[outrageous21]

Ok I have gotten some prices on the sand blasting and soda blasting and all that stuff and just dont have the money

so.....

I bought a disc sander and bottom stripper I am going to get those old layers of bottom paint off myself. I just need to get the boat off the trailer. It is a 21' Boston Whaler CC, it is a very heavy boat. I have blocked up my previous boat a 17 BW with ease. This boat makes me a little more nervous because the 17 I could control by hand with some muscle.

I was going to use a couple of jacks to lift the boat just off the trailer and little by little move the trailer out from under the boat, putting blocks on the stern and working my way forward as the trailer is pulled out.

I also need to repair the keel rollers on the trailer because most of them are cracked in half and dont spin (previous owner). On the 17 I used to use a winch attached to the bow eye and the back of the trailer and just winch it off as I slowly pulled out the trailer from underneath. I dont think I can do that now because the boat will not roll off because of the keel rollers and I dont want to put that kind of strain on the bow eye dragging the whole weight of the boat against the non moving rollers. So thats why I decided to do what I said above with the two jacks.

I would like to hear different methods of doing this task as well as any pointers or suggestions you may have for me. Thank you in advance for your replies. I have the itch gotta get the boat ready and get out there. I think I will try that paint this year too that you only have to apply once every three years.

Rob

 

[PtJudeRI]

Winging it

Well, I know that this is going to raise some eyebrows and blood pressures, but here we go. My father ( Mr. "Ad Hoc") did this when we had a smaller 24' wellcraft, and it worked.... Just dont try it unless your a bit nuts....

Find a strong tree near where you want to block up the boat. Tie a few lengths of rope from the tree to the transom eyes on your boat, to secure it.. By the way, your 21' should need 4 stanchions, and one or two keel blockups to get the job done. Slowly begin to drive your trailer out from under your boat... Slowly.... Whoa Whoa Whoa! Slow I said Jeez, what are you trying to do, lay it out in the driveway????!!! ( Sorry, flashback) Then, as you get 3 ft or so off your trailer, go and put the stanchions up under the transom.. Coninue foward and then block up the keel at 6 ft or so, then continue to about 12-14 ft and block and stanchion the foward section. The drive off....

Have fun!

 

[outrageous21]

Actually I dont think that is crazy at all, that is how I blocked up my 18' sea ray when I had it. The only thing is I want to block the boat in the street, If I put it on the grass the leaves and tree stuff get all over it. I live on a dead end block no one will care about it being in the street. There are 3 houses on the block and I am friends with all my neighbors.

So any other suggestions or is the way I stated with the jacks the way most of you guys do it.

 

[BLUEFISH9]

Not me

That IS the way most guys do it and it's a PITA no matter what anyone tells ya!

Last year I did something different. I am lucky enough to have a friend that has a forklift. He drove it over to my yard, tied a rope around my bow, lifted her up, blocked it and out came the trailer. No joke, took about 10 minutes. Know anyone with a forklift?

 

[outrageous21]

Bluefish9 wrote:
Know anyone with a forklift?

Not off the top of my head.

 

[cometport]

Just paint it while it's on the trailer. It's got the best support that
way. So what if you have to go around a few rollers ? When you're done,
you can pull the boat back a few inches and fill in the blanks.

Just slide under the trailer and paint as you go. This way, the boat
won't fall on you, as it might if you block it. Although a little pain
never hurt anyone, that would be more than a little pain. Do you want
to fish or not ?

 

[6to8ftSeas]

Some more ideas

I have taken my boat on and off the trailer by using a steel beam that spans the width on the trailer. first drag the trailer out from under the boat as said so you can jack and block the stern. then jack the bow and place the beam on blocks and drop the bow keel on the beam. then after you pull the trailer out jack the bow off the beam and replace it with blocks for safety.

However, If I were you I would jack the boat up as high as you can get it and leave the trailer under the boat. that's as easy as it can get. the trailor won't be touching the boat so you'll only have a few contact points to paint around and you can do any needed repairs on the trailer. It will be a little annoying to work with the trailer there but very do-able and with out the risk of dropping your boat trying to get the trailer out. The time saved leaving the trailer there will probably break even with the extra time the inconvenience of the trailer's location will bring you.

