My daughter Sarah and I own a Squib sailing boat. It works like this – she sails it, I pay for it. Daughter rights, I’m told! It is called The Comfy Chair, which, Monty Python aficionados will know, is the torture for the little old lady in the Spanish Inquisition sketch. Sarah races The Comfy Chair at Stone Sailing Club with Edd, a friend of ours.
In the winter the boat is kept at Edd’s house 300 yards from the club, accessed along a private, unmade road.
During the season we keep the boat on my mooring in the river Blackwater. Although the hull is coated with Copper- Tek (similar to Coppercoat but no longer sold in UK), Edd hauls the boat out at least every 3-4 weeks to jet wash the hull for racing.
To do this we have a launching trailer; to put our road trailer in the water would be inadvisable as the brakes and bearings etc would soon corrode. The problem is that our existing launching trailer is now rusting severely and is beyond repair, so I had to design and build a new one.
I feel that my design, being reasonably economic in its construction, may be of use to others. Many owners store their boats on the hard at yacht clubs and road trailers are not necessary, unless moving on to the highway.
Designer trailer
For the initial design I drew up a list of requirements.
• I wanted to use angle iron for the main structural members. The original had single box sections and these just rusted from the inside out and could not be painted for protection.
• I also wanted to use bolted connections instead of welded joints. I have a welder, but by using bolts the trailer can be dismantled if we need to move elsewhere, or if we need to store it somewhere. Also, any parts that rust can be unbolted and changed.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2020 من Practical Boat Owner.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2020 من Practical Boat Owner.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A sailor's guide to UK sharks and fish
Genevieve Leaper looks at some of the shark species around the British and Irish coasts and how to spot these fish from your boat
Multihull anchoring
Brush up on your multihull sailing skills before heading off on a holiday charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to anchoring
A revolution in fabrics
Marine fabrics are using natural fibres, less harmful chemicals and longer-lasting colours. Jake Kavanagh looks at the cut of the cloth
Shoestring voyage of adventure
Richard King and Serafin Colmenares Jr. look back at the remarkable Pacific voyage of Florentino Das in his 24ft home-built boat
A fine day out with a visitor
Six hours afloat and a guided tour to vindicate a fictional sailing heroine's navigational skills
Boats for Baltic cruising
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-40ft sail and power boats for crossing the North Sea and exploring a Baltic summer
Boatyard life
The tide of the year Is rising. Time for work
Weather or not to go sailing
Ignore the apps: it's much safer to swear by the weather wisdom of a local oracle
The angelic East Coast pocket cruiser
It is 100 years since the first Deben Cherub was launched. Julia Jones looks back at the history of this 21ft river racing class
Best anchor types for varied cruising
Rupert Holmes on choosing the best anchor for your boat, your style of cruising, how you’ll use it and your budget