Boat Lifting

[RonT]

There are basically 3 safe ways to lift your boat from the trailer for bottom service:
1) If your boat has the optional lifting eyes you can attach with whatever you have available to lift from these, overhead crane, chain fall from a suitable beam, even forklifts with a chain or strap. Watch the eyes carefully when lifting, as boats get older these eyes may need adjusting, watch the eye if it pulls away from the deck as you are lifting the eye needs to be tightened up.

2) The most common way is to use the transom eyes & bow eye. These are designed to handle the load. If a boat is in my shop & has both lifting eyes & stern & bow eyes I prefer to use the stern & bow eyes for a couple reasons, first the lifting eyes may cause cracking in the gelcoat on older boats especially if they are seldom used, second, I like the stability of a 3-point lift vs 2 point where the boat is able to swing. I use (4)  2,000lb. cap. straps with flat hooks on the ends, 2 in the back, 2 in the front using a "spreader bar" that is 2' wide that takes the stress off the bow. NEVER WORK ON A BOAT SUSPENDED, ALWAYS SHORE WITH WOOD BLOCKS OR PROPER STANDS.

3) The Cajun way, (never try this on an inclined driveway or on dirt/gravel) As described elsewhere on the forum this method works on a budget. Run the trailer jack all the way down, block the back corners of the hull, then lift the bow up, (18s, 19' advances the jack will work, bigger boats use a floor jack, the dolly jack can't handle heavier weights) When the front goes up the the back of the trailer will go down placing the weight on the blocked corners. When all the way up, shore under the keel & let the jack down & pull the trailer out a couple feet. Here is where it gets tricky, to completely remove the trailer you have deal with the crossmembers in the trailer. This can be accomplished with a floor jack & another set of shoring blocks alternating between spaces moving the trailer out a bit at a time. A better way would be to rig an adequate overhead chainfall or hoist for the front only.

[John Doerfler]

Gee thanks Ron!  I don't think I grew up in the bayou.  But I wanted to use my fork lift to hoist the boat but my uncle who is an engineer for the Air Force recommended using the cajun method.  So that clears me right?
John Doerfler

[RonT]

In your case lower the front, block the rear, suspend a chain from your fork to the front lifting eye or bow eye. If using the bow eye I would prefer nylon straps, but I've used 2 chains off my forks to straddle the bow, just make sure you pad or coushion the bow from scratches. Then slowly lift up until the trailer is free, pull the trailer out & to the side if you have short forks & block up the keel. I prefer wood blocks over cement blocks always. the best way is to buy some 4x4's & cut them into 16" long pcs., then stack them up alternating direction. From one AF family to another, good luck.

[Roger]

Ron,
Can you post a pic of the correct way the boat  should hang?
thanks Roger

[RonT]

Can you be more specific, do you mean hang in a boat house, from the optional lifting rings, from the bow & stern eyes??

[Roger]

So its ok to hang by the eye bolts?

[kimgjr]

before you hang it from the lifting eyes be sure to check the condition of the brackets holding the lifting eyes. The bow lifting eye on mine is held secure by a nice stainless strap. The rear "was" a piece of metal that rusted and broke which caused the back of the boat to fall out of the hoist. The hurricane helped a little as well.!! The boat did hold just fine for 20+ years though. might just be a good idea to check.

[RonT]

The pair of std. transom eyes and bow eye (the one the trailer winch ties to) are perfectly fine to lift from. NEVER lift from the transom center ski eye. Lifting from these stainless u-bolts will compress the rubrail so a towel or scrap of carpet is advised for the transom & the bow eye, just stuff it between your strap or (chain) & rubrail. I do recommend using some type of spreader bar at the bow, the one I use is a piece of 3" channell about 20" long with hooks welded on each end and a center loop for my chain fall to connect to. This considerably reduces the "pinch" factor when lifting the bow. These are perfectly acceptable methods for occasionally lifting the boat up, for daily use add the lifting ring option. 

[Roger]

Thanks Ron! Just wanting to do it correctly. We will be working the trailer over pretty soon! And we will puts wood blocks under her.
thanks again, Roger

[wetamb]

Here is a pic of my boat hanging at Ron's shop in LA in 2007.  Hope this helps give you the idea.

[RonT]

Embarrassing pic of my dirty shop?? Oh well, check out my custom creeper with the angled back, since I'm not getting any younger this allows me to work under a boat for 10 minutes, then nap for 40, work 10, nap 40.......

[wetamb]

Now I know why it took you so long back then to finish my boat !!  LOL

[Joel]

Thats not fair!!!!  (to quote my 15 yr old daughter - nothing seems fair to her...)   You have a professional working on your boat...  Nobody around here even knows what a AM Skier is...      I guess I'll have to take her to Dan or somebody slightly closer than LA   

[RonT]

Dan doesn't have Cajun food or the French Quarter to visit.

[Joel]

Point taken...