How to get the boat on blocks

Phan000 · #1 04-21-2007, 03:14 PM

I am finishing up the new deck and getting ready to paint my boat. How do you get the boat off of the trailer and onto boat stands or blocks?

Also if anyone knows where to rent boat stands in the South Florida (PBC) area I would really sppreciate the advice. I wil post some photos of my progress soon. Thanks

osprey · #2 04-21-2007, 09:30 PM

This is how I do it. I'll keep checking this post to see your feedback so maybe I can get some ideas. First of all I STRESS THIS POINT. Never get in between the boat and the trailer to place any cribbage or do any jacking. Stay under the trailer. This way, if the boat falls, you will only be momentarily crushed by the rebound. Survival odds increase by 68.5%.
I start by getting the tongue of the trailer as low as possible, to raise the stern up. Next ,I block the stern with concrete blocks. Make pillars with two blocks alternating direction. Do not trust a stack of single blocks. a 2X4 under the chime works well.Try to end so that the 2x4 crosses both blocks. Now raise the tongue jack as high as it will go and block the bow. Let the tongue back down and the boat should be clear of the trailer. Now you just have to keep alternating the front pillar as you slowly inch the trailer out. If you can get a heavy I-beam to go across two pillars in the bow,that will give you clearence for the wheels ,that would be easier. I have a 4 ton engine hoist that I use to lift the bow as I pull the trailer out. Hope you get the general idea. Be careful. I once used 55gal drums to crib a 27 proline with while I was under it doing bottom paint. I heard a couple creaks now and then, but thought I was ok. 4 days later I went to the boat to find that one drum collapsed and the boat was close to going over. It could have happenned while I was under it!! Not a good thing to learn the hard way.

( The above narative is for entertainment only. Heavy boats should be lifted by trained professionals only....)

BigLew · #3 04-22-2007, 12:16 AM

This post is serious!

Take the boat to a ramp and launch it. Have a hydralic trailer meet you there and retrieve the boat on that hydraulic trailer. Then take the boat to where you are going to paint the bottom. Put it on stands and have a fifth one available so that you can remove one of the stands at a time 9replacing it with the fifth, only close to where you removed the first, then second, etc.

I'd suggest picking a yard that will let you paint it in their yard. Use a roller, it's relatively quick and will be ready to relaunch in a matter of hours or the next day.

Good luck.

Miles Offshore · #4 04-22-2007, 09:11 AM

Ive done mine several ways- easiest way is what Big Lew says!, a lot of dry storage marina's will let you use their work racks for a fee or you can also find a regular boat railway. if not here is how I do mine and a couple of pix-
1st way and this is the way I normally do it- I put a 6x6 in the back of the yard up by the fence. I tie the stern of the boat with heavy line. I then pull the trailer two or 3 feet away and block the corners. I have jack stands now but have not always had them. Find your local bulkhead builder and ask him for some "caps" that have been cut off and they should give them to you. They work as good support. If you are putting it on grass I will put 2x8's or something under caps(or stands) to spread the load.Also under cinder blocks if you use them. When The trailer is about midway down the length of the trailer I will give the boat some keel support as well as more outer chine support. Make sure the boat is plenty stable before blocking up the keel. This is where I will use mostly cinderblocks with 2.4's and 2x6's on top of the blocks. You dont want to get the boat much higher than the trailer though, if you do this will make it much more difficult putting the boat back on. One other tip if you are shaky on using your truck to pull the trailer out , you can put the truck in nuetral, take the winch hook, disconnect it and run it under the first cross beam and back up to your bow eye. Now you are using your winch to remove the trailer, not the truck.

Be happy to let you use my jack stands if you are coming thru this area !

Here are some variuos pictures of mine. These first pix were done at the local boatyard by the guys that do it everyday- looks kind of scary but the boat is very stable. They have the benefit of holding the boat in the air while blocking it up.

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v404/MilesOffshore/seacraft%20pix/seacraft2005caps.bmp[/image]

[image]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v404/MilesOffshore/seacraft%20pix/seacraft20051.bmp[/image]

this picture here has the pier /bulkhead caps I was talking about- sorry I cant find any more of my rig I use at the house. Hope this helps- Craig

1bayouboy · #5 04-22-2007, 10:22 AM

Using the winch to a rear cross beam on the trailer works great. I'd use a pully and cable though so it doesn't bind.
I actually made a y-cable with a pulley and then use a length of steel cable from the boweye back through the pulley and connected to the winch. Truck in neutral and it eased the trailer out from under the boat easy as you please.

Phan000 · #6 04-22-2007, 11:33 AM

I appreciate the advice. Unfortunately the yards around here charge a ton to block up any size boat and they charge even more to be in the paint shed. So I have to do it at home and it will be on grass. Thanks again for the ideas.

EVERGREEN · #7 04-22-2007, 07:59 PM

I built a cradle out of 2x10s and a couple of blocks out of alternating 2x4s. Like Fish-on said lower the bow and prop the cradle in place. Then I used a floor jack to lift the boat and pull the trailer out. I had to lower the boat and block it to move the jack around cross beams on the trailer. Loading it is the reverse process. Just remember that when you build the cradle to strong never breaks!

Egreen