Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 015 Well there she is! It's spring and I need to raise the mast on her and make sure everything is in good working order. I'll probably hang the boom with the sail and cover on her. Put up a tarp over the boom attached to the lifelines just as I do out on the water. I need to mount the outboard, fill the lower unit with gear oil, and start her up in a barrel of water. I also need to load up all my gear plus the most important items, like the food stocks.

Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 015 Well there she is! It's spring and I need to raise the mast on her and make sure everything is in good working order. I'll probably hang the boom with the sail and cover on her. Put up a tarp over the boom attached to the lifelines just as I do out on the water. I need to mount the outboard, fill the lower unit with gear oil, and start her up in a barrel of water. I also need to load up all my gear plus the most important items, like the food stocks.

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Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 012 OK. So she's raised up high over the trailer and ready to be lowered. Believe it or not, this can be the most dangerous step if you're not careful. Caution: Make sure that the trailer is centered and most important of all, make sure that the trailer is level from side to side. Shore up under the wheels if you have to. Put a carpenter's level on the trailer and make sure that it's not leaning. If the trailer is leaning while you're lowering the boat, the boat's hull could hit one of the bunks and upset the boat right off the stands. The trailer isn't going to move but the the stands will tip, and so will your boat. So keep this in mind. Just make sure that the boat clears everything and the keel finally comes to rest right square in the center of the trailer's keel board. If the trailer is off a little with the keel, just use the speedy jack trick under the trailer. If the boat is too far forward, just move the trailer ahead a little so that the bow comes to rest in roller on the winch stanchion. Just keep the boat level as she descends on to the trailer.

Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 012 OK. So she's raised up high over the trailer and ready to be lowered. Believe it or not, this can be the most dangerous step if you're not careful. Caution: Make sure that the trailer is centered and most important of all, make sure that the trailer is level from side to side. Shore up under the wheels if you have to. Put a carpenter's level on the trailer and make sure that it's not leaning. If the trailer is leaning while you're lowering the boat, the boat's hull could hit one of the bunks and upset the boat right off the stands. The trailer isn't going to move but the the stands will tip, and so will your boat. So keep this in mind. Just make sure that the boat clears everything and the keel finally comes to rest right square in the center of the trailer's keel board. If the trailer is off a little with the keel, just use the speedy jack trick under the trailer. If the boat is too far forward, just move the trailer ahead a little so that the bow comes to rest in roller on the winch stanchion. Just keep the boat level as she descends on to the trailer.

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Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 009 Of course, the ultimate ideal scenario would be to pay someone to do this work at the boatyard but I'm low on funds and can't afford the costs. Also, I'm a frugal retired "Geezer" who is always looking to save money. I even cut my own hair, but I degress. Sorry about that.

Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 009 Of course, the ultimate ideal scenario would be to pay someone to do this work at the boatyard but I'm low on funds and can't afford the costs. Also, I'm a frugal retired "Geezer" who is always looking to save money. I even cut my own hair, but I degress. Sorry about that.

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Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 006 We're getting there. The ideal scenario would be to use a long thin metal eye beam to support the bow and push the trailer into position in one shot.

Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 006 We're getting there. The ideal scenario would be to use a long thin metal eye beam to support the bow and push the trailer into position in one shot.

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Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 005 Make sure the boat is high enough to clear the bunks of the trailer. I've placed a long flat board under the tongue jack wheel of the trailer and I'm pushing the trailer under the hull by hand. It will roll.

Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 005 Make sure the boat is high enough to clear the bunks of the trailer. I've placed a long flat board under the tongue jack wheel of the trailer and I'm pushing the trailer under the hull by hand. It will roll.

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Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 001 To slide the trailer over and inch or two one side or the other just place the jack under the center of the trailer and jack it up. If the ground is soft or in this case has pea stones on it, just place the jack on a short plank and that trailer should slide over pretty easy on the jack's small steel wheels. I'm using a set of blocks to pull the trailer over but you should be able to push or pull the trailer over by hand. My trailer is 23 feet long and I'm able to push it over by hand as long as all the wheels are off the ground. Of course, the jack needs to be place somewhere near the balancing point of the trailer. Pretty nifty huh?

Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 001 To slide the trailer over and inch or two one side or the other just place the jack under the center of the trailer and jack it up. If the ground is soft or in this case has pea stones on it, just place the jack on a short plank and that trailer should slide over pretty easy on the jack's small steel wheels. I'm using a set of blocks to pull the trailer over but you should be able to push or pull the trailer over by hand. My trailer is 23 feet long and I'm able to push it over by hand as long as all the wheels are off the ground. Of course, the jack needs to be place somewhere near the balancing point of the trailer. Pretty nifty huh?

