As an island nation our maritime history and heritage is well documented, however castors and wheels are the driving force moving boats in our marinas. There are several hundred marinas dotted around our British coastline, housing a variety of boats and yachts both moored or stored on dry land. Marinas tend to be defined as a harbour or wharf for keeping boats and yachts for recreational purposes. They differ from ports as they do not engage with cargo or passenger ferries and boats. Most marinas provide a range of services, such as cleaning and repairs, mooring, dry storage, refuelling and chandlers shops. Many castors and wheels are utilised in the transportation and lifting equipment used to manoeuvre the boats and yachts around on dry land, and in and out of the water. Castors and wheels can be seen in marinas on boat trailers, castors on boat racks and castors on sling lifts and gantries.
The most common types of castors used in marinas would be on the large variety of trailers. A boat or yacht trailer needs to be able to launch, retrieve and carry the boat or yacht as required. Traditional designs are trailers housing two larger wheels at the rear of the trailer and jockey castors at the front. Jockey castors are swivelling castors designed to aid the manoeuvrability of the boat trailer and are often fitted with castor clamps or castors brakes to keep the trailer in a locked and safe position once stationery. Jockey castors on trailers often have a ratchet attached to enable the castor to be raised or lowered into position as required when stationery or on the move. These types of boat and yacht trailers on castors are not designed for long term storage, more for launching and retrieving small boats from the water. The preferred castors and wheels used on boat trailers tends to be rubber wheeled castors, as they are resistant to the marine environment. For longer term storage castors are used on boat frames, which house the boats on dry land. As these frames are not used to launch the boats, they tend to be simpler in design, utilising polyurethane castors or nylon castors. The boat frame is a cradle on castors, and can also have braked castors to ensure the frame remains in a stationery position.
For larger boats and yachts, hydraulic trailers moved by castors or launching gantries sitting on castors and wheels are the preferred options. These heavier duty castors and wheels have to have strength and durability and also resistance to the harsh marine environments. The corrosive nature of sea water, salt and bad weather can affect the type of castors and wheels used on gantries and heavy duty trailers. Lighter weight gantry cranes can sit upon nylon wheeled castors. The nylon wheel material provides the gantry with manoeuvrability as well as strength and durability. Nylon is not corroded by the harsh elements in the marine environment. For heavier duty gantries and boat lifting and towing equipment, the most suitable choice of castors and wheels would be a cast iron castor. These heavy duty castors, mainly used on rails, provide the strength and durability that is required when moving larger yachts in and out of the water for maintenance, storage and repairs. The heaviest duty castors for moving boats and yachts would be the twin wheeled fabricated towing castors. All these castors both light duty castors and up to the heavy duty castors, keep boats and yachts moving in and out of our British waters.
Published At: Isnare.com
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