This post edited by 6to8ftSeas 07:46 PM 03/14/2008

 

[RayboMarine]

he wants to sand the bottom, not just paint it.

I tried linking a post about cinder blocks, do a search under "blocks" and you will get a topic discussing it and why not to use blocks from home depot or from your garden.

my advice would be to get someone to help you so you dont end up hurt or end up with a damaged boat. and please use the proper equipment.

Whalers must be blocked up properly with thier rounded bottoms and foam filled cavity, put your forward blocks too far aft along the keel and you will end up with blocks through the bottom.



This post edited by RayboMarine 08:32 PM 03/14/2008

 

[Lattitudechange]

Someone mentioned tying of to a tree to avoid pulling the boat off the blocks, Someone else mentioned a spotter while your off loading. listen to them. Don't do this alone.

I just want to add, using boat jack stands make this process a little easier. You can adjust the height on all four points without having to use a car jack. See if you can borrow four boat stands to go along with the 12 blocks you need. Chain the stands together.

Remember this. Offloading a boat from a roller trailer, is nothing like offloading it of a commercial haulers trailer. A haulers trailer has a flat roller that supports the keel which allows the trailer to move without disrupting the boats position. A roller type trailer is very different. As you pull the trailer out towards the bow, you will come in contact with the chines. That will cause the boat to want to move in an unexpect direction. With your two spotters, you can do this saftley, but be aware that it isnt like launching a boat in the water.

This post edited by Lattitudechange 12:52 AM 03/15/2008

 

[outrageous21]

I am going to be doing this with a couple of guys. Im trying to get a good price on some stands or at least just two for the bow and the stern I can block. Any of you guys have any used stands they are around 90 bucks each new.

 

[RayboMarine]

btw- your whaler should NOT be on a roller trailer!

who sold you that trailer?

 

[outrageous21]

My Whaler is not on a roller trailer, it is on a bunk trailer. The rollers I am referring to are the keel rollers.

 

[KingKeith]

why shouldn't whalers be on roller trailers?

 

[MACKS]

Iv'e done it many times, best way is jack up the back of the boat first and get it blocked,then jack up the front of the boat and move the trailer as far as you can than let the boat down but not on the trailer set some blocks so you can take the jack out and then move the trailer again without jacking the boat up again,just take your time and keep going till your done.

 

[RayboMarine]

I would adjust the bunks on the trailer, you dont want the boat rolling on the keel rollers coming off a bunk trailer, you want it to just float off the trailer.


This post edited by RayboMarine 06:15 PM 03/16/2008

 

[PtJudeRI]

Boat Jacks

I have 4 boat jacks in my yard that I'm not using. Where are you located??

Ryan

edit: Ahh, Massapequa eh? Maybe a bit too far for 4 old jacks. If you can wait till Mid-April you may want to see if a local marina would be willing to rent them to you for a fee.?? They dont have anything else to do with them

This post edited by PtJudeRI 01:36 PM 03/17/2008

 

[MACKS]

I have a bad feeling there won't be to many extra boat stands in the marinas this spring.

 

[Lattitudechange]

Macks. I have 4 stands that I don't need anymore. Make me a reasonable offer and they're yours.

 

[outrageous21]

Lattitudechange wrote:
Macks. I have 4 stands that I don't need anymore. Make me a reasonable offer and they're yours

If macks does not want them I will take them. What type are they the deep vee bow/sailboat or the flatter ones for the stern.

 

[outrageous21]

KingKeith wrote:
why shouldn't whalers be on roller trailers?


A whalers hull is bonded to the foam inside to form a solid one piece hull "uni-bond construction" and not hollow like most boats. If you have a roller trailer there is to much pressure pushing on one spot on the hull. They say that this could "dent" the foam insulation inside and compromise the bond between the foam and the hull. If you use a roller trailer it voids the hull warranty.