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Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 002OK. The bottom is all painted and it's time to get the trailer under her. Oh heck, the trailer's crooked! It needs to be slid a little to the left so that the keel lines up with the trailer's keel board. I came up with an easy solution to this problem by using my Speedy floor jack.

Loading her on the trailer 3 22 12 002OK. The bottom is all painted and it's time to get the trailer under her. Oh heck, the trailer's crooked! It needs to be slid a little to the left so that the keel lines up with the trailer's keel board. I came up with an easy solution to this problem by using my Speedy floor jack.

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DSC00406 As you can see in this pic, my boat had never been bottom painted. This was the first time for bottom paint. A word of caution here; Don't apply any paint to the bare hull of these boats until you clean it good with Acetone. These boats may be thirty or more years old but they still have mold release wax on them from when they were molded at the factory. Clean it all off first, then you can apply whatever you want. I like Super Shipbottom Ablative Paint myself. A couple of my friends in the YC also use it. Order it early because Ed has a tendency to be slow. He works by himself and he only makes one color a month. Call and find out what colors are available. If you only need one gallon, the mail man will deliver it. UPS gets and extra $20 for a hazardous waste handling charge. So keep that in mind.

DSC00406 As you can see in this pic, my boat had never been bottom painted. This was the first time for bottom paint. A word of caution here; Don't apply any paint to the bare hull of these boats until you clean it good with Acetone. These boats may be thirty or more years old but they still have mold release wax on them from when they were molded at the factory. Clean it all off first, then you can apply whatever you want. I like Super Shipbottom Ablative Paint myself. A couple of my friends in the YC also use it. Order it early because Ed has a tendency to be slow. He works by himself and he only makes one color a month. Call and find out what colors are available. If you only need one gallon, the mail man will deliver it. UPS gets and extra $20 for a hazardous waste handling charge. So keep that in mind.

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IMG 0005b The shackle looks OK. I found a broken cotter pin in the rigging pin of this shackle one year. I'm glad I checked it that year.

IMG 0005b The shackle looks OK. I found a broken cotter pin in the rigging pin of this shackle one year. I'm glad I checked it that year.

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IMG 0001b I get the boat in this position for checking the centerboard and pendant line Etc. I usually dig a hole under the keel so that I can let the centerboard all the way down to spot paint it.

IMG 0001b I get the boat in this position for checking the centerboard and pendant line Etc. I usually dig a hole under the keel so that I can let the centerboard all the way down to spot paint it.

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DSC01472 Years ago I went out and bought some el cheapo bottom paint from "Worst Marine" that required that the surface be primed first. After getting the paint home I read the small print that said, you need to apply the primer and put the bottom coat on while the primer is sticky. "Oh great! How the heck am I going to pull this off?" The answer was easy. Just stick some 2x4s and 2x6s under the gunwales to the ground, and remove all the stands. I wish I'd have taken a picture of that but I was running against time. Consequently, about the middle of the summer my boat was moving at a crawl. I anchored in a sandy cove and dove under the boat and discovered a soft thick mat of marine growth all over the bottom of my hull. I was scraping it off in sheets. Ya know what? I could have avoided all this by getting some Super Shipbottom Ablative bottom paint and applying it to the bottom at my leisure time. You don't need a primer. It has the primer built in and it has about 62% copper content. It will go over bare Fiberglas and most bottom paints. I've been using this paint for years. One coat can get me two seasons. You can't beat that.

DSC01472 Years ago I went out and bought some el cheapo bottom paint from "Worst Marine" that required that the surface be primed first. After getting the paint home I read the small print that said, you need to apply the primer and put the bottom coat on while the primer is sticky. "Oh great! How the heck am I going to pull this off?" The answer was easy. Just stick some 2x4s and 2x6s under the gunwales to the ground, and remove all the stands. I wish I'd have taken a picture of that but I was running against time. Consequently, about the middle of the summer my boat was moving at a crawl. I anchored in a sandy cove and dove under the boat and discovered a soft thick mat of marine growth all over the bottom of my hull. I was scraping it off in sheets. Ya know what? I could have avoided all this by getting some Super Shipbottom Ablative bottom paint and applying it to the bottom at my leisure time. You don't need a primer. It has the primer built in and it has about 62% copper content. It will go over bare Fiberglas and most bottom paints. I've been using this paint for years. One coat can get me two seasons. You can't beat that.

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DSC01469 As I mentioned, these keel/centerboard O'Days can take the full weight of the boat with the keel sitting on blocks. I don't think that the Catalina sloops can do this but I may be wrong.

DSC01469 As I mentioned, these keel/centerboard O'Days can take the full weight of the boat with the keel sitting on blocks. I don't think that the Catalina sloops can do this but I may be wrong.

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DSC01468 This is just the initial set up on the shoring. When I get ready to raise the boat, I'll block up under the stern and bow, as close to the front of the keel as possible, and start raising the boat with the five stands. I shore up as I raise the hull.

