boat ramps, docks, pulleys, winches yikes!

[boggen]

see attached diagram.


needing 2 ramps, to pull boats up.
i want and need to pull ramps up and out during winter for sure.

not wanting to pull entire 8'x16' worth of lumber with decking board up and out onto hill side of lake. was wanting to use some pulleys and a winch per ramp to just lift the ends of ramps up and out of water.

so not to destroy the ramps. by connecting just to one side. was wanting to run cable down to both corners. and run one cable up across and down.

my issues, are how to keep the posts from falling over. over time. the posts clear out in the water, min 5 to 6 feet depth water. plus an additional 8 to 10 feet above water. so i can hop into a boat, and not knock myself out, trying to get under the cable.

was wanting to add a floating dock in middle of 2 ramps, so i could walk out and operate either winch. to let the ramps down/up. the middle 55 gallon drum dock, i will just leave in all year round. the drums have lasted a few years without pulling them out, with lake freezing over.

suggestions of how to go about this? or other?

===========
below are my mindless chicken scratches. (ignore them) just tossing them out maybe get something.
black lines thought about using 1.5" or 2" galvanized pipe
others are drawbridge chicken scratches
others are counter weight thoughts, to reduce need for heavier built winch.
some of it just lumber.

 

[bcp]

I would make all 3 sections just like the center one. No deep water posts.

In winter, you have a frame, sort of like a boat trailer frame, made of wood, with rollers or bunks. Push it off the end and let the far end sink or float low in the water. The near end is flexibly fastened to the end of the floating dock. Winch the boat up onto the dock. Move the "ramp" to another section and winch up another boat.

Bruce

 

[boggen]

I would make all 3 sections just like the center one. No deep water posts.

In winter, you have a frame, sort of like a boat trailer frame, made of wood, with rollers or bunks. Push it off the end and let the far end sink or float low in the water. The near end is flexibly fastened to the end of the floating dock. Winch the boat up onto the dock. Move the "ramp" to another section and winch up another boat.

Bruce

*rubs chin* not sure if following you completely. the more so the "moving ramp" part.

--what i have currently raft and dock, the dock will be getting re done.
--the raft, i can not clutter up with boats. used for many other things.

 

[bcp]

I thought you were storing the boats on the raft for the winter.

If you are just needing a way to get the boats out of the water, how about a marine railway of some kind? Some are very simple.

marine railways

Bruce

 

[GLyford]

To me, it sounds like he also wants to get the ends of the docks out of the water for winter, not just boats during the season?

If the barrels are the only part in the water, you may be OK leaving them in during a freeze. They might have enough flex to survive ice (assuming you don't have an annual "ice out" in the spring that wrecks everything).

 

[frugalangler]

I've seen a number of marine boat trolleys (marine railway) on Ozark lakes I fish - some are as simple as a long 2X6 lattice frame some times in sections to follow contour, and wheels with the tires removed, and a simple 4X4 platform fitted with a hitch ball, with small wheels on a pair of axles to support tongue, which at top to pull it up. A lot of times, the track will end in a small shed that covers the boat in the off season also. Just food for thought. Whatever you do, KISS rules! Don't over think it simple is better.

And, I'm assuming the water has no other boat ramp available to launch/retrieve at season ends?

 

[boggen]

the floating dock and 55 gallon drums under it, so far been good for a few years now just leaving them in all year round. a little bit of antifreeze in them. to both sink them in water a little bit for better stability, but also to keep ice from forming up inside of them during winter.

the bass boats and paddle boats need to be pulled up on shore, the bass boats just get turned upside down. and call it good enough for them. the paddle boats need a tarp for winter. to keep water/ice out of the peddle areas.

whats been quoted to me is running sch 40 galvanized 1.5" to 2" pipe for dock sections or poles or like. to handle ice better. and not running the cheaper aluminium pipe. this is for manufactured 4' x 8' dock sections.

