Dropping the board

[Bob]

This winter, after I trailer my boat home, I intend to pull the centerboard out and possibly replace it. I've done it before, using masonry scaffolding erected on each side, with the boat hung in straps in between. It worked OK, but was a lot of work to erect and take down the scaffolding, as well as getting all the gear to the site. I'd like to set up something that could be used repeatedly in future years, so that it would be easier to do bottom work and board inspections. Space is not a problem. Does anyone know of a technique that has worked well for them in getting the boat up off the trailer and suspending or supporting it high enough (I need about 3' under the keel to do the job) to drop the board? Or, if you haven't done it, do you have any ideas that might help? Thanks for the input.

 

[Dick of Sylvan]

What Boat?

Bob: Can you tell us what kind and size of boat you are working with? With my C14.2, I could probably raise it by manpower alone, whereas my C22 takes a lot of hydraulic jack power, blocking and patience. Dick

 

[Bob Horan M24]

Wide beams

I have done this with my Morgan 24 and found that the trick is to have beams or scaffolding that is wide enough to hold the boat up and still be able to roll the trailer in or out with out bumping into the blocks that are holding the beams up. I use 10 ft. beams or longer which give me enough length to have sturdy blocks under the beams and still get enough room for my wide trailer.

 

[Bob]

Beams

My boat is an Ericson 23. It specs at 3300 dry and the board weighs about 170. I might buy a couple of aluminum I-beams at a scrap metal place near here, and try to run them across posts sunk into the ground, but the posts would have to reach 8 to 10 feet above ground. Then I could run the boat underneath, jack up the trailer some, snug up straps to hang it from, and run the trailer out from under it.

 

[John Dawson]

Lots of past discussions on this...

Jacking up the trailer, blocking the boat and then rolling the trailer out was the most common solution. Digging a hole for additional clearance was another. Our tool of choice for lowering a 500# swingkeel was a transmission jack.Suspending the boat was either 1)slings from overhead if available or 2) joists under the hull on blocks far enough apart to clear the trailer.