ATV skiff launching

[thxmrgarand]

' Just acquired and moved to a house on a rocky saltwater beach.  Tides are over 20 feet so with a 6% slope there is almost a 100 yard beach at very low tide.  To reach dry land at high tide  the slope is all of 15%.  The beach is covered with rocks of 4 inch plus, and there are large rocks of several feet in diameter to avoid.  There are normal amounts of wet marine life on the rocks - urchins and the like.

Instead of mooring my skiff out as I have done in the past I would like to launch it whenever I use it.  It's a 17 foot aluminum skiff on a small trailer.  It has a 40 horse and a 4 horse, both 2 cycle (so light) and with tillers.  With fuel tanks full it probably weighs almost 1000 pounds.  Do you think an ATV or a UTV would launch this skiff, and what model might work best?  Would I need to put extra weight in the nose of the vehicle?  Does anyone make ATV-type rims that would fit a boat trailer (as ATV tires would be better on this rocky beach)?  I've never seen anyone launch a boat with an ATV and Youtube doesn't appear to have a film of anyone doing it.  The vehicle I buy will be pretty much limited to this use as once it is on the beach it would all but take a helicopter to put it somewhere else.  Thanks.

[Graybeard]

Sounds like quite a chore to be asking of an ATV. My Yamaha Bruin 350 can pull a trailer with that much or more weight on it and on the level quite easily but when the terrain becomes angled the going is not so easy. Mine is a 4x2 which is really all I need as I don't have to get it off solid surfaces.

For your use them you'll definitely need 4x4 and likely a larger size than my 350 as well. In fact you might want one of the larger ones in the 650-800 cc range and a locking diff would be a handy tool to have I'd think.

I've seen tractors and four wheelers set up to have a hitch on the front for moving trailers around. It is a handi way to launch and might even be a superior way to retrieve it when pulling it out. Depending on the consistency of the soil there you might need paddle tires or maybe just standard tires I dunno.

Are you saying the beach is such that the boat, trailer and launch vehicle all are going to have to stay down on the beach at all times? If so I'd expect to come out one day and find someone had stolen it all and run up the beach with it. But then if it's that bad how the heck are you planning to get it all down there to the beach in the first place?

[Oldshooter]

I'd be very careful how much salt water I'd put an ATV in. my son drowned a Honda in a salt marsh and it has electrical problems now. It had been in a lot of fresh water with no problem, any water is bad for them but salt water is really bad.

If you can keep it dry a good 4wd ATV with some aggressive tires will do what you are talking about though.

[markc]

I agree that there would be a concern with regards to electrical and corresion issue to all of the metal surfaces on an atv, if you don't wash it every time you launched with it.   If you take a look at the new big Polaris ATV's there are some tall, but fairly narrow wheel/tires on them.  If the hub on your boat trailer matches the lug patter from the atv's, you could buy a set to mount and not worry about the boat trailer tires being damaged on those rocks. 

Like the others posted, a 4X4 500cc or up sounds like the right quad.   Anything smaller, might do it, but I think with a bit less control pulling the heavy load over the rocks and up that grade.   

[Thebear_78]

I have seen a lot of boats launched with a modified front end loader in much steeper conditions.   I bet  a decent large 4 wheeler would work just fine but make sure to wash it off after every time.

[bilmac]

The picture I have of garand's beach, I'm not so sure. Beach rocks can be pretty slick, and a 15% slope is really steep, not the same as 15 degrees.I expect that a 4X4 would do it but with a lot of difficulty. I would think that if that is your only option that you will end up improving a "road". If you do that I would suggest that you do it by just moving around the material that is already there. If you try to bring in finer materials it will just wash away, not to mention the trouble that you may stir up with the Corps of Engineers or whatever other cops tell you what you can't do.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got a deer blind that weights about that much and if you saw where i pull that with my 700 grizzly pulling a boat would on dirt would be a piece of cake. Ive got at least 20 degree slopes and at the end of the year had a foot and a half of snow. Personaly i think it would be a walk in the park for a 4x4 atv at least 500ccs

[thxmrgarand]

Thanks for all the replies.  To answer the questions; I will likely deliver the ATV/UTV and the skiff trailer by small landing craft.  One of the most popular types of aluminum skiff here right now is a landing craft type of boat.  All of them are large enough for at least one ATV but I sometimes hunt and fish with one fellow who has had an old Ford Bronco II on his skiff (twin 250 hp outboards on that skiff).  The vehicle and skiff on trailer will sit on my front lawn when not being launched, and theft is not a concern.  Salt water, and even the air around salt water, is something people on the coast deal with every day - I know one fellow who calls this area the WD40 capital of the world.  Sometimes after duck hunting I spray my 870 with a garden hose before attempting to clean it (and that 870 will be 50 years old next year).  And while this rocky beach won't eat up a vehicle, there are tide flats that can and sometimes do eat up Cat 988's and other equipment.  Thanks again.  I will have to look for a source of wide ATV-type rims for a small boat trailer.

