Engineering advice needed

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May 6, 2010
472
1984 Oday 39 79 Milwaukee
I recently posted a question about a cradle I would like to have constructed, but may have been too vague in the actual information I was seeking. Can anyone comment as to the suitability of this specific plan for a sailboat of approximately 12,000 pounds? Cradle would be 14 feet long, 6 feet wide with three tubes spanning the center, one in the center, and a tube 24" to either side of the center tube. The keel is over 6 feet long and will sit on top of the cross supports. I am wondering if I can use 3/16" 3x5 tube, or if I need 1/4" or even something stronger? While stored, the cradle will be supported with wood blocks appropriately space, but while being moved from the travel lift to final storage spot in the yard, the cradle may be supported near or at the ends. I have found several online deflection calculators for rectangular tube, but I am not sure how the engineering works out regarding the weight distribution.

Thanks for any help!
Scott
 
Oct 6, 2008
857
Hunter, Island Packet, Catalina, San Juan 26,38,22,23 Kettle Falls, Washington
Are you going to be building this cradle yourself or will someone else weld up your supplied tubing to your plans? Most estalished welding and fabrication shops are more than qualified to build a cradle strong enough to support the given weight of your boat. If they know how you will move the cradle and boat package they will make it strong enough for that move. They will tell you the size tubing required and amounts.
If you plan on supplying the plans and tubing yourself and they just weld it up then that might be a problem.
A good fab shop will be able to answer your question better than most of us on this forum. It's what they do for a living.
Ray
 

kenn

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Apr 18, 2009
1,271
CL Sandpiper 565 Toronto
I'd probably just walk around some yards looking for a similar boat, and see what cradle they're using, and steal ideas and dimensions from that

In most areas, there's usually a fabricator who regularly makes cradles, and knows all the tricks, club/marina requirements for base, folding etc. Because of their experience, their price is often very close to that of a custom shop following your plans.

There must be an experienced cradle fabricator near Milwaukee or Chicago...?
 
Sep 5, 2007
689
MacGregor 26X Rochester
I made an accurate drawing of the cradle for my H340 a few years ago, which had "H34" welded onto it by the way, because I was going to load it onto a small trailer and move it to another location but I had to make some mods to do it, which is why I took the time to make the sketch. The framing is accurate, including the post locations, but the diagonal bracing isn't complete, nor is it necessary accurate, but that's a minor omission. If you want my CAD sketch, you're welcome to it. Or I can dimension it so a fabricator can use it, though as I said, it's not complete.

One huge problem with that cradle is that it's pretty light, and the marina always supported it only on the corners, so the pads tended to oil can the hull. Every season, no matter how many times I asked them to block under the keel, I'd have to go there and do it myself, with an 8 ton bottle jack and some patience. With the boat on it, and only blocked at the corners, you could see the sag in the middle. The three cross members under the keel were only 5" channel, same as the welded frame, layed flat, which of course is the weakest axis in bending, but they're just layed on the lower flanges of the inner longitudinal channels, so they could be moved around to suit.

The boat weighed about 11,000 lb dry, according to the specs. Hunter recommended putting about 2/3 to 3/4 of the total weight on the keel when I spoke to them. Heck, 1/3 of the total displacement was the keel, after all. The marina routinely got about 5% of the weight on the keel (educated guess), as the cradle would simply deflect under the load so the pads, primarily the corners, ended up carrying the weight straight down into the blocks.

The bow had two jacks with a channel between them and curved cutout in the lumber to conform to the hull. The stern had only two channels (face up) with a 2x4 layed in there and a big gap between them so the keel could pass through when trailer launching, or just so they didn't have to lift it over the cradle with a Travelift.

If you ask around your marina, I'm sure they have a connection for cradle building, if they don't do it themselves, though if they do, it's possible if not likely they just sub it out anyway.

I took these pics after I sold it and the new owner had taken the name off the sides. :cry:
 

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Oct 15, 2009
220
catalina 320 Perry Lake
I had a yard trailer (no brakes or lights) constructed for my cat 320 mark II (weighs about the same as your boat). The trailer manufacturer had the specs needed for a whole lot of common production boats. I have photos but don't know how to attach them to post--no URL
 
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