Bridle Chain Plate [Kevin NorthWales]

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Kevin NorthWales wrote:

Having sailed my Dart 15 over the Easter weekend I noticed how easy it was to bend the bridle chain plate. Launching at Penmaenmawr at low tide means crossing a sandy beach, no problem except that the sand can be soggy in places and the boat can sink into it on the trolley. Tugging way, holding the bow, with your hand round the bridle causes the plate to bend away from the hull. Would I need to replace the chain plate ( I have bent it back into shape)? Can you get a trolley with wider wheels?
I hear that the Dart 16 bow cross bar can break due to a similar problem.

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Bob replied:

Hi Kevin,
I've noticed the same thing in the past. I have to following advice:
1) Keep your rigging reasonably tight
2) pull the boat along from further away from the hulls. Mostly people pull from the centre with one arm wrapped around each bridle wire.
3 Try to ignore the chain plates. I've never known one break, but don't chance fate by keep bending them back and forward.
On the subject of wide wheels, you can get a big wheel trolley from the Laser Centre at cost. Treasurer, Gordon Goldstone, has one - it looks like the undercarriage of a Spitfire!! Perhaps he will tell us how good it is? Alternatively, quite a few people have added 2 extra wheels to the existing trolley. I don't know how they did it but I'm sure if you watch these pages somebody will tell us.
Cheers
Bob

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Ben replied:

You can get large wheels from most big cat people. eg Don findley/Hobie/West Mersea/Andy Webb etc. They offer a substansital improvement over the standard ones espacially over sand, pebble beaches.