Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

[valkyr]

I have a nice gash in my gel coat on the bottom side of my boat that I want to patch. Is it reasonable to jack the boat up off the trailer (about 1-2 inches) using a standard scissor car jack. I was planning on using a buffer of some sort between the jack and the boat. Again, I only need to raise it about 2".

Thoughts/suggestions?

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

Use some good blocks between the jack and the boat, something to distribute the weight a little, and you will be fine. Be sure that you are on a sturdy surface, you don't want to be under a boat that is teetering on a tiny balance point.​

 

[Boatist]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

I would not use any kind of hydraulic jack as you do not need it. Every year I raise my boat off the trailer to wax it. The back of the boat is very easy and the front does take some effort.

The way I do it is lower the front of the trailer as far at it will go. Then I block the back of the boat up with with blocks. After blocked up remove all the rear tie down but leave the front winch strap attached. Now raise the front of the trailer. As the front raises the the back of the trailer will lower away from the boat. Too raise the front do the same. With the front jacked up as high as it will go again block the bow of the boat up. Loosen the winch strap and lower the front of the trailer. the boat will now be conplete off of the trailer and you can roll the trailer foward if you need to. However you can only move the trailer foward until the axels bump up against your bow blocks. With the boat blocked up it only as stable as your blocks. My blocks built out of some 2 by 4s in a triangle shape and a plywood and carpet top pad.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

i do the same thing Boatist does, and have so 12 " pieces of rail road cross ties, left over from a project. they make great block when you use 2 side by side, next layer run crosswise. when you get to the top i also use a carpeted piece. that i have wedges attached to so it fits the coutour of the boat.

 

[valkyr]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

Sounds good except I don't have any thing of that nature readily available...meaning I'd have to buy it and then leave it stored somewhere. I'm hoping I can use my car jack with a little bit of modding.

Thanks!

 

[burroak]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

Sounds good except I don't have any thing of that nature readily available...meaning I'd have to buy it and then leave it stored somewhere. I'm hoping I can use my car jack with a little bit of modding.

Thanks!

What is the length of your boat and do you have access to a garage?

 

[burroak]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

Sounds good except I don't have any thing of that nature readily available...meaning I'd have to buy it and then leave it stored somewhere. I'm hoping I can use my car jack with a little bit of modding.

Thanks!

What is the length of your boat and do you have access to a garage?

 

[valkyr]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

22' 10" ... plus the trailer tongue

No I dont have access to a garage that would fit my boat...Why?

 

[burroak]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

22' 10" ... plus the trailer tongue

No I dont have access to a garage that would fit my boat...Why?

If you had access to a garage, you can use the rafters as point to attach heavy duty tie down straps. Place a 2X6, wider than the beam of your boat, on edge atop the rafters. Brace it so that it stays perpendicular to the rafters. Brace the ends of the 2X6 from the floor as to not put undue strain on the rafters. Use your floor jack to raise the axle the required height, sling the boat and lower the trailer. With some help, you could place a spacer between the keel of the boat and the trailer in the front by tipping the bow of the boat up. I know it is McGyvering, but when working on limited resources, just make do.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

I used an engine hoist on my transom eye hooks one at a time, worked well for the rear. As I understand it the transom corner eyehooks and the bow eyehook are installed in such a way as to be able to support the weight of the boat.

Luckily I have access to a shared hoist. I did it all out in the (fairly flat) driveway.

 

[burroak]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

I used an engine hoist on my transom eye hooks one at a time, worked well for the rear. As I understand it the transom corner eyehooks and the bow eyehook are installed in such a way as to be able to support the weight of the boat.

Luckily I have access to a shared hoist. I did it all out in the (fairly flat) driveway.

The engine hoists are a great way to get the boat off, but Valkyr isn't giving us much to work with. He's got us making brick with not much mud and no straw.

 

[Scout Sport Fish]

Re: Jacking a boat up off the trailer?

It can definetly be done, I tried it ONCE but my driveway is very bad place to do it and the boat fell down back onto the trailer while I was under it. Took about 10 years off my life. Plus now I just go down to where I work and use my boss's Trava Lift