How much of the boat's weight...

[MaryEllaRose]

... should rest on the keel and how much should be on the jack stands when putting the boat on the hard or in my case, on the trailer? The keel support frame of the trailer was badly rotted, the PO had 2 x 4 wedges under keel so that at least some of the weight was supported. I've since repaired the support but in doing so had to turn the screws on the jacks up to take the weight off of the support so I could fix it.
Should the majority of the weight be on the keel and the jack stands adjusted just for stability while trailering? With the support frame in the condition that it was, it was hard tell just what the load ratio was.

Thanx,

Tom G

 

[SG]

The boat should sit on the keel (or keel "stub", for a center boarder). The jack stands are just to stabilize it.

 

[dlochner]

The weight goes on the keel. The keel stub is the strongest part of the hull.

 

[MaryEllaRose]

Thanx Guys....

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

MaryEllaRose;
I will be glad to assist if you want me to. What type of keel, fin, wing or swing? What year. Can you provide a photo of the trailer. I use to be a Catalina dealer who brought the small boats to the Annapolis shows for years and recall discussions with Frank Butler on upgrades, improvements and so forth. Can you PM a photo of the trailer and include a contact number to call you at. Will be propping up the leg for the rest of the day to rest. Had to put out a brush fire on top of a mountain and in so doing had severe burns which are healing. Maybe a lot of good tips I could give you?

 

[31seahorse]

MaryEllaRose;
(1)I will be glad to assist if you want me to. (2) Had to put out a brush fire on top of a mountain and in so doing had severe burns which are healing.

(1) What a gentleman to offer to help! +2 or +3 for you......just the type of help this group is known for!

(2) Sounds like you really do spend your time "putting out fires" whereas for some of us that is just a phrase.

Heal quickly and heel as necessary.

 

[Benny17441]

Understand that when the boat is in the water the full weight of the keel hangs from the hull keel support. Not only the static weight but as the boat sails and heels you have torsion forces and righting forces acting on that support; it is very strong. The same cannot be said for other parts of the hull. When the boat is in the water the whole weight of the boat and keel is distributed along all the wetted surface but when on the trailer it only has bunks or stands so the weight should be minimized allowing most to rest on the keel support which is the strongest.

 

[MaryEllaRose]

(1) What a gentleman to offer to help! +2 or +3 for you......just the type of help this group is known for!

(2) Sounds like you really do spend your time "putting out fires" whereas for some of us that is just a phrase.

Heal quickly and heel as necessary.

 

[MaryEllaRose]

It never ceases to amaze me the willingness of people on this forum to reach out with help.
However, the boat is a Pearson 26 and the trailer was homemade by the PO. It appears to be quite robust except that the planks under the keel had pretty much rotted away. The PO had wedged 2 x 4 blocks between the keel and the support, a section of 3" x 2" steel channel. In order to remove the rotted planks and replace them I raised the entire boat by turning the adjuster nuts on each jack stand one turn at a time until the keel cleared the support sufficiently to replace the planks. I watched for "oil canning" of the hull but didn't see any or hear any scary cracking noises. Once the new 2 X 8 was in place I lowered the jack stands until all the (or as much as I could tell) load was back on the keel as indicated by the ease of turning the adjuster nuts. Now the question is: How much load do I need to put on the jack stand to provide enough "stability"?

 

[PaulK]

You want the jack stands snug so the boat doesn't move around. They're not supposed to support the weight of the boat at all; they're just keeping it from tipping over. Just snugging them up hand tight to just touch should be good. Test by trying to make the boat move and tighten a half turn if it does. Repeat until nothing moves. Then strap the hull down to the trailer frame (fore AND aft) before hitching up. Mast gets tied to the boat but not under the straps that hold the boat down. (Don't want to kink the mast.) Bon voyage!

 

[31seahorse]

Tom G,
Not part of the original question but: If you are planning to transport the boat over the road on that trailer you might want to remove the tarp that is over it.

 

[njlarry]

While I agree with all the conventional wisdom above, I just happen to read in my owners manual yesterday that the builder warned against putting too much weight on the keel alone and also recommended that the poppets be in alignment with bulkheads. It does not state how the poppets should be adjusted.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

If you are going to raise the boat with the jack stands, I suggest four each side to distribute the load on the hull and make sure they are chained side to side or use high strength line. Do enough only so the rotted board can be replaced. Have the new one to fit already made and if bolt holes thru it include that as well. Remove quickly the old board and insert new one aligning holes. Then drop boat back down not leaving it on the stands except supporting sideways. If you feel queasy about doing that or if you feel that the boat could fall, back off quickly. The choice to do this will rest with you but whatever you do, safety first.

 

[SycloneDriver]

Not all boats should have the entire weight of the boat on the keel. I had a San Juan 7.7m and if most, not even all, of the weight was on the keel the hull would oil can at the back edge of the keel. The 7.7m was lightly constructed and I think a P26 would be fine with all its weight on the keel. I add several jack pads to my trailer and adjusted the bunks, that solved my issue.