DSC01468 This is just the initial set up on the shoring. When I get ready to raise the boat, I'll block up under the stern and bow, as close to the front of the keel as possible, and start raising the boat with the five stands. I shore up as I raise the hull.

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DSC01467She's almost free of the trailer. I yoost take my time when I do dis. You can't rush "deze tings" you know. (Just practicing my Scandinavian accent.)

DSC01467She's almost free of the trailer. I yoost take my time when I do dis. You can't rush "deze tings" you know. (Just practicing my Scandinavian accent.)

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DSC01466As I mentioned previously, I usually shore up under the stern with blocks first just as a precaution. I don't know why I didn't do it this time.

DSC01466As I mentioned previously, I usually shore up under the stern with blocks first just as a precaution. I don't know why I didn't do it this time.

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DSC01465 It's a slow process, I know, but it's the best way I know of doing this right now. A faster way and easier way to do this would be to support the bow with a long metal eye beam supported high enough to allow the trailer to be rolled right out from under the boat. I would shore up under the keel just as soon as it's clear of the back of the trailer. Then the beam could be removed. Two of the stands can also be move toward the bow of the boat about 6' or 8' from the other two stands on the stern. The keel of this boat can take the full weight of the boat while sitting on blocks with at least two stands to keep it from tipping. Two sailboat stands can be placed temporarily under the stern of the boat to keep it from tipping. Preferably, the more stands the better. I use four sailboat stands and one powerboat stand under the bow of the boat with the keel sitting on blocks. The boat needs to be level at all times when you raise/lower the hull with stands and the jack. Five of my stands can raise my boat with no problem. Is this dangerous? You bet it is. I take every precaution when I do it.

DSC01465 It's a slow process, I know, but it's the best way I know of doing this right now. A faster way and easier way to do this would be to support the bow with a long metal eye beam supported high enough to allow the trailer to be rolled right out from under the boat. I would shore up under the keel just as soon as it's clear of the back of the trailer. Then the beam could be removed. Two of the stands can also be move toward the bow of the boat about 6' or 8' from the other two stands on the stern. The keel of this boat can take the full weight of the boat while sitting on blocks with at least two stands to keep it from tipping. Two sailboat stands can be placed temporarily under the stern of the boat to keep it from tipping. Preferably, the more stands the better. I use four sailboat stands and one powerboat stand under the bow of the boat with the keel sitting on blocks. The boat needs to be level at all times when you raise/lower the hull with stands and the jack. Five of my stands can raise my boat with no problem. Is this dangerous? You bet it is. I take every precaution when I do it.

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DSC01464 A tall car stand can be used in place of the powerboat stand. Once the powerboat stand is against the front of the trailer's cross member, I need to jack the boat up again and move the powerboat stand to the back side of the same or another cross member in order to move the trailer ahead a little more.

DSC01464 A tall car stand can be used in place of the powerboat stand. Once the powerboat stand is against the front of the trailer's cross member, I need to jack the boat up again and move the powerboat stand to the back side of the same or another cross member in order to move the trailer ahead a little more.

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DSC01463 I'm jacking the bow of the boat from the trailer and using a straight powerboat stand to hold the height so that I can let the jack down and move the trailer ahead by hand and reset the jack again.

DSC01463 I'm jacking the bow of the boat from the trailer and using a straight powerboat stand to hold the height so that I can let the jack down and move the trailer ahead by hand and reset the jack again.

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DSC01461 I bought these SB-3 Sailboat Stands at Brownell's Boatyard in Mattapoisett Ma. They manufacture these stands right there at the boatyard. I've raised an O'Day 26 with these stands just the way you see them pictured, along with my hydraulic jack.

DSC01461 I bought these SB-3 Sailboat Stands at Brownell's Boatyard in Mattapoisett Ma. They manufacture these stands right there at the boatyard. I've raised an O'Day 26 with these stands just the way you see them pictured, along with my hydraulic jack.

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DSC01460 It's safer to shore up under the stern with crisscrossed wood blocks along with the sailboat stands just to take some of the weight. The boat also needs to be made as light as possible by removing as much gear as possible.

DSC01460 It's safer to shore up under the stern with crisscrossed wood blocks along with the sailboat stands just to take some of the weight. The boat also needs to be made as light as possible by removing as much gear as possible.

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Joe11688

Taking the boat off the trailer

I've been taking my boat off the trailer ever since I've owned it. It's easier for me to check the centerboard and everything connected to it, plus it's easier to bottom paint the boat. Anytime you deal with this kind of weight there is always a potential danger involved. I try to take every precaution when I take my boat on and off stands from my trailer. If you choose to do this, you do it at your own risk.
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