DHC-2 Boat racks

[CGZMT]

My work is looking to buy some new boats for use in the bush of NWO. Just wondering what the max width of a boat that can be hauled by the beaver. Looking at lunds, misty rivers and Nadens.

[Hornblower]

Whatever will fit on your rack. Just measure your rack, and if there is space left to tie it, fill your boots.

I've hauled a few 14 footers, but don't really like it cause they shake the piss out of the tail.

PS: some STC'd racks have specified boat size limits if you want to be legal like all the other operators in Ontario

[CGZMT]

Well i am currntly working for the OMNR and the aircraft that i will be flying in the spring are already put up for the winter, just wondering if anyone knew of the top of there heads so a road trip isn't neccessary.
Thanks for the help.

[shimmydampner]

Short answer: wider than you would think possible, but only if you don't use the racks.

[Liquid Charlie]

I know you need to leave a little flap down when u fly 2 14's -- damn what we do to save a little time -- lmfaooooooo -- yep -- before the day of racks and SOP was to rebuild the beaver tails every fall.

[phillyfan]

Racks are for pussies. It will take a 16ft lund with a wide beam but 14ft is a lot nicer.

[Cat Driver]

Yeh, me too I'll take a pussy with a wide beam especially if she has a nice rack.

[Hornblower]

Racks are for pussies. It will take a 16ft lund with a wide beam but 14ft is a lot nicer.

You shittin' me? Where do you tie it, and don't tell me on the side of the float without posting a picture!

Maybe tow it??

['79K20driver]

I don't know how wide the racks are when extended, but I do remember that a 14 foot Lund will fit nicely on them. A 16ft Lund won't fit within the rack but can be flown without one. It doesn't fly well and drags in the water while taxiing. Save the 16's for the Otter if your company has one, but 14's are Ok on the Beaver.

[Rowdy]

Oh come on! I've flown canoes and boats both with and without the racks. You can fit a wider boat without.. It takes a bit more ropework but it's do-able..

I might be completly out to lunch.. but I found that with the 4930's and the racks.. I had a bit more room for wider boats. Could fit most 14ft'ers on the 45's but nothing bigger or wider with the damn racks. I'll take the bigger floats anyday. Here are some pics of the basic racks on the 4530's







OHH and the 16ft's Will fit.. Been there done that.

[Hornblower]

OHH and the 16ft's Will fit.. Been there done that.

Ok that's two of you, so my skepticism is a little mollified, but I've never seen it done, and for sure I don't think I'd want to do it either.

Must be ugly. (visually and functionally)

[shimmydampner]

You shittin' me? Where do you tie it, and don't tell me on the side of the float

No.
Yes.
Like I said, wider than you would think possible.

[Hornblower]

Hey Rowdy, ... there a paint shortage where you're at?

[Rowdy]

Paint?!? Who needs paint?!

You're right though.. it did need a fresh coat on the floats.

[1000 HP]

I've hauled 14 footers on the beaver. Not great. A sixteen footer seems retarded. I've hauled a sixteen foot widebeam lund on a Caravan and that sucks. The Otter is the plane to use for 16 footers for sure. I did haul an eighteen foot water soaked canvass covered deep wood freight canoe on a Beaver with four passengers and freight, and it flew nice.

[Liquid Charlie]

I the bygone years the only plane which had boat racks was the beech 18 -- all the others just tied the boats up against the wing strut. the wing was the limiting factor - the comapny I worked for had a policy of no external loads on Cessnas because of buffeting on the tail. The Beaver had the same issues but they elected to rebush the tails at change over. Racks came in I believe because they attributed a wing strut failure to damage from boats rubbing on it. We also never heard of a "herc" strap back then -- The MNR used boat racks with straps and we alway coveted them since we figured it would be much faster to strap a boat on. I personally hated the racks on the Beech and would take them off -- slowed the airplane down too much. Best i ever saw was a Beech arrive one day with 4 canoes -- 3 outside and one inside -- I also watch guys cry when I cinched their canoes down on a whore dyne -- I have actually nailed a 2x4 into a glass canoe to keep it from collapsing -- the old girl was good for boats but canoes were narrow. You could always tell a canoe flown on a noseman from the bend in the gunnel

[carholme]

We use the boat rack on our Beech 18 and it is great.


