How to bottom paint a centerboard boat?

[Sublime]

The boat in question is a H260. I can't think of a way to get to the centerboard to paint it or even to look at it without having a yard pull it out and set it on stands tall enough to drop the centerboard down.
I've read some of the writeups on bottom painting on the trailer, but none mention the centerboard.
Thanks for any help.

 

[Paul Brinkley]

Sublime- I'm not familiar with the H260 CB or trailer, but perhaps you can do something similar to what I did. When I got my boat the CB needed some work. I managed to slide the boat back on the trailer far enough (you may have to put support under the stern) to allow the CB to swing down enough to be able to remove it. Because of the location of trailer cross members, I also had to dig a hole about a foot deep to get the CB out. That let me clean and repair the CB, and clean the trunk, and paint. Hope it works for you. -Paul

 

[Joe11688]

The boat in question is a H260. I can't think of a way to get to the centerboard to paint it or even to look at it without having a yard pull it out and set it on stands tall enough to drop the centerboard down.
I've read some of the writeups on bottom painting on the trailer, but none mention the centerboard.
Thanks for any help.

Paul is right about that. I don't know if you have a bunk trailer or if it has rollers. A roller trailer would make it easier. What you could do is rope the stern of the boat off to something solid like a tree. A couple of sailboat stands on each side of the stern would keep the boat straight. Four sailboat stands would be better and you could use the stands to raise the hull a little. I would use 6X6x4' wooden blocks under the stern. Just pair them and criss cross them as you go up. If you have a roller trailer you can pull the trailer out from under the hull a little at a time with your towing vehicle. If not, you would need to jack up the hull under the bow just high enough to clear the trailer. Then move the trailer ahead by hand as far as the trailer's cross members will allow and keep repeating the process. It's dangerous, but as long as the weight of the boat is sitting on the wood blocks and the trailer's axles, it should be OK. I'm really not all that familiar with Hunters and I don't know if the hulls on them are as solid as the O'Days. So you'll have to find this out for yourself. It's kind of a long slow process but it's worked for me, but my boat is only 22' and it only weighs about 2200 lbs.

 

[Gudenuph]

Sublime
Just an added precaution. Watch out for the tetertotter effect as the boat weight moves aft on the trailer.
Geohan

 

[Joe11688]

Sublime
Just an added precaution. Watch out for the tetertotter effect as the boat weight moves aft on the trailer.
Geohan

That's why I mentioned placing wooden blocks under the stern of the boat with two boat stands close together on each side. I'm just not sure if the hull in front of the centerboard is solid enough to jack up on a Hunter. I've raised the stern of an O'Day 26 years ago with just four of my sailboat stands on the stern of his boat. I raised his bow with my hydraulic jack from the ground and was able to move the trailer sideways a little to get his boat straight on the trailer. The tide had gone down too low, and he wanted to get his boat home that day.
You not only need that support under the stern, but you also need stands or anything you can improve with timber to keep it from tipping sideways.

 

[Sublime]

It's a 26' boat on a bunk trailer and the boat weighs about 4500lbs. There's also a bunk under the "keel" where the centerboard swings down. With the board down, it's a 6' draft.


I'm wondering if I should build some cradles onto the trailer which would hold it up as if it was a shoal keel. Then retrieve the boat from the water onto these cradles, drop the centerboard, paint etc, etc.

 

[Joe11688]

It's a 26' boat on a bunk trailer and the boat weighs about 4500lbs. There's also a bunk under the "keel" where the centerboard swings down. With the board down, it's a 6' draft.


I'm wondering if I should build some cradles onto the trailer which would hold it up as if it was a shoal keel. Then retrieve the boat from the water onto these cradles, drop the centerboard, paint etc, etc.

