I am considering "dry sailing" my Mariner.( lifting it in and out with a dock side crane) Is there a harness made for the Mariner? Other boats have specfic lifting points that a harness are just clipped into. I don't see that option on mine. Does anyone have any ideas? thanks
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Dry sailing
I take it you don't have a trailer for the Mariner. Anytime I wanted to do some dry sailing, I'd park my 222 next to my house on the trailer and get my mast up as though the boat was in the water. I still do this in the early spring and late fall. It makes it a lot easier to work on, or check out my rig to make sure that everything is OK. It just seems a lot easier and safer to put it on a trailer and bring it home to where your tools are more accessible, in the event that you'd like to do some modification, or work on her. There were times years ago, when I had to be near my phone for a whole week because of my job. So, I went in the boat sometimes and hung out with a cup of coffee and a magazine, or took a nap. I really don't know your circumstance, or whether you live on the water and have your own dock. They do sell Nylon straps that can take the weight of your boat. Two good size straps could do it, but I'd have two additional ropes connected to them, to keep the straps from sliding apart.
I take it you don't have a trailer for the Mariner. Anytime I wanted to do some dry sailing, I'd park my 222 next to my house on the trailer and get my mast up as though the boat was in the water. I still do this in the early spring and late fall. It makes it a lot easier to work on, or check out my rig to make sure that everything is OK. It just seems a lot easier and safer to put it on a trailer and bring it home to where your tools are more accessible, in the event that you'd like to do some modification, or work on her. There were times years ago, when I had to be near my phone for a whole week because of my job. So, I went in the boat sometimes and hung out with a cup of coffee and a magazine, or took a nap. I really don't know your circumstance, or whether you live on the water and have your own dock. They do sell Nylon straps that can take the weight of your boat. Two good size straps could do it, but I'd have two additional ropes connected to them, to keep the straps from sliding apart.
Launching with a hoist
I used to crew for a guy who drysailed his Santana 22 out of the Berkeley yacht club. The Santana is a fin keel boat that would be very difficult to ramp launch. He had made a special cable harness that attached to the boat in several places. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly how he did that. At a marina adjacent to one of the ramps I use, there is a big population of drysailed boats. The hoists there have a horizontal U-shaped metal structure from which two straps are suspended underneath the hull. That structure then has four cables, one from each corner, that extend up to the hook on the hoist. However, to get the U-shaped thing into the right spot, I believe requires disconnecting the backstay. At least the time I watched the whole process, that owner disconnected his backstay to swing the apparatus in over the boat. Most of the time I drysail my 192 off it's trailer. My local marina has a locked yard near the ramp so boats can be stored on their trailers rigged and ready to go. It takes only about 15 minutes from arrival at the marina to sailing off the dock and about double that to put it all away since the salt water needs to be rinsed off everything afterwards. I think it would still be more convenient to keep the boat in the water, but in this area, it is considerably more expensive (3-4X) to do that and the extra maintenance time to keep the bottom clean probably makes it a wash overall timewise.
I used to crew for a guy who drysailed his Santana 22 out of the Berkeley yacht club. The Santana is a fin keel boat that would be very difficult to ramp launch. He had made a special cable harness that attached to the boat in several places. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly how he did that. At a marina adjacent to one of the ramps I use, there is a big population of drysailed boats. The hoists there have a horizontal U-shaped metal structure from which two straps are suspended underneath the hull. That structure then has four cables, one from each corner, that extend up to the hook on the hoist. However, to get the U-shaped thing into the right spot, I believe requires disconnecting the backstay. At least the time I watched the whole process, that owner disconnected his backstay to swing the apparatus in over the boat. Most of the time I drysail my 192 off it's trailer. My local marina has a locked yard near the ramp so boats can be stored on their trailers rigged and ready to go. It takes only about 15 minutes from arrival at the marina to sailing off the dock and about double that to put it all away since the salt water needs to be rinsed off everything afterwards. I think it would still be more convenient to keep the boat in the water, but in this area, it is considerably more expensive (3-4X) to do that and the extra maintenance time to keep the bottom clean probably makes it a wash overall timewise.
Drysailing...try this
I drysailed my Oday Daysailer for several years. I launched using a hoist as you plan to do. The weight of the Daysailer is 600#+. There were 2 basic lifting devices that were used. One camp used wire and shackles to attach to the chainplates and the stern cleats at 4 points. Draw them all together to a hoist point. Simple and effective. One warning, the chainplates and cleats are supporting the weight of the hull. One couple took on water without knowing it, and when they lifted out, one chainplate, and a good deal of the hull ripped out. scaring the heck out of them and all of us witnesses...kinda heart breaking. The second camp (my preferred method) fabricated a lifting sling. You can use many meterials for this. I used 3/4" three strand nylon line. Two lines measured to meet over the boom, with eyesplices and thimbles at the ends. The trick is to keep the 2 slings APART, as they tend to want to come together, destabilizing the boat. I just ran light line from the stern cleats to the aft sling, and light line from the bow cleat to the forward sling. If you have them secured at a specific distance, voila, a very safe and economical lifting sling! Hope this makes sense? Eric
I drysailed my Oday Daysailer for several years. I launched using a hoist as you plan to do. The weight of the Daysailer is 600#+. There were 2 basic lifting devices that were used. One camp used wire and shackles to attach to the chainplates and the stern cleats at 4 points. Draw them all together to a hoist point. Simple and effective. One warning, the chainplates and cleats are supporting the weight of the hull. One couple took on water without knowing it, and when they lifted out, one chainplate, and a good deal of the hull ripped out. scaring the heck out of them and all of us witnesses...kinda heart breaking. The second camp (my preferred method) fabricated a lifting sling. You can use many meterials for this. I used 3/4" three strand nylon line. Two lines measured to meet over the boom, with eyesplices and thimbles at the ends. The trick is to keep the 2 slings APART, as they tend to want to come together, destabilizing the boat. I just ran light line from the stern cleats to the aft sling, and light line from the bow cleat to the forward sling. If you have them secured at a specific distance, voila, a very safe and economical lifting sling! Hope this makes sense? Eric
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