Painting Under the Cradle Supports

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Mike Hopton

Before doing something I might regret, I will consult the collective wisdom of the list. Our 356 has a metal cradle with 8 fairly evenly spaced supports, 4 per side and the keel rests on a wooden support. Is it safe to remove the supports one-by-one to clean and paint the hull or do I need to get a separate prop to support the area of the one being worked on? I was planning on marking their height prior to removal and making sure they are raised to back to the right height after the hull has been cleaned and painted. Any been there done thats would be appreciated. This would not be an issue if there were props in the yard that I could borrow/rent.... Cheers, Mike Hopton
 
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Richard Bryer

Should be no problem

dropping one pad at a time. As long as the site is level, a sail boat is surprisingly stable sitting in the cradle as so much of the weight is low ( the keel) I have dropped the pads one at a time for years with my SJ24 and my plan is to do raise the height of the blocks on the cradle of my H34 a couple of inches so I can get the roller in to do the area under the pad next year. The cradel is the original shipping cradle modified so I have adjustable pads (6) all around. Only problem is the 4 corner pads are still the Heavy sleeve in support style so cranking them up and down is a BIG WRENCH job!!
 
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Ed Schenck

Agree with Richard.

Or you can do it my way. I ask the marina to hang my boat last on any workday. Then I can paint before it splashes the next day or Monday. I have no other choice because of my cradle design.
 
Dec 3, 2003
544
None None Rochester, NY
Not for me

I guess I am just a chicken when it comes to taking a chance and having my sailboat crush me under it. Our marina will paint under the pads when the boat is in slings for launch. We just leave some paint and a foam brush. This works with VC-17 which dries almost on application. Other paints may have a drying problem.
 
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Tomm

I agree with Ed

Make an arrange ment with the marina to put your boat in the sling on the night before you want to put it in the water. An ablative antifouling paint will dry enough over night to do this. You might even leave the can of paint and a brush behind and they will touch up those spots for you.
 
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