carholme

[phillyfan]

I'm trying to get pictures from my camera, to my computer then to Avcanada but give me some time i'm just a bush rat. Couple things to remember when flying the big boats. The boat will hang into the water and want to turn you into it slightly until you get the nose forward. You must put straps from the inside bottom of the boat across to the other float struts or it will pull away from the float and bash the shit out of the float. Plan your landing and approach well ahead of time. You are not gonna want to be doing a lot of turns close to the ground. Oh ya and that turn from into the wind to downwind pucker up she's a beauty. Maximum your gonna want to haul with you is 1 swamper to help you take the boat off and 500lbs in the back (with tank and 20). Burn the tanks front to back it's gonna want to dig a little more than usual. Take your time give yourself lots of room. It will get off the water no problem but it won't climb worth a shit. Turn away from the boat only (15 degrees max). Nose into the wind for as long as it takes. Use the flaps and up drafts to nurse altitude out of the airplane. (raising the nose is not gonna help). Then spend the next hour or so crawling along at 85kts wondering if that rivet is the same distance it was from that strap as when you started. All and all there are things that fly worse. Quads, Snowmachines, deep freeze and a shit load of plywood.

[sheephunter]

Can't help you with the Beaver but on the single otter and meeting "their" requirements that it does not touch the strut and has to sit on top the float I have found that the 16' Alumacraft fits well at 70" but I have to take out the middle seat and "suck it in" with brackets I made that bolt to the gunwale so that it fits around the wing strut and doesn't touch. The boat weighs 310 lbs. Not too bad a boat on big water and fairly quick with just a 9.9 and three guys but isn't as stable as the deeper V Lunds.

[1000 HP]

Rack optional...

[phillyfan]

So the Caravan will carry a boat eh 1000hp.

[Driving Rain]

Well i am currntly working for the OMNR and the aircraft that i will be flying in the spring are already put up for the winter, just wondering if anyone knew of the top of there heads so a road trip isn't neccessary.
Thanks for the help.

The problem the MNR had with boats on the T Beaver was they tried to haul a few that were too short in length. They had a couple of boats depart in flight.

The best boats I ever flew on the T Beaver were PrinceCraft Jon Boats. They are very light and strong and are perfect for what the MNR needs. Holding the 104 kt vb max external load speed was easy to maintain. Very little if any tail buffeting. The smaller boat can easily be put on and off by a lone pilot. The larger one you'll need a hand.
http://www.princecraft.com/Content/en-U ... R1436.aspx
TRANSPORT CANADA
· Max. H.P. cap.: 15 kW (20 H.P.)
· Max. weight cap.: 306 kg (675 lb.)
· Max. person cap.: 3
· Max. weight person cap.: 159 kg (350 lb.)


http://www.princecraft.com/Content/en-U ... R1236.aspx
· Max. H.P. cap.: 7.5 kW (10 H.P.)
· Max. weight cap.: 239 kg (527 lb.)
· Max. person cap.: 3
· Max. weight person cap.: 147 kg (325 lb.)

[ttx15]

14ft boat are allright for beaver but is seem like they are getting widther every year.

Those 16ft SSV are getting ridiculus, they barelly fit on the side of an Otter and it took 3 guys to put it on.
But they fly really good way better than a 12 or 14 allumacraft.

[phillyfan]

Ya you should see the nightmare putting the big 16ft'ers on the amphib Otter sitting at the airport. It's a real bitch. You have to lift it chest high and hold it there because it's too wide to fit under the strut and rest on the deck. Not a huge problem if you are at home base with access to 5 guys and a forklift but if your away from the base with just a swamper forget about it.

[1000 HP]

I flew several 16 foot widebeam boats on the Caravan. They fly good with trim but taking off from water is long and nasty. I'm not sure exactly why, because takeoffs on the runway are no problem. They hang so far down that they don't strap well so I like to run a line underneath the keel and tighten it up on the inside. The line has to be ahead of the step because of the wheel gear, but it is not bad. Just make sure that you have the external load stuff in your Operating Manual. In our manual, we have to multiply the weight of the external load times 2 and subtract that amount from our payload. I refuse to carry any passengers when hauling a 16 footer, just because it is a nasty load at 120 knots, which is about all you can go with it on.