If this boat has a water ballast system it probably wouldn't be wise to jack it up. One of our YC members has an O'Day 25 that he takes off the trailer at his house. What he does is shore up the stern with timber while raising it with the sailboat stand poppets. Then he uses a backhoe from the farm he works at to raise the bow portion of the hull with a heavy duty strap. He had built a rectangular pit out of blocks deep enough to let the centerboard swing down, so he could paint it. His O'Day 25 is a keel/centerboard. You may have to go with some kind of a cradle, I don't really know. Whatever you do, be very careful and take your time. It's very dangerous. Good luck!
Joe

 

[Bob 04 H260]

I have a 260 as well and would like to remove the center board to properly clean the trunk and paint the board. The line also should be replaced. I may just have it done at a yard.

I think the boat could be raised a couple of feet on the trailer to allow the board to be removed. Many people have done this on similar boats by lowering the trailer tongue to the ground to raise the stern of the boat as high as possible (might also help to put the tires on blocks), then place stands under the stern of the boat and raise the front of the trailer. Placing stands under the forward part of the boat allows the trailer to be dropped down out of the way.

It is unfortunate Hunter did not design the trailer setup to allow removal of the center board with the boat on the trailer as MacGregor did with their 26S, it only needed two 2x4's under the front bunks to slide the board out and back. I built two high bunks for my Mac trailer when I owned one to allow easy access to the bottom for work, I called it a tradle. My sailing club allows members free use of a 10,000 lb crane. It did look a little odd towing it around the boat yard but was an inexpensive solution. Each bunk was designed to be easily lifted by one man and were easy to store when not needed. Only 8 bolts were needed to attach it to the trailer.

good luck, Bob

 

[MABell]

One side at a time...

I have painted the hull on my Hunter 26 (Water ballast, centerboard). I jacked up the trailer on one side about 8 inches, and set two short boat stands underneath. One just forward of the centerboard (on the side you jacked up), one near the aft end. Then lower the trailer. That will get the boat off the trailer bunks on one side. It will not however, allow you get paint into the centerboard well. Seemed to work just fine. For safety, don't get yourself between the boat and the bunk.
If removing the centerboard is the goal, I would take it to a yard. Don't forget to replace the line that raises the centerboard while you're at it.

 

[VT Fitz]

Paint on trailer, then in sling overnight

We have a 23.5 -- the little, older sister of your gal.

I painted all I could reach with her on the trailer, then I found a private yard that allowed me to lift her off the trailer into a sling, then drop the board & paint everything else. He allowed me to leave it there overnight, then we launched her the next morning. $75 for the whole service. That arrangement allows me to get 1 coat of paint on, but not much else.

I've thought about trying to Rube Goldberg a solution to getting her off the trailer & supported somehow in the backyard, but I haven't found one yet. I'd love to inspect the centerboard. The biggest problem is how high she needs to get to let the board deploy fully.

 

[soling42]

Sublime,
You won't need to raise the boat off the trailer much more than a foot +/- to get the C/B to come out. My 260 is hanging from my shop ceiling right now with the CB on the floor so I'll see if I can measure how far down the bracket needs to drop to clear the CB well.

My situation is different but with some tenacity you should be able to get the boat up from the trailer bunks enough to get a couple of 4x6 timbers and some blocks under the strap zones. Lift it in small increments with a big floor jack and it should be fine. Beware of flat bracing in areas that are curved. Carpeted braces are a good call. Dispersing the load, getting done and getting it back down quickly is critical. If you get queezy just pay a yard to haul it and live to play another day.

Good luck, Mike

Here's where you need to be:

 

[soling42]

The SS CB bracket for a 260/26 is 14" tall and bolts tight to the top of the well and is flush with the boat bottom. To remove the CB you'll need to have about 15" of clearance from the lowest point at the head of the CB to its support on the trailer.

Having now dropped the 100lb+/- CB I can say with absolute assurance that there is NO WAY that this could be done in the water(as someone asked recently). One thing that also saved the day was a 3/4"x20" threaded rod to guide/align the bracket directly to the bolt hole. Remove the rod and insert the bolt.....wa-la. perfect alignment on the first try! Much thanks goes to the previous 260 owner who posted this idea in the knowledge base.

Splashing the boat for the upcoming season on Saturday. Summer broiling weather has finally ended for us. wahoo.
Mike

 

[esterhazyinoz]

Although these photos are of a much lighter boat (Elliot 21 footer), it's interesting how some solve the problem.