The Scottish Coastal Rowing Project

We of the Ulla syndicate have the use of a trailer originally meant for a Hurley 22, so it is way too heavy but it is long enough. It has no bilge supports because the original boat had bilge keels. I personally think bilge supports are dangerous in that if they are not well adjusted or the boat is out of position, all the weight can rest on them which can distort the boat or even puncture her, for instance if the wheels on the support are over the wrong way, or the boat is allowed to get full of rain water.

If the keel is kept in the centre, the boat can be kept level by straps to the gunwale and all the weight is on the keel which can take it. 

We don't yet have a launching trolley which can be put in the sea, but we're not sure if we need it since the boat seems so light. Joseph Johnson & co who used to do salmon netting out of Montrose had a way of launching a very heavy coble over the sands. They had a metal axle connected to two large cart wheels which could be wheeled over the boat, slightly above the gunwales. Then two levers pulled the boat up to the axle, and it hung under the axle and could be easily pushed along. Then when it had floated, one of the crew could release the levers and the axle was wheeled away.

It obviously needed large diameter wheels, maybe 5 feet in diameter, but we worked out how that could be done in plywood with a laminated rim and plywood spokes.

Cheers, Topher.