How to lift boat off of trailer

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Oct 11, 2008
8
Watkins 23 Acworth
I have a Watkinis 23 swing keel sitting on a tandem axle trailer. I just bought the boat a week ago. The trailer is in need of bunk replacement and support repairs. The boat is not sitting straight on the trailer. I believe the watkins site says the boat wieghs 2500 pounds.

How would i go about lifting one side at a time without damaging the boat or myself to replace bunks and make adjustments to them or raise the whole boat? I am new to this so please bear with me.

Thanks,
Barry
 
Dec 23, 2007
68
catalina catalina22 lake tillery NC
float the boat

When I had to do mine I moored the boat for a day in our lake, this is the easiest method I can think of and cost effective. Alan
 

BenDi

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Sep 26, 2008
31
Hunter 22 Sacandaga Lake, NY
We just this week had the same problem with our Hunter 22 but fortunately it was parked at a marina. The marina let us use their sailboat tri-pod jack stands. Stratigically place them at four or more places on the hull and crank them uniformly at the same time till the boat is off the trailer. The real tricky part comes when you back the trailer back under the boat. Check with your local marinas to see if you can rent or borrow the stands. Good Luck.
 
Jan 22, 2008
146
Macgregor 22 Marina Del Rey, CA CA
Just lower the front of the trailer as much as possible, then block the back of the boat solidly. Now raise the front of the trailer as high as possible and block the front of the boat. If this is not high enough do the same thing again (leaving the boat blocked up) and re-block higher if possible. You won't be able to remove the trailer but you can work on the trailer ie. paint it, replace bunkers, etc. Good luck. and be sure to have the boat blocked securely before you work under it.
Duane "Novelman"
 

Jenni

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May 24, 2007
89
Macgregor 26D Port Hope, ON
i imagine

the easiest way to get the boat off the trailor would be to float it off. Then do your repairs and haul the boat again easy as pie.
 

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
Re: i imagine

I did mine at the launch ramp in the parking lot after floating the boat. There is normally a 15 min. launch limit but they tend to ignore those limits for sailboats and during the fall and winter the docks are empty and really no limit at all. It takes about an hour. You will need to
Precut the bunks.
Cordless drill.
New ss bolts, with lock nuts and washers
New carpet, got indoor/outdoor from Lowes
Staple gun with stainless steel staples.
Sharp knife to cut and trim carpet.

Cut the carpet wider and longer than you need much faster and requires less accuracy. Let it drape over the bottom edge of the bunk. Staple the sides of the carpet first, then trim off the excess with the sharp knife, using the bottom of the bunk as a guide.

I used dark blue carpet to match the boat trim. If I had to do it again I would use a bright color. I frequently get back to the launch in the dark and the bunk are hard to see when submerged.

Good luck,
Frank
 
Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
Barry,
I do it to my O'Day 222 with four sailboat jack stands, a hydraulic jack, and some 4' lengths of 6X6s and old power company cross arms. I place the four sailboat jacks near the stern and crank them up. Then I use short doubled up planks on the trailer under the forward portion of the hull to set my hydraulic jack on. When I get the boat raised off the trailer, I shore up under the forward portion of the hull, from the ground in such a way that I can maybe gain as much as I can in rolling the trailer forward. In other words, I jack the forward portion of the hull using the trailer to jack from, and let my jack down on the shoring blocks, and move the trailer, maybe a foot or so, and repeat the process. When the keel gets past the back of the trailer, I shore it up with blocks and lower the boat on them. Then I pull the trailer out from under the boat the rest of the way. It's a long slow process, but I've been doing it this way since I bought my new bunk trailer a few years ago. Prior to that, I had a roller trailer for this boat and never needed to use a hydraulic jack, but I did use the sailboat stands and was able to pull the trailer out from under the boat with my truck. Of course, the stern of the boat needed to be tied off to something solid, like a tree. Once you get the trailer out from under the boat, you can take two of the boat stands and move them forward about 6' or 8'. I would also shore up the bow of the boat with blocks, or a powerboat stand. It goes without saying that doing stuff like this is very dangerous, so you may want to think it out first and if you decide to do it, get someone to help you, preferably someone who is familiar with rigging. One thing to keep in mind is the boat's balance point when you shore up under the keel. You don't want the boat to tip forward. If you have plenty of blocks, you can shore up under the stern of the boat after you get the boat's stern raised. I criss-cross my blocks for good stability. I also have some blocks that I had cut length wise on a diagonal to make large wood wedges. These wedges come in handy for taking up a small gap.
Joe
 
Jun 3, 2004
269
Oday and Catalina O'Day 25 and Catalina 30 Milwaukee
Barry, I know that Joe is good at this type of thing, but I wouldn't under-estimate his comment that it is dangerous stuff. After careful consideration the last time I needed to have the boat off the trailer for repairs (in my case it was for centerboard repairs), I decided to have my local marine shop put the boat on their lift and incur the modest expense of having it done by pro's.

The easy way to do it in this case has been mentioned by others. Just launch it for a few hours and fix the bunks at the launch ramp. It's an easy fix once you have all the tools and materials. Plus, since you are already at the ramp, you might as well rig it and go sailing once the repair is done.

Good luck!

Dave - O'Day 222
 
Oct 3, 2006
1,003
Hunter 23 Philadelphia
Another alternative: Do one side at a time, with the boat on the trailer. You need two boat stands, set them inside or outside of the bunk on one side, and jack the boat until the weight is just off the bunk. Remove the bunk, fix, replace. Go to the other side.

