Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

[FastFission]

I finally got my last big trailer job for the spring done today. I've been trying to figure out how to get the old bunks out and the new ones on without driving on the broken bunk or dropping the boat on my face. I finally came up with this bad idea. I'm pretty amazed it worked as well as it did. Getting the old bunks off and new ones on took about an hour, including jacking and bracing one side at a time.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Nice idea.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Harbor freight jack & jack stands?

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Next time (if there is one) just lower the front of the trailer all the way down, put the jack stands under the transom and raise the trailer back up. Put a third jack stand under the keel and lower the trailer and the boat will be flying in the air free and clear of the trailer. If you do that you can pull the trailer completely out from under the boat and work on it without having to crawl under. Takes about 15 minutes and you only need 3 jack stands and no floor jack.

 

[nphilbro]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Next time (if there is one) just lower the front of the trailer all the way down, put the jack stands under the transom and raise the trailer back up. Put a third jack stand under the keel and lower the trailer and the boat will be flying in the air free and clear of the trailer. If you do that you can pull the trailer completely out from under the boat and work on it without having to crawl under. Takes about 15 minutes and you only need 3 jack stands and no floor jack.

I've been down that road adding a keel roller. Unfortunately it took me about 4 hours to finally figure it out.

 

[catfishcarl99]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

good ideas. i was wondering today how to do something like this. my bare alum hull is filthy and needs a good cleaning and stripping. i put some tough cleaner on it today and it (light acid) really shined it up. was wanting to do the bottom as well and wondered how i could do under the bunks. looks like a couple ideas here.

 

[90stingray]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

I think my trailer is too pretty to put jackstands on top of the frame. For me, I would just use the ground. But nice thought. Glad it worked out well.

 

[FastFission]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Yes on the jackstands. The jacks are Sears (the black one) and a cheap one my son got somewhere.

 

[FastFission]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Regarding 90stingray's comment, mine's an old galvanized job, so I wasn't too worried. I don't know that I'd try with a nice painted trailer.

 

[bgc]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

THAT, is ingenious!

 

[Daver29]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Next time (if there is one) just lower the front of the trailer all the way down, put the jack stands under the transom and raise the trailer back up. Put a third jack stand under the keel and lower the trailer and the boat will be flying in the air free and clear of the trailer. If you do that you can pull the trailer completely out from under the boat and work on it without having to crawl under. Takes about 15 minutes and you only need 3 jack stands and no floor jack.

Ok, I get that the transome jack stands would be behind the trailer and you could roll it forward... but isn't the trailer 'captured' by the keel/bow jackstand??? (I might need a picture!)

 

[korygrandy]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Ok, I get that the transome jack stands would be behind the trailer and you could roll it forward... but isn't the trailer 'captured' by the keel/bow jackstand??? (I might need a picture!)

Would love a pic of this method as well. For now I love your concept and I'm glad I decided to take a peak at the trailer section today. I now know how I will replace bunks when the time comes.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Yup . . . it works.

After fiddling with various boat stands, etc, I finally used what I had for the cars . . . a combination of hydralic ans scissor jacks right up near the chine.

 

[Hunters Dad]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Brilliant.
I have been wondering how I was going to do mine.
Thanks for the tip!

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Just don't forget the wood 'pads' between the jack and the hull, else it make a nasty hole and the boat takes on water.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Not sure I would be jacking up the hull there(OP's picture in first post). That's not the strongest point on the hull out there near the edge. I would have prefered jacking up closer to the stringers, keel or transom.

 

[FastFission]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

I was a bit worried about the strength of that area, but I figured that the gunwale should go some way in strengthening the hull right at the chine. I also watched pretty carefully when I started lifting to make sure that there wasn't any sign of hull deflection. I didn't see any deflection or hear any crunchy noises. I did use an eight foot 2x4 to spread the load along the chine as much as I could. In any case, that's about the only area I could jack on from the frame rails. This method does result in the boat shifting sideways about three or four inches from center, and it might be a problem on a trailer with keel rollers. The bow did shift slightly out of the bow roller, but I figure I'll just drive it down to the river and re-center everything before I go very far.

Not sure I would be jacking up the hull there(OP's picture in first post). That's not the strongest point on the hull out there near the edge. I would have prefered jacking up closer to the stringers, keel or transom.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Jacking the Boat Up (can't believe this worked)

Not sure I would be jacking up the hull there(OP's picture in first post). That's not the strongest point on the hull out there near the edge. I would have preferred jacking up closer to the stringers, keel or transom.

With the boat on a trailer, the chine is a better place to lift from a safety standpoint, as the chine traps the board/pads. Lifting at the keel is a real balancing act . . . and at the stringers, you are lifting more weight with poorer access and less support for the jacks. The use of a long board really distributes the load nicely along the chine.

I am actually going to paint the bottom of my boat over the next couple of days . . . lifting it right at the chine.