Boat that you can drive a trailer onto..

[pasternaks]

I have this crazy idea, I have a mobile mini donut/soft serve business, which I run out of a trailer. I currently have 2 trailers, and I'm looking to see about taking one of them out onto the water. The trailer is 8'x16' and has a gross vehicle weight of 7500lbs. I was thinking it would be nice to have a boat that would essentially be a floating dock for my trailer. Just with a small engine, it won't have to go far, but something that would allow me to drive the trailer onto it, and then stay afloat so I could sell mini donuts, soft serve, and floats from it. Has anyone here seen something like this before, or built something like it? And if so, would anyone on this forum be willing to design something like that for me?

 

[TANSL]

Welcome to the forum.
Designing a boat to carry trailers is not difficult. It may be more difficult how to get the trailer on board. You may need a landing craft or a boat with a loading ramp, if there is a suitable dock for it.
Could you give us more details on weights, dimensions, limitations, available loading/unloading means, etc., etc.

 

[BlueBell]

As TANSL says, a landing craft would fit the bill rather well, no?

 

[Eric Zhu]

now our shipyard is designing the platform , and also we did the catamaran boat , only add a ramp , is suitable your requires . the power is 30 HP , the speed is ok
whastApp:+8615165209832
email : zhuwj@sinostsc.com

 

[bajansailor]

Welcome to the Forum Pasternaks.

Your 'crazy' idea sounds pretty sensible to me really - what is the budget that you have available for purchasing a suitable boat / landing craft / barge to do this job?

Here is a fairly typical example of a 'small' barge for sale for US$ 35k - this could carry your trailer ok, but you would still need another boat to tow / manoeuvre it in place.
https://www.oceanmarine.com/detail.cfm?30x16x4-Sectional-Barges---16071&product_id=16071&category_current=6&category_current_sub=24

Maybe you could get a pontoon boat kit, and build a hoistable bow ramp on it for loading your trailer?
pontoon boat kits aluminum pontoons tour work boats https://u-fabboats.com/

A landing craft like this might be able to do the job (they do not say what it's deadweight or carrying capacity is) - but I hate to think what the cost of this boat would be.
You would have to sell an awful lot of dough nuts and ice creams to pay for it.
37 FT Landing Craft (1160) | Aluminum Boat Plans & Designs by Specmar http://www.specmar.com/aluminum-boat-plans/aluminum-landing-craft-workboats/37-ft-landing-craft-1160/

@Eric Zhu would you like to post any copies of drawings of vessels in your portfolio which you think might be suitable for this job?

 

[Eric Zhu]

@Eric Zhu would you like to post any copies of drawings of vessels in your portfolio which you think might be suitable for this job?

CA H
we have ,

2014 , i went to barbados for business trip ,

 

[bajansailor]

CA H
we have ,

If you have drawings of suitable vessels available, can you maybe post copies here please?

I hope that your business trip to Barbados 10 years ago was successful.
Did it involve boats?

 

[Eric Zhu]

yes ,

If you have drawings of suitable vessels available, can you maybe post copies here please?

I hope that your business trip to Barbados 10 years ago was successful.
Did it involve boats?

thank you , before business trip is involve tugs and barges in T&T,
about the drawing , i cant share in here , if you have any requires , pls share your idea to our email
zhuwj@sinostsc.com
whastapp:+8615165209832

 

[seasquirt]

Hi pasternaks, I had a similar idea for summer time fishers, but never did it, - selling bait, beer, ice, water, cigarettes, tackle, snacks, buoyancy vests, and assorted gear that a weekend angler might forget or require more of, to avoid heading back to the boat ramp early. I thought of an oversized pontoon, (to minimise rocking in boat wakes), with a smallish caravan / trailer chained to it, with fenders all around so boats could pull up, and crew could get off and stand at the window to be served or ask questions. Self powered by a pair of outboard motors, and a small generator for lighting, refrigeration, pumps, etc. Fresh water, grey water, and black water tanks for the operators, and possibly a portaloo for visitors. This would end up being 2 to 3 tons, not including the pontoon itself. It could be done, but also, once all the design is completed, then the red tape and legal requirements, permits, licences, and whatever else bureaucrats want to throw at you will probably make it un-viable, unless you have a large budget for pulling strings and greasing palms. Then the insurance if you can get it. Nice Idea, and good luck.

 

[kapnD]

If you have drawings of suitable vessels available, can you maybe post copies here please?

I hope that your business trip to Barbados 10 years ago was successful.
Did it involve boats?

You are being far too polite to scammers!

 

[comfisherman]

I'd only take umberage with the technical issue over the "c" and arguing that it should be changed to a "p" in the above post. During the great sniffle tsunami we has a hard time getting pva floats from our normal source. Decided to try the Ali type method of finding another source..... it's a specific type of sales. We called it the mosquito marketing method, once it knows your there it's a swarm of contact.


Back on the op topic. I'd bet it would be a decent size craft that could swing a full height 4 ton food cart. Would imagine for commercial use it would fall under some kind of inspection/regulation if used for commerce. Might be some kind of exemption if it's permanently affixed and Un powered. I'd likely talk to enforcement of some kind in the area of operation and work backwards to get the parameters of what would be necessary to comply. Then merge the capacity needs with the legal list.