[markc]

Lloyd, is that a homemade blind?  Got pics?  I am in the market for a new blind, and am considering building my own this time, rather than buying one. 

thxmrgarand, you know what might be the perfect launching vehicle is one of those 6 wheel argos.  Especially since they float. 

[Lloyd Smale]

home made. My neighbor gave me an old snowmobile trailer and i built it on top of it. Sorry no pictures and im sure its burried in snow in the yard out to camp.

[markc]

LLoyd, if it thaws out, take and post a pic if you can.  I have a tiny trailer at the ranch that I made from an old small pop-up camper.  I was considering bringing it home and building a box blind on it that I can haul out behind the Rhino and park it where I want.  I could move it around that way if it looks like I could see more, or spook less deer if I moved it.    There is an auction coming up that the county DA is putting on with seized cars and stuff.  Once I get the list, I will be looking for those little trailers like the one you have to build blinds on top of. 

[bilmac]

Yup those little pop up trl frames are useful. I cut one down and made a first class ATV trailer out of it. A lot of work, but I could have spent months acquireing all of the nice light weight materials that was in that pop up.

[Lloyd Smale]

tell you what id really like to find cheap is one of those little popups that they tow behind a motorcyle. Mine is on the heavy side and is a bit tippy. Its not tipped over but it rocks a bit. I was nervous when i brought it down the highway 45 miles to camp. It was a windy day and i thought a few times it was going over on the highway. Its not a problem in the woods if you go slow. Problem is i wanted something tall enough to stand up in and big enough for two people So it got heavy and tall fast.

[Sourdough]

I use ATVs to launch my boat all the time.  I started back in 1987.  I had a 1981 Ford Ranger, the last year they were full size trucks.  Two wheel drive and geared so high it was gutless.  I often launch on the side of streams with my 16ft John Boat.  I have the Lowe Oly John which is wider than a normal John Boat, with twin Merc 35s, with Jet Pumps.  My trailer came with 12" wheels, those skinny little things they sell at Wal-mart and almost any sporting goods store.  I had been using my Jeep to launch for years, but I got rid of it and had bought this little Ford, not realizing how limited it would be.

First time out I got stuck on the ramp.  I had not trouble putting the boat in, but was unable to pull it and the trailer out at the end of the day.  A guy used an ATV to pull me up the ramp.  Next time I went to launch on a stream I took my Suzuki 250 4WD.  I used the little Suzuki for the next 5 years with no problems. 

As for wheels for my boat trailer.  I found a set of the 10" wide trailer wheels in a second hand store.  The tires were no good but I just wanted the wheels anyway.  I brought them home and then went garage selling.  I found a set of used 10" ATV tires and bought them.  I put the ATV tires on the wide wheels.  They came to the same hight as the original skinny tires.  I now use the trailer to tow my boat into remote lakes using a Kawasaki 750.   

[Empty Quiver]

Look for snowmobile trailer wheels and tires, they are rated for highway use and have a high weight rating in general especially compared to ATV tires.

[Drilling Man]

  I wouldn't launch a boat into salt water with MY Grizzly, i'd do like we always did in Alaska, and use an old farm tractor.  It will out last 10 ATV's, and have much less maintance doing so...

  Keep the fluids clean, power wash it once in a while, and it will out last you.

  DM

[deerhuntertyler]

i have to agree with drilling man, if launching the boat is the primary reason to get an ATV, you could save yourself allot of money and get and old farm tractor. It wouldn't have to be big, but 4 wheel drive or at least front wheel assist would most likely be needed with all the beach rocks. The only issue i see is getting it in, but if your buddies boat can handle a ford bronco II, it could handle a little tractor. In fact i think a Ford 1710, 1720 or similar tractor would be perfect for your needs, and plus could be used for much more around your yard and what not... I would seriously consider looking for a small farm tractor, if you want to go new i have heard allot of good things about the small kubotas.