TOPIC: How to suspend boat?

I need to get the Hydrodyne off the trailer so I can sandblast the trailer and paint it too. The boat is stripped down without the motor, so it doesn't weigh very much. My garage is not extremely "strong", so I don't want to use the rafters to suspend the boat. I was wondering if anyone had a good idea for alternative measures. My initial thought is to run a thick piece of allthread through the bow eye and build two support structures on each side, clearing the sides of the trailer. Years ago, I had seen a contraption that someone built for the transom where it mounted where the engine collar was and rotated so that the boat could be flipped. Anyone know where that picture might have gotten off to?

Boy, if it were me, I would try and make the garage rafters stronger in some way. I took my Power Cat off the trailer in my very rudimentary pole barn last winter to do some work on the trailer, so there's always a way it can be done. You can certainly design something to do it too, but it seems strengthening the garage gives you the best bang for the buck.

Good luck!

Frank

Giant saw horses made of 2x10s?

I remember the post you're talking about Wentworth, just having trouble finding it. In the meantime, here's one Andrew posted last year with something similar;
www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/2-main-forum/50701-what-santa-needs-to-bring-me-for-christmas.html#50701

Four average adult men should be able to lift the boat off the trailer without much difficulty.

another way is to back the boat & trailer up to a tree. Drop a couple old unmounted tires on the dround, right under the trailer. The boat will be pulled off the trailer & come to rest on the tires. Tie the transom of the boat to the tree, or sturdy post, etc. Hitch your car up to the trailer. Un hook the boat from the trailer, and slowly pull the trailer out from under the boat. Be sure the hitch is locked down to the ball, otherwise the trailer will pop up and off the ball as the boat unloads.

And yet even a better way is to borrow or buy a junker trailer to keep the boat on while you fix the other trailer. I have river access right near my house & I just float the boat off one trailer and on to another. A simple 1 man job. A used junker trailer will cost less than trying to beef up your garage, buying a lifting hoist, etc.

I've seen it done with 4 block pulleys and rope. (Although this demonstration did not show how to raise and lower the boat)
The way it works is: There are 2 rope sling loops. One near the bow that goes around the hull thru 2 pulley mounted high enough to roll the boat over, and the other goes near the stern around the hull.
As the ropes are pulled it conforms to the hull shape and supports the boat as you flip it. Hopefully you can open the pdf.
May require more bracing than my quick sketch ?

let's see if the scetch comes in now ?

Didn't work... darn !

If the trailer has a hand crank winch and a trailer rear roller, here is an old trick. Loosen the winch rope all the way, pass it under the trailer and then up and over the back of the rear roller. It most likely will reach that far. Attach an old piece of line to the hook and take it forward to the bow eye and secure it.

Now start cranking on the winch. It will pull the boat backwards right off the trailer. Old guys have a few tricks.

jepstr67 wrote:

Giant saw horses made of 2x10s?

Funny you should mention that.lol

Just a few weeks ago I used a wooden swing A frame to lift the bow off the rollers and let the boat slide off the trailer very slowly by pulling it with my 4 wheeler and pushing it a little. I needed to do some repair work on the keel area where I hit the gravel on beaching. I had put shoo goo in the hole years ago as a temporary repair. Yes it is still there. I put a aluminum keel protector on that I made. To put it back on I lifted the bow up further and lifted the trailer tongue high and wheeled it under the boat then attached my winch line and just cranked her back on.

I think the bottom line is, we all do the best we can with what we have to work with!

This set up worked ghreat for me , and was cheap to put together !!
In the last photo the jack stands in nested in the chines,they werent going anywhere !!

My chines run high up the hull and I am afraid they might be too weak to support the boat on stands. A friend came over last night and helped me figure out a plan. I want to keep the boat inside while I work, so using a tree is out of the question. Instead, we are going to hang the boat with straps from the center garage support beam and make a simple stand for the bow tow hook. The transom will be hung from the back wall rafters. I am going to paint the hull with it upright using the roll and tip method with interlux brightsides, so having it upside down is not a necessity. Thanks to all for your great posts!

FWIW I hang a 2000# woodie (avatar) from the rafters in my basement. If you can double two rafters about 8', one for the bow and the other for the stern. I then take four 4X4's and brace the rafters from the floor, put your trailer between the braces and hoist away with whatever you have to do the pulling with.
Cal