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Lifting without Straps |
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| Some time ago I decided I would like a
boat trailer but the cost
seemed prohibitive. There are several benefits of having the boat at home
in the winter. I could take advantage of the warmer afternoons towards the end
of winter. Maybe I could get a head-start on the season and have an extra
2 - 4 weeks in the water. This was particularly attractive as we have a
dock crane available at the club. The cost of the trailer would be offset
by the saving in winter storage fees not to mention the launch and haulout
costs.
A friend drew my attention to an inexpensive trailer advertised on the web and I took the plunge. |
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| After refurbishing the trailer and modifying the
supports, with the aid of a fellow member, the
trailer was ready for regular haulout. The boat then stood by the dock
crane for some weeks while I fathomed out how to lift it and launch it the
following spring. We have many dry sail keelboats such as J22's, J24's and Thunderbirds. All of these lift by direct attachment to the keel and this was obviously the preferred method. I received lots of useful advice from members and friends and after some trial and error arrived at a working solution. The lifting tackle consists of a large weight-rated shackle through the ends of two 2" x 1/4" steel bars bolted to two 2" angle-iron keel bolt brackets. I made a template so that I could accurately drill 1/2" holes to match the keel bolts at the after end of the keel. |
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I drilled several holes in the vertical part of the angle-iron to permit experimenting with the correct balance point. The lifting bars are long enough to keep the crane hook above the coach roof and to permit three-way bracing lines from the hook to the mast step and the two halyard winches. Gingerly taking the weight of the boat on the crane I noted which part lifted first and then adjusted the lift point and tried again. |
| After many trials I was surprise to find how far back the balance point was. With confidence returning I tightened everything up, stood well back and lifted her 12 inches above the trailer! Wow! Nothing fell off, there were no great spine chilling cracks and she seemed quite happy so I put her gently back on the trailer for her winter rest. For the summer, the angle-iron will stay permanently on the boat and I will store the lifting bars on the trailer. |  |
| I guess now I had better clean out all that black guck from under the old keel-bolt pads! | |
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Comments and questions to andrew@Viking28.com |
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