Northwest Fishing Reports

Does anyone have any experience with the trailer hand dollys that are out there?
I will likely need one as I move into a larger boat. My access to my garage is slightly uphill, and cannot exactly be backed into with the vehicle.

I’m just wondering if you have a model that you like, and if you feel like they are really a pretty helpful item.

I have had a "Powermover" dolly for several years and it has worked great. You can call and tell them what you have and how you will be using it for their advice on what you will need. I have one of the smaller ones and it ran around $1,100. I thought when I went from a 17' smoker to my 20' Searunner I would need to get a bigger one but it has worked fine. I have to pull it up a slight slope to get it out from beside my house. Also i had to put down a line of pavers for it to run on. They do not do well on rock or grass.
http://kaadengineering.com/powermover/

I was really aiming to get one of the manual hand drive models. I can’t imagine needing an $1100.00 power unit.

Unfortunately I do have a very small area of grass to go over, at least until I can pour a concrete slab. I was hoping to hear that the manual one could handle 3’ of tightly cut grass.

hlindsay wrote:I have had a "Powermover" dolly
http://kaadengineering.com/powermover/

I was hoping for something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Tow-Tuff-Adjusta ... B00IAM1UEU

I am talking about a pretty light boat, that could even be handled on flat concrete. The issue is just this slight incline into the garage. It’s just beyond 1 person’s limits when only pushing on the trailer tongue.

Some of the manual ones similar to the link I posted, had some negative reviews. If anybody has a manual dolly they like, let me know.

When I had a 15 smoker craft Alaskan I moved it around with one something like you are looking at. It didn't have the height adjustment or the third wheel. Cost around 50 or 60 .When I moved up to a 17ft smoker craft Fazer I couldn't do it by hand and had to go power. The hand power worked fine on grass and rock, you provide the traction with your feet. The problem with power on grass or rock is it doesn't get the traction, and the tires just spin. I have a tight turn to make to put my boat in my side yard so doing it without a dolly just doesn't work. If you can move your boat up the slope by hand I would think that on would work.

You might be able to push against the solid tongue and move it but when you attach the wheels/handle that are not solid to the boat you have introduced a 'movable' connection in between you and the boat. Not sure if it will 'push' the same. It seems like you might loose some stability. Just tossing it out there.