Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

[Stratosfied]

I've done a search and must not be doing something right. I need to take my 95 15'Stratos off the trailer to do some repairs. I was thinking of somehow jacking the rig up and then letting it down on tires while moving the jacks out of the way. Any suggestions at all or where else to look will be helpful. Thanks in advance. <br /><br />ps to mods.. if this needs to be moved then please do so.

 

[Bass Runner]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

Are you speaking of repairing the boat or the trailer? If it's the trailer, get a couple old tires and a milk crate, hook up to the boat then tie the eyes on the transom to something solid have someone help you and one of you slowly pull the trailer out make sure the transom hits the tires then stop just as the bow gets to the last roller and winch it down on the milk crate, this leaves the boat nose high in case it rains and easier to reload, if it's the boat you are repairing use 3 milk crates (they will hold a lot of weight) and do the same thing. This is the way i have done it several times and never damaged anything,the largest boat i did this with was a 24', Make sure your lower unit will clear the ground when unloading. Take a hose and wet the runners (makes the boat slip off easier.) Hope this helps.

 

[Stratosfied]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

Thanks BassRunner, I need to do some work on my boat and this will help. Just wanted to make sure that it would hold the weight. Thanks again.

 

[Bass Runner]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

Ok just use the milk crates under both ends that will get it up off the ground where you can get under the hull. Those milk crates are tough just make sure you don't have one that has layed around in the sun and got brittle. They held a 24' Cristcraft i had here at the house for 3 months before i put it on a trailer and it was a inboard V-drive little harder to mess with and a lot heavyier.

 

[djvan]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

If you must get under the boat I wouldn't trust milk crates. If you use this method put something substantial under the boat (that is thicker than you are) to "catch" it, if it should happen to fall.<br /><br />DougV>

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

I would build up some proper wood supports for it. Two supports for the back, and one for the front with a V in it to hold the keel. You crank the trailer jack all the way down, place the rear supports under the transom area, and crank the trailer jack back up. This will place the rear of the boat on the supports, and continued cranking will lift the rear of the boat off of the trailer. To place the front support, you can use a floor jack and a piece of 4x4, place under keel, and jack it up. You should now be able to roll the trailer part way out. The axle and other crossmember will want to hit the jack/wood 4x4, so you'll have to set a support behind those crossmembers/axle so you can remove the jack/4x4. At this point the boat will be supported at the back and probably half way towards the front. Once you have jockeyed the jack/4x4 and the front support to get the trailer out, you should have been able to work that front support towards the front enough to give stable support. I hope I described it good enough.

 

[Stratosfied]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

Thanks to all, I will need to get under the boat to do some gelcoat repair where I got on a Stump at Millers Ferry AL. I will probally use the wooden supports since I will have it on this for (I hope) a week or so. I will be replacing the carpet and other things also. I will post some pics of the setup and before, during and after of the fix. Thanks again.

 

[mr T]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

Wild! I was asking the same question on the trailer forum. My question is how do you get the boat back on? It is not easy to slide my boat an inch on the trailer even when it is wet.<br /><br />Thank you for all the ideas.

 

[Link]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

Jasons way works very well. <br />For support we used to buy styrofoam blocks from the hardware store (The kind they used to sell for under docks and cut them thirds.. quick and easy. Used in boat yards around here all the time.<br /><br />Another good support is to cut up a bunch of cheap 2 X 4s into 2 foot lenghts. Lay two parrell to each other then lay two more (on top) of them to form a square and screw in place. Keep going until you get the height you need.<br />Also used here in boat yards alot.<br /><br />Hope this helps a little<br /><br />Link<br /><br />To put the boat back on use the trailer winch to jack the trailer back under the boat.

 

[PeteHarris]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

Making bunks slick ...<br /><br />The next time you put the boat in the water, spray the carpeted bunks down with a standard silicone lubricant (spray can style). The stuff lasts forever, really makes the bunks slick, and doesn't seem to hurt the bunk, carpet, or gelcoat. <br /><br />A note of caution though, make sure you have something to keep the boat from sliding forward if you slam on the brakes. Under moderate braking, my boat could slide up the front bow roller, raise the front about 1' and come forward about 2' for the first few weeks (pretty scary). recommend a bow tie down, not just the winch strap.

 

[1986mariner150]

Re: Taking Boat off Trailer For Repair

I just did this on a 27 foot cabin crusier, this is what i did. Lower the tounge jack all the was as has mentioned above. Block up the transom as tight as you can, I went to a local sawmill and collected several 2x10's about 1 foot long from their cull pile. Then raise the tounge jack as high as possible and block the front as near to the tounge as possible while still getting relativly flat keel. At this point I hooked it to the truck which is about the middle of the tounge jack range and pulled up until the trailer almost touchs the front blocks. I recommend that you leave it attached to the truck from this point on for saftey as if it slips the trailer will hold it up off of you. on a boat that short you may be able to get behind the axle at this point and jack it up till its just off the front blocks and block it up as close to the front as possible THEN and not before remove the first blocks. Then either drive the trailer out, or if a long boat as far as possible then repeat. <br /><br />To put back on back the trailer as far under as possible. Hook the whinch to the bow eye. If a small boat you may be able to just use the tounge jack and whinch to manuver the boat back on without having to crawl underneath the boat. I wasn't so lucky and had to do the same as above in reverse. If you which it back on don't leave it hooked to the truck as the boat stays still and the trailer rolls under it.<br /><br />A couple of words of caution (probably preaching to the choir) but always leave an extra set of blocks sometimes minus just the top board while jacking, until you have it sitting securly on the new set. Stay under the trailer as much as possible and not between boat and trailer, if it should fall you have the trailer as well as your blocks to keep it from squishing you.