Travellift hang time

[Dubo]

Hi,
I had a yard lift my 31' Hunter on saturday so i could get access to the bottom of the keel. I did my chore and left assuming Monday morning they would block it. I was wrong. They had it hanging in the sling for five days in mid 90 degree weather. Aside from the digs/imprint from the sling in the new bottom paint and stains on my fiberglass from their sling heating up against the hull, I am wondering what other issues if any and what is an acceptable time for a boat to remain in the sling?

Thanks for any insight on this.

JD

 

[KD3PC]

Wow! Mis-communication?

other than what you have noticed...and hopefully your bottom paint was not the kind that dies if not put in water promptly..

Wow! Which yard, so I know to make sure what the deal is next time I am in D-ville...?

 

[Alex Dare]

I'm just surprised they didn't have an issue tying up their travel lift for five days. Around here the marina would have maybe let you stay in the slings overnight and that's assuming they hauled you as the last boat of the day and put you in first thing in the morning. Hard to believe they didn't have another launch or haul for five days and weren't interested in charging you for moving the boat to a work area and blocking it.

 

[Ron McCoy]

Yes, I'm interested in knowing what yard did this to you. Wow, 5 days in the sling. They must not be too busy with hauling.

 

[Dubo]

Wow! Mis-communication?

other than what you have noticed...and hopefully your bottom paint was not the kind that dies if not put in water promptly..

Wow! Which yard, so I know to make sure what the deal is next time I am in D-ville...?

No, no mis-communication unless it occurred by the employees or just plain neglect. The yard is next door to Stingray marina. I am still wondering if there is an acceptable amount of time in a sling before a boat suffers structural damage if at all.

JD

 

[KD3PC]

No, no mis-communication unless it occurred by the employees or just plain neglect. The yard is next door to Stingray marina. I am still wondering if there is an acceptable amount of time in a sling before a boat suffers structural damage if at all.

JD

If the slings are correctly placed, and there is no extreme weather to bang her around, all should be fine - structurally. Now if slings are not placed correctly that can cause issues, or if the boat already has weaknesses due to moisture, previous damage, rot, or such

 

[Alex Dare]

Unless your boat was structurally unsound to begin with, hanging in the slings shouldn't hurt anything. Often, if they expect the boat to stay in the slings for a while, they'll put a block of wood under the keel and drop the boat in the slings so the keel rests on the block. The benefit is it takes the stress of the travel lift, keeps the boat from swinging if there is a storm, and prevents the boat from dropping if there is a mechanical or hydraulic failure with the tavelift.

Just curious, did you ask the marina for a short haul to do some work or did you request a haul, block and storage on land?

 

[Dubo]

Just curious, did you ask the marina for a short haul to do some work or did you request a haul, block and storage on land?

No, I was on the hard for about 5 months doing a bottom job and a half. I needed access to the blocked areas to finish the keel so I asked if they could relocate the blocks. I was told on Monday they would set it down in a new location. I didn't know they would leave me hanging for five HOT days! One of my concerns was stress fractures in the hull. Needless to say this did not build my confidence in their service.