I tried making a set out of ATV tires and rims and they worked OK, but always had problems. That was for my first boat when I was 24 and did not have much money. In the end I would have been better off buying a used or new set with the amount I had in the set I made it was not that much more to buy some Cat Trax.
I did buy some Cat Trax in 1996 which I still use today.