Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Making a Trolley for ‘Minnow’





Wicks and Homebase were the sources of materials for building ‘Minnow’s’ trolley. This morning I bought three planks, plus nuts and bolts from Wicks. By visiting two Homebase stores I was able to obtain six heavy duty castors – two of them from Rayleigh and the others from Vange. Officially, these castors are no longer stocked at Homebase; therefore I was fortunate to find them.

Within an hour-and-a-half of arriving home, my son-in-law and I finished making the trolley. We used eight bolts to hold the frame together, and we attached six castors to the underside of the frame. Hopefully they will be sufficiently strong take the weight of the boat and her trolley. I believe the trolley will be robust enough to withstand at least six months of constant use.

The advantages of having a trolley are threefold: Importantly, I shall be able to receive the boat when she is being offloaded from the delivery trailer on 19th August, and I shall be able to convey her to my garage where she will be out of the elements. I’ll also be able to conveniently move her in and out of the garage for working on.

This temporary facility will give me time for acquiring a suitable road trailer. Just now I am uncertain as to what will be the best type of trailer.  Whatever, I end up with will depend on the cost. I don’t want to spend more on her trailer than on buying her, but I fear I shall have to pay more for a trailer.

Note
One more day, and the auction for ‘Sandpiper’ will have finished. I wonder how much her new owner will settle for. Details of the auction can be found by visiting yesterday’s blog:

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