have not had time to call any of the "marine railways/ highway" manufactures yet. from quick skimming, rails need to be pulled before ice freezes over. tracks being tracks, if ice freezes up into, the ice simply does not push up and around them, but digs in and grabs hold of the tracks, is what i am assuming is issue with the tracks and ice. just talking a small bass boats and paddle boats, not talking about some larger ocean boat, or some 20 mph to 90mph speed boat in the rivers. larger boats bigger metal that be strong. vs talking cheap small structural metal tracks or like.

if i go with lumber for ramps. if i can physically pull the lumber out of water, after each weekend or like usage. so the lumber is not always in the water. i would assume the lumber would last much longer. and i really do not want to have to pull/push ramps back and forth. was hoping for a simple winch per say, to raise the one end out of water.

roller bunks, all manufactures are wanting rollers up and out of water during winter due to ice on lake, from what i have been able to find.

carpet bunks, to roller bunks, just removing it from water when not in use, i would think be a good idea, i do not see folks parking there boat trailer with boat on it, down in the lake year after year, when boat is not being used. but rather high and dry and on land.

the metal versions of roller bunks and carpet bunks, i have not found anything already manufactured for 16' lengths. and what i have found, 8 to 12 feet about the limits, before support posts are needed between each portion of ramp sections.

===========
bcp, thanks for link, have not had time to check fully into yet
bcp, thank you for the link, it lead me to "tower docks" and "tower boat ramps" other words draw bridge for a castle. of what i have seen, the frame work, to lean everything up and out of the water. does not let you walk straight through the center. but you need to walk around everything. which does not aid pulling boats straight up ramps and placing them on the hills of lake.

===========

KISS (keep it simply stupid) gotta love it!

if i could use say 2x6 or 2x8's or 2x10's, as rails, and find some track wheels to build a dolly to set on top of the 2bys6-10's. i think i could make it work.

if i could use say 2x6 to 2x10's for structural support for roller bunks, or carpet bunks, i think i could make it all work nicely.

issues to either above. is wanting to lift the ramps, up and out of water. winter is critical, but also just done for weekend, and just lifting the lumber and like up and out of water, so it all lasts longer.

============
brain dead. another chicken scratch drawing.

 

[frugalangler]

===========

KISS (keep it simply stupid) gotta love it!

if i could use say 2x6 or 2x8's or 2x10's, as rails, and find some track wheels to build a dolly to set on top of the 2bys6-10's. i think i could make it work.

HarborFreight sells wheels (with tires) - ditch the tires and you got trolley wheels!

 

[boggen]

found some track wheels searching for "steel wheels" more suited for tracks. any were 5 to 15 bucks more over inflatable tires, and take tire off. steel wheels rated for a few hundred lbs. vs inflatable tire rated for only a couple hundred lbs.

metal on the brain, when thinking about hinge points for track. need to come up with something better for 2x6's or 2x8's that works for a hinge point.

figuring some 2x4's for bracing between the tracks.

purely guessing 1.5" or 2" galvanized pipe for posts.

i really do not want to sink a large 4" diameter to 10" posts into the ground. was wanting to keep stuff smaller for posts. and tossed in some cables and turn buckles to tighten things up, at the last moment. to try and stiffen everything up. and add some counter balance for when tracks are lifted up and out of the water.

not lifting tracks out of water, with boat on top of the tracks. so hopefully a cheaper 700 lbs or so winch can be used to lift track out of water. more so with the doubling up of cable.

figure a 2000 lbs winch to actually pull trolley with boat on it up ramps.


=========
time to figure out all the little details.

how to attach tracks to posts, how to make it so tracks can be adjusted to the posts to account for any settling / frost heave issues down the road.

how to make the hinge point for tracks

figure out if i need or should add any rock directly below tracks up on the ground, to deal with any sort of erosion that might happen. due to ground being shaded by the tracks themselves and no grass growing.

 

[Eliashayes]

Hi there, I agree with you @bcp that you can push it off the end and let the far end sink or float low in the water. I am also planning to get a new ramp attached to my boat, this is for my uncle who is on a wheelchair. While discussing with my friend, he suggested me about this link. Do you have any suggestions?