Re: Bottom painting and how did you do it??
I've painted a few 19-23 footers a half at a time using this method. I've also hoisted a couple up after I've removed the engine/outdrive to do a bottom paint job and been underneath them too,,,, but I was never comfortable doing it.<br /><br />If you're going to do this at home, and don't pull the engine,,, here's what I've done before and would recomend:<br /><br /> <br />If you can't hoist the whole thing up, once you've decided on the system you'll be using:<br /><br />You can put a (padded)floor jack under the transom along the keel, raise it up a few inches off the trailer and let the hull roll over to one side<br /><br />-- Once its up a few inches, you might have to use a strap and pull it over, depending on how it balances--.<br /><br /> Don't trust the tongue jack for this: Put blocks, inflated spare tires, or whatever under the trailer tongue behind the hitch to make sure the trailer can't roll while you're under it. The bow will be at a down angle, about 12-18" lower than the stern, so your tongue weight should go up to about 1/4 or maybe 1/3 the weight of the boat & trailer. You'll have plenty of weight on the tongue support for the trailer to be a sturdy platform and not move back and forth while you're working under it.<br /><br /><br />Its a pain, but it'll work, and the trailer acts like a natural jackstand. In case the jack slips and the boat falls, it can't 'bite ya'. While 1/2 of the boat is up, the weight is carried by the other half of the hull as it rests on the trailer's contact area.<br /><br />Just to be extra careful, I even put blocks between the boat & trailer on the side I had jacked up. Have them be a couple inches shorter than actually contacting the area you're working on, and you can slide the block (I have used a inflated spare tire for this too) back and forth out of the way of the spot you're actually painting at the moment. That way, if the boat falls, you won't even get your hand trapped between it and a bunk or roller.<br /><br />Then-<br />When its dry, move the jack and roll it up on the other side.<br /><br />It more hassle than calling the marina and telling them to 'fix it'. but you'll probably do a better job at a fraction of the price than they would, and even though its slow, it will work without you being in any unnecessary danger while underneath it if the boat falls off the jack.<br /><br />One last thing:<br />If the trailer is too low, get a few (cheap, trash grade) 2 x 10s to put under the trailer tires. <br /><br />-- I wouldn't trust a stack of bricks or whatever you find laying around to put under the tires, get the boards and nail them together so they can't slip apart. ---<br /><br />Cut them long enough (4 feet or so)to lay under both sets of tires with a few inches all around their 'foot print', and start stacking them up, screwing or nailing one on top of the other until the trailer is raised up enough that its comfortable to work under when you set it back down on them.<br /><br /><br />I don't know if I tend to be over cautious or not.<br />But I've spent a lot of hours under various boats on their trailers secured like this, and never had one fall off the jacks, much less on me.
