Last fall I fastened two 30" by 19" 1000lb capacity hardwood dollies together to make a rolling keel dolly. Dropping the keel into it and rolling it from beneath the boat was a piece of cake, but rolling it up on to the trailer with a come-along was a pain, and I wondered how re-attaching the keel would go in the spring after I refurbished it, considering I would probably be doing the chore single-handedly.
After I refurbished the keel, I added a 2.5 ton capacity scissors jack to the dolly and used a portable trailer winch to load and unload the keel into my rented U-Haul trailer. Since the boat yard is gravel, I placed plywood down to give the dolly a smooth surface. The keel rolled easily into position, and then I used CloudDiver's suggestion to use long threaded bolts or rods where the keel bolts go, to guide the keel into position. Once that was done, I just cranked her up into place, removed the long rods, and installed the correct bolts.
She gets bottom painted tomorrow so the keel will match the hull.
After I refurbished the keel, I added a 2.5 ton capacity scissors jack to the dolly and used a portable trailer winch to load and unload the keel into my rented U-Haul trailer. Since the boat yard is gravel, I placed plywood down to give the dolly a smooth surface. The keel rolled easily into position, and then I used CloudDiver's suggestion to use long threaded bolts or rods where the keel bolts go, to guide the keel into position. Once that was done, I just cranked her up into place, removed the long rods, and installed the correct bolts.
She gets bottom painted tomorrow so the keel will match the hull.
