I have recently purchased a 1980's sandpiper 565. I will be mooring it in a dry sail area requiring swing crane launch and removal/docking. I am looking for anyone that has experience with this and advise me on proper equipment needed and helpful hints. Thx
Swing crane info
- Thread starter Paddlincanuk
- Start date
Welcome @Paddlincanuk to the forum and congrats on your new to you pocket yacht.
Had to look up this Sandpiper 565 To see an image and learn her specs. ( Sandpiper565.com Home Page)
Have not seen many Portuguese designer boats. She has a nice daysail length and a right round belly. Suspect she will be a bit tender if you stand on her rail while boarding. Looks like you could avoid the rail and step into the cockpit onto the seat. Her draft will permit your exploration of gunk holes and island beaches.
You will need to inspect the boat for strength and lift points if they exist. Here are some general ideas based upon limited observation of the boats owners site.
Depending on the crane arm and length you could attempt to build a 3 point sling with hard points at the bow and stern corners. Your boat is said to be 1200 lbs displacement. Easy to handle on a trailer but a lift is another issue.
If the lift has slings then you might look for using 2 slings. One placed in front of the mast, and the second to the stern where the cabin bulkhead comes down to the cockpit. This would help to spread the load across the area most boat designs have reinforcement. I would be sure the two slings are tied together so that they do not slip off the hull when the boat is lifted.
This is general info. Do not attempt without verifying your boats design and strengths. As they say all boat lifts are subject to the owners direction.
Lifting a hull, any hull, is a risky proposition. If it was my boat I would prefer to back a trailer into the water and run the boat up on the trailer. Pull the boat from the water and secure to the trailer.
The boat lift motto:
There are two times when it is all on the line. When you lift the boat up. And when you put the boat down. The rest is a piece of cake. Just don’t go swing the boat.
Had to look up this Sandpiper 565 To see an image and learn her specs. ( Sandpiper565.com Home Page)
Have not seen many Portuguese designer boats. She has a nice daysail length and a right round belly. Suspect she will be a bit tender if you stand on her rail while boarding. Looks like you could avoid the rail and step into the cockpit onto the seat. Her draft will permit your exploration of gunk holes and island beaches.
You will need to inspect the boat for strength and lift points if they exist. Here are some general ideas based upon limited observation of the boats owners site.
Depending on the crane arm and length you could attempt to build a 3 point sling with hard points at the bow and stern corners. Your boat is said to be 1200 lbs displacement. Easy to handle on a trailer but a lift is another issue.
If the lift has slings then you might look for using 2 slings. One placed in front of the mast, and the second to the stern where the cabin bulkhead comes down to the cockpit. This would help to spread the load across the area most boat designs have reinforcement. I would be sure the two slings are tied together so that they do not slip off the hull when the boat is lifted.
This is general info. Do not attempt without verifying your boats design and strengths. As they say all boat lifts are subject to the owners direction.
Lifting a hull, any hull, is a risky proposition. If it was my boat I would prefer to back a trailer into the water and run the boat up on the trailer. Pull the boat from the water and secure to the trailer.
The boat lift motto:
There are two times when it is all on the line. When you lift the boat up. And when you put the boat down. The rest is a piece of cake. Just don’t go swing the boat.
This boat looks like it was designed to be easily trailer-launched: the daggerboard keel retracts fully into the hull. The cabin and cockpit setup may make a three-point bridle lift impossible because of seats and bunks interfering with the placement of firmly secured lifting rings or eyes. On the other hand, look to see if there is a hoisting eye or eyes built into the bilge somewhere on the centerline. We drysailed our Soling (1033kg) by lifting her that way, with the bridle tied off port & starboard to keep the boat from tilting to the sides. If you cannot trailer-launch and there are no hoisting eyes, straps will be necessary. Where the straps need to go is something the crane operator and you need to work out. He may need to use a spreader bar to spread the straps fore and aft properly, and the mast could interfere with this. Your best bet would be to ask on the Sandpiper website to see if the boats have hoisting eyes already in place or which can be installed, or to see what others do.
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new sailboat.
My marina has a swing crane and no launch ramp for launching trailer sailboats who are stored dry at the marina and it has a tractor to move the trailers that the sailors use. I have seen it done many times and it seems to be a matter of finding the right location for the slings. Watch how other trailer sailboats are launched and retrieved with the swing crane at your marina first and ask for help until you are confident about the procedure.
My marina has a swing crane and no launch ramp for launching trailer sailboats who are stored dry at the marina and it has a tractor to move the trailers that the sailors use. I have seen it done many times and it seems to be a matter of finding the right location for the slings. Watch how other trailer sailboats are launched and retrieved with the swing crane at your marina first and ask for help until you are confident about the procedure.
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