Taking the 170 off the trailer?

[Shorefun]

I will need to take my boat off the trailer. The bunks need to be redone and some maintenance one the trailer.

I am thinking of just laying some blankets down on the garage floor and then tilt the trailer up and crank it off.
Is there a proper way?

 

[justsomeguy]

Is there a proper way?

If you have a trailer jack on the front, you can lower it all the way, raising the stern of the boat.
Now build a brace under that raised stern, then crank the jack back up all the way and build a brace for the bow.
If you make your brace bases wide enough, you can just roll the trailer out from under the boat.

 

[BobbyFunn]

Can you leave boat in water for a week or so?

Replace back bunks, then raise bow on trailer and rest hull on 2x4 that rest on triangle of frame. Replace front and middle bunks. Remove 2x4 and adjust as needed. I had help with raising bow. Next time ill leave in water for a couple days. I painted hull the same way. Next time ill flip in water and tow it home upside down.

The boat is 500lbs. In theory....lag bolts to ceiling on severl joists should lift boat clear.

 

[Shorefun]

I plan on taking the axle off the trailer to deal with the rust on the springs. Also the trailer is a bolt together thing and it has some looseness and a bend on one side of a square I want to fix.

The metal building would not support the weight on the structure.

No I can not put the boat on the water while I do the work.

 

[FDL S2]

I lifted my day sailer off the trailer using an engine hoist. I used an 8' 4x4 as a boom with an eye hook in the top and straps around the hull to the 4x4 front and back to balance the boat. Then I just pulled the trailer out and set the boat in the garage floor.

 

[Joe]

With a pole and rope strapped under it, have a couple of your friends lift the boat's rear end up and slide it back far enough to rest on a crib.... go to the bow and do the same... using the leverage principle you aren't actually lifting 500lbs... more like 100 between the two or four of you.. while it's up... pull the trailer out the rest of the way... move the second crib in under the forward part of the boat.. Voila!

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

If placing on the floor use foam blocks to cushion the hull contour which I highly suggest

 

[Meriachee]

Is this boat only 500 lbs?

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Remember construction of this boat

 

[Meriachee]

Remember construction of this boat

I don't see why it's a problem to get it off the trailer.

 

[BobbyFunn]

I don't see why it's a problem to get it off the trailer.

Its the plastic construction. It is durable and stronger than regular fiberglass, but it doesnt flex like fiberglass..it cracks easily, especially top section.

 

[Meriachee]

That wasn’t my point. If the boat only weights 500 lbs, then it should only take a couple of people to lift it off if it’s blocked well.

 

[BobbyFunn]

If the boat only weights 500 lbs, then it should only take a couple of people to lift it off if it’s blocked well.

Absolutely, 4 people seems safe.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Meriachee

Ever dropped a plastic n scale engine on concrete and watch it break. I had boats come off the trailer (ACP) by customers and hit concrete accidentally which I had to fix. That is why I mentioned to put foam blocks down to absorb the boat when taking any light weight daysailor off the trailer

 

[Shorefun]

Distribute the weight evenly. I was thinking inflated inner tubes covered with a blanket. But a set of foam blocks might make sense too. Have to see what I can find. Maybe we will get a bit of wind here. I see the foam dock floatation stuff around the marsh after them often.

 

[BobbyFunn]

Shorefun you seem to have much of this figured out. Consider the effort to get the 170 back on the trailer. I dont think it will be easy to simply angle the trailer and crank the winch handle.

Justsomeguy's strategy looks the best and is easily reversible.

 

[Meriachee]

6 guys lifted a Mac 26c off the trailer with a couple of 2x6's and carefully placed blocking. A 500 lb boat really can't be that hard. If this thing is as fragile as its being portrayed, then I'd offer that it goes up for sale and get something a little more robust. If it can't withstand lifted off the trailer, what's going to happen when you kiss a dock someplace?

 

[JRT]

How about a couple of twin inflatable mattresses, slightly under inflated to support the hull on the ground? You could even pad them up a bit with some thick moving blankets or towels too.

 

[JimInPB]

It's really a LOT easier to float the boat off the trailer.

I usually do bunk repairs in the parking lot at the boat ramp. If I show up with everything precut & predrilled, then it's just a nuts & bolts job that I can knock out in a short period of time. My 170 has new bunks, new bunk brackets, a socket set, a ratchet & a breaker bar sitting on top of it now. It's just waiting to be taken to the ramp.

If you must do it at home, I would probably put a strap under the stern of the boat, weaving it through the 2 stern cleats, form a bridal & lift it with an engine hoist that was rented from an auto parts store, then do a similar rig near the bow, then pull the trailer out from under. I would probably do this over grass, rather than concrete if possible. If you lift the stern first, be careful that the tongue jack doesn't collapse on you. I have seen that happen with slightly bigger boats.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

As a dealer my method above was to get thick foam or rubber mat and then tip the trailer up and winch the boat down which I did. Use to do this by myself but caution you to do that with another person