted
 
You don’t need rollers for a boat that size. I’ve had many bunk trailers for small craft and they work great. Just sink the bunks till the highest part is just even with the surface and power up on the trailer. Easy peasy.
 
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