Is this jacking scheme safe.

[Coppertone]

I am placing my Cat 22 on stands for the first time. I used slanted stands under the transom because the straight stands I had back there kept tilting as I jacked up the trailer tongue while raising the bow so I could get the trailer out. I am looking for advice from someone who really knows about the proper use of stands. My question is, do you think they will have a tendency to slide out toward the back? They can't slide apart as they are chained.

 

[Cowpokee]

Copper,
The weight of the boat should be resting on the keel. The stands are just to stabelize the boat. (ie to keep it from tippiong over) Your rear stands should be turned so that the legs with the chain should be facing each other. Do you intend on moving about on the boat while it is on those stands? If so the center stands should be moved outboard as far as possible to add more stability to prevent a tip over. Also, the chains between the stands should be as tight as possible before loading up the stand. I can't tell from the pics but so you have chains between the center stands as well?
Nice shop! I am envious.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Cowpokee is right except, looking closely, that's a centerboard. Don't set the boat down on the centerboard.
Move the side stands out more. It would really be better to have a second set of midship bilge stands. Seven stands total. One on the bow, just as you have it. That is a 22 footer? A set about 6' back from there, another set another 6' behind those, and the pair in your stern. Chains across to opposite stands, minimum. I think you should also chain the bases and chain from bow stands back to the next pair.

This is what Cowpokee is talking about. You have a Cat22, right? Add another set of strands and don't set the weight of the boat on the keel. However, you can set the weight of the keel on a set of blocks.

Set them up like this boat. Note the chains are tight and where they run.
Keep in mind, for a 22' sailboat, a person walking around on deck is a significant amount of weight and any overhang will become a lever on the fulcrum of the nearest strand.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[greg_m]

I love the workshop! What an awesome setup to work in.

I would be concerned that they slide out rearwards. Although it looks like the support point is vertically with the support base.

The stands at the rear could be facing more from a sideways position than directly behind the boat. If its floor space then I would consider securing the "lower end of the legs" of the rear stands to the "lower end of the legs" of the stands at the front of the boat with a strong stretch free rope or chains.

What is more important about the supports is location on the hull and not to distort the hull shape and cause stress points or heaven forbid a hole through the hull!

Otherwise, I may have mentioned this already... love the workshop!

 

[Coppertone]

Thanks for your thoughts on this everybody. I decided I would build a wooden crib to hold the stern securely. Getting those angled stands out will be slightly dicey, I have to move the stands I have amidships to the stern just in front of the angled stands, lift the stern slightly, pull those stands out and slip the cribbing in without dropping the boat! I can do it. Once that's done, I'll move the angled stands just forward of the keel slot. That will be 100% solid. Pictures to follow tomorrow if I'm not in the hospital.

 

[Gene Neill]

We want pics even if you are.

 

[JimInPB]

Those angled stands can be a bit deceiving. If you drop a string with a weight to the ground from the point where the square pad meets the threaded rod, you will find the aproximate load bearing center of the tripod when loaded level from above. In the first picture, it looks to me like that point will be in a risky spot, far from the center of the tripod. If you draw a triangle between the three legs of the tripod, you will find the region where the center of load need to be. Once you go outside that triangle, the stand will want to flip over immediately, if it is not restrained somehow. Side loading the square pad is one way to restrain it. Chains are another.

 

[Coppertone]

I installed my crib under the stern, repositioned the other stands, and voila, solid as a rock. Now to drop the keel...

 

[Hardhead]

With a little dark stain on it, you'll have a nice Ethan Allen piece from the 70's. That's some solid work!

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Nice setup for keel dropping

 

[Will Gilmore]

Very nice Coppertone.
When I first brought Dragonfly home, I cannibalized an old playset I'd built for my children out of 4x4 pressure treat and 2x4s. Bought four ratchet straps rated for half the displacement of my new girl and dropped the CB into the trailer as I lifted her up. I used 3-1/2" deck screws and 4 5/8" eyebolts. I walked around her in her sling and hardly a bobble.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[GorillaToast]

Coppertone,
Slightly off the subject, but related...
Where did you get your boat stands? They look used. I've been looking for used ones online with no luck.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Try ebay and craigslist. ebay was around $130

Will, That's a nice and simple setup. I wish I had seen your design when I had to redo the centerboard on my Starwind

 

[GorillaToast]

Try ebay and craigslist. ebay was around $130

Thanks.

 

[Coppertone]

I found my stands on Facebook marketplace. I just searched regularly for "boat jacks" and "boat stands". I got the 4 motorboat stands (that needed new plywood) for $120 from one guy, and 3 sailboat stands (with v-shaped tops) from somebody else for $75. Just keep looking.

 

[kclancy]

How did you lift the bow of the boat in order to pull the trailer out? Thanks, Kevin.

 

[Coppertone]

I made a beam by laminating three 12' long 2 x 6's glued and screwed. This is probably overkill, some people have reported using a single 4x6, but it would have to have great grain structure. Finding a perfect 12' 4x6 isn't always easy. By laminating, you can use regular old lumber. As heavy duty as my beam is, it bowed a little under load. Make sure the tires are blocked front and back on both sides so the trailer doesn't move while jacking. After dropping the front of the trailer as low as possible I set stands (or cribbing) under the stern as close to the transom as possible, then jacked the front of the trailer up with an automotive floor jack with a couple pieces of 6x6 to increase its lift. I slid the beam under the bow, about halfway between the front trailer support and the bunks. I put a motorboat stand (Brownwell MB 3) under each end, far enough apart that the trailer wheels can fit between them, and alternated raising each side about 5 turns at a time until the beam cleared the bunks. My trailer has really upswept bunks at the back, so I ended up having to let the air out of the tires to get the trailer out. With no air in the tires, the trailer won't really roll by hand, I had to hook my atv's winch to it and drag it out slowly. I was able to do this, unassisted, in something like an hour (not including making the beam).

 

[Gene Neill]

That is some mighty nice carpentry, my friend. I'm saving those pics.

 

[Coppertone]

Thanks Gene. The keel cart / motorcycle jack combo I copied from someone else on these forums ( https://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/swing-keel-frame-plans.167070/ ). Scroll down to see posts by "whatcaneyedo". I thought it was brilliant. The 3/4 ton jack is available from Harbor Freight for $79! The cribbing I modified from something I saw on another thread, I just simplified how the feet are made into the uprights and did away with a bunch of OSB gussets the other guy used. As far as I'm concerned, OSB is mostly useless. I don't even like it for roof decks. It is the broccoli slaw of wood products.

 

[kclancy]

Thanks for the explanation!