Make sure that the trailer can't move!
 
Oct 10, 2006
492
Oday 222 Mt. Pleasant, SC
What I did was jack the boat and trailer up very carefully starting at the back. Once it was up in the air I built a support to hold just the boat. After lowering the trailer all the way back down, I then jacked the front up as high as possible. I then built a large sawhorse type structure to hold the front of the boat up. I built the front support with enough space and height so I could pull the trailer out from underneath the boat. If I were just replacing the bunks, I probably would have done something a little simpler, but it's (sadly) been up on the supports for about 6 months and the supports are still as sturdy as day one. I'm hoping to lower it back down on the trailer in the next month. I've got to slap a coat of barrier and bottom paint on it first.
 
Jan 22, 2008
519
Sundance Sundance 20 Weekender Ninette, Manitoba, Canada
boat lifting scissor jacks

I modified 2 scissor jacks acquired from an auto wrecker for $5 each, attached them with a 1" x 1" box steel about 3 or 4 feet long and topped with plywood/carpet pads. I place this under one side of the boat near the trailer bunk and lift the side to paint the hull each spring. Each jack can lift the weight of one corner of a car so two have no problems with a boat this size. Attached is a picture of the contraption.
 

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Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
Barry,
I'm not too familiar with the Watkins 23, but my boat weighs 300 LBS less than yours and the boat's full weight can be placed on the keel. Also, I can lift my boat off the trailer with four sailboat jack stands, two on each side near the stern, plus a regular hydraulic jack placed somewhere in front of the keel. If I were going to work on my trailer bunks, I would raise my boat in this manner, and shore up under the keel with blocks placed on the keel board of the trailer, and just let weight of the boat sit on the keel. The sailboat stands should be able to keep the boat from tipping over. Another option would be to jack the boat up and try to support the hull in front of the keel, from the ground. This would allow you to move the trailer with block and tackle from something solid on land, to get the boat straight on the trailer. You could always accomplish this task by putting the boat back in the water and getting it back on straight. The other option that the guys pointed out is also easier. Just splash the boat, and do the bunk replacement at the ramp. Use two jacks placed under the middle bunk adjuster on each side of the boat to make the final adjustment. This is the way I adjusted my new trailer to my boat. You're better off having your bunks set a little high with the keel off the keel board of the trailer about an inch, than to not have it high enought and have the boat leaning to one side when you go to load the boat back on to the trailer before making the final adjustments with the jacks. The bunks should hold the boat okay. Worst comes to worst, you can always pay a yard to lift your boat.
Joe
 
Oct 11, 2008
8
Watkins 23 Acworth
Hi 48dodge,
Could you send me a picture of the rear support. Yours looks safe. Also when you say you jacked trailer and all up did you do like the back first then the front?

Thanks Barry
 
Oct 11, 2008
8
Watkins 23 Acworth
Here is my watkins

Here is a picture of the watkins, my keel is about 10 inchs above the bottom of the trailer so i am guessing it needs to be adjusted down. Also anyone have any ideas on a better front support then what it has now.

Thanks to all the replys.
Barry
 

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Oct 10, 2006
492
Oday 222 Mt. Pleasant, SC
Barry, if I were to do it all over again, I'd build the rear support just like the front support, just narrower. I just happened to have the scrap to build it up like I did. The front is definitely sturdier and I will probably break it down and store it for future use. The rear support will just have to be torn down since there's no way to store it.
 

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Blake

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Apr 20, 2008
137
Macgregor 26S Red Lodge
Plastic deck lumber

Been reading this thread with interest as I need to replace my bunks by next season. I was wondering if anybody has ever used plastic deck lumber for trailer bunks? Or can anybody think of a reason not to?
 
Jan 22, 2008
519
Sundance Sundance 20 Weekender Ninette, Manitoba, Canada
Re: Plastic deck lumber

I thought of the same thing about a year ago, so went down to the local home depot and asked for a short cut off of plastic deck board for testing. I set one end up on the edge a 6" brick while the other end of the 4 foot board rested on the ground... I placed ONE foot on the center of the board to test it, but it snapped in two before I was able to put my full weight on it.... end of test. I still have the old 1 x 6 boards with carpet on them, but when it comes time to actually replace them, it will be real wood.

I must also say that the break was a clean break, not a green stick type splinter like you might see in a 2 x 6.
 

Blake

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Apr 20, 2008
137
Macgregor 26S Red Lodge
Thanks Roger, That is certainly something to think about. I have a motorboat trailer that was refurbished to fit my Mac. The bunks bolt directly on top of steel V shaped supports that run the length of the boards, so the steel would provide the structural support in my application. Your experiance kind of makes you wonder about building decks out of the stuff - I suppose there are specs for joist spacing.
 
Sep 29, 2008
2
Macgregor 22 Berrien County, MI
Re: Plastic deck lumber

Blake, I am a carpenter and have done a lot of work with the "plastic decking". The idea sounds good, but as others have said, it can break quite easy, it is also as limp as a noodle, joist spacing IS important.
However, if the bunks are supported most of their length, you may have this option. The other problem I see is how well the carpeting will stapel to it. There are a lot of different types of decking try some samples and see if the stapels will hold.
 
Jan 22, 2008
519
Sundance Sundance 20 Weekender Ninette, Manitoba, Canada
Re: Plastic deck lumber

In my mind the idea was to eliminate the carpeting altogether by using plastic decking. I would agree that if the plastic plank was supported the whole length, it would likely be okay. The idea of plastic is that it would not mar the boat and would slide when wet.
 
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