beach launching

hi guys ,
found this site ,its great to see other people fishing off their skis,does any one launch their skis off the beach into the surf ,an how do they set up trailers etc for launching an retreival on surf beaches specailly with the dumping waves etc,
cheers ,pete

Gidday, whilst this is not an area that I would specialise in I have been told by several who do what they do.

Beach Trolleys are great and some how the transfer from normal trailer to the beah trolley is relatively simple, so I am told. This allows you to get it in where you need it without worry about the car/truck etc. Some trailers that I have seen have mounts around the trailer so a frame is easily place over the ski and beach trolley on top.

The other option is look for an estuary if there is one where it wil be calm and easy to launch.

Hopefully someone sees your query and answers with more specifics than what I have provided you with.

Cheers

hi ,ive come up with a cunning plan ,ive started building a very lite beach trailer with wide ballon tyres, a long extendable hinged drawbar to get the ski as far back into the water (an waves ),an the rear roller very low to the beach so as to get the front of the ski up off the sand with out to much effort (decreasing the winching effort to lift the ski up of the sand to a rear roller that is normally half a metre of the ground to start with),i live 100 metres off the beach an i will tow the beach trailer an ski with my 4x4 quad bike ,the beach that im launching off usaully has a good wave dump on it and you cant fester round getting the ski on an off the trailer ,any more thoughts ideas or comments are welcome,cheers

I don't have to much experience with launching in the surf, yet at a ramp we lauch at with bad Southerly can be quite challenging at times. In recent experience the waves and wind can push the ski unexpectably into the trailer. To reduce damage we attached thich foam padding to all parts of the trailer to protect the hull against trailer damage. Upright guides on the trailer are also a bonus!
Sounds like you have the right ideas Pete. Would be great living that close to the beach, I just would want to be on the water all the time.

yes up rights will be included and your idea with the padding is brillant,i was even thinking of a xtra long detachable drawbar that would be unpinned from the front of the cradle/chassis and then stuck into the rear of the cradle/chassis for launching so the ski would then be facing the rear ,this would be done at the house before we tow it down to the beach,my lady could then back me an my( ready to go) ski into the surf for a quick exit,i would just drive the ski off the trailer and straight out fishing,on return i would beach the ski an winch it quikly up onto the trailer that she has backed down to the water edge,the trailer will take some thought as to make it front an rear exit/entry if you can understand my line of thought here,i have so far done the axle an wheels an hubs ,im about to start on the cradle ,the trailer will be low with no suspension to get the ski as low to the ground as poss ,any more thoughts guys cheers

Great ideas Pete. A trailer that you can drive staight forward off sounds perfect for your situation. Would be great to see some pictures on here as you progress through your project.

Good old kiwi thinking aye!!

Hey, thats what I've been looking for..... a lady to look after the trailer, delivery and pickup, you've got that worked out lol. seriously though the ideas you have for a beach trailer sound like a winner. Good luck with it.

Well I presume if you are wanting to launch your ski into the surf that you probably own a four wheel drive ? we launch our skis into the water for surf fishing all the time in fact launching isn't really the problem its retrieving that's the dangerous part. We just drive the skis at speed up onto the sand then winch them back up onto the trailer. This is fine in Australia as the beaches are actually sand. Don'T know if this method is recommended in New Zealand as the beaches there seem to be very course . When coming back to shore you need to build up a bit of pace and momentum to get far enough up the beach to be out of the breaking waves just remember to hit the kill switch just before you hit the beach so you don't pump up to much sand into the intake

Great photos Ian, have you been doing any fishing lately?

Hi Andrew no fishing for us lately we only got back from your fantastic country yesterday ! had 2 weeks tripping around the South Island in a motorhome what a blowout for us Aussies snow in November far out ! so green and the mountains, crystal clear streams ( gee I woulda loved to have had a crack at some trout fishing ) saw some big browns but never took a rod !next time maybe !were coming back for sure but Sh*te it gets cold over there dont know how you fish of jet skis when its that cold. We had 3 degrees at Wanaka its 27 here today.

Cheers Ian

Great photos, fortunately not that cold in Auckland. If you had more time I would have taken you out, next time keep we should arrange in advance.

Nice photos Aka Hooter....shame you didn't make it up our way. Happy fishing

As you would probably guess beach access is for 4x4's, and as I don't have one I am reluctant to try. I have to say mate I am impressed with your chilly bins that you have mounted on the back of the ski's... have done something similar with a chilly bin, but do find that having fish and your tackle in there is rather messy to say the least... I'm keen to know if you have a separator inside your bins for gear and fish; I'm thinking of mounting a piece of perspex across part of the internal space of the chilly bin to make a separate compartment... this way the fish doesn't stink out the tackle!

I've watched your beach arrival technique on youtube... very nice! NZ beaches can be a little more stony than most, so this could prove a little difficult.

Hi Ducky. Tackle and fish in the Esky , Ice Box . Chiili Bin, don't mix that's for sure try bolting some bait containers on the ice box in
Aussie alvey make them for attaching to your belt for beach fishing but I have fastened 4 off them on mine to do the trick ! photos below ! cheers Hoot

Thanks Hooter... those photos are awesome!! Gives me more ideas to work with for sure!

I have researched those bins and they are amazing at keeping things cool... sorta thinking of going that way myself to ensure a days fishing isn't completed with sour fish! Love your setup... will have to keep thinking to see what I can afford to do. As you know we have the stainless "ultimate rod holder", however although fantastic I am hoping for something a little more spacious on the back of my ski, especially if it can have a separate compartment for easy to reach gear.

Thanks again... appreciate the photos...