taking boat off trailer and on to cinder blocks

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Author Topic:   taking boat off trailer and on to cinder blocks

NYmontauk17 posted 03-18-2009 04:48 PM ET (US)
any suggestion on how to take my 17 off the trailer and put it onto cinder blocks
motparts posted 03-18-2009 05:18 PM ET (US)
you need to jack it up in the back high enough to get it off the trailer on blocks going the long way with the boat. then jack up the front slightly off the trailer behind the tongue. Then move the trailer forward as far as you can until you have to stop at the axle. put some blocks on the other side of the Axle and slowly move forward again until you get to the back of the trailer do the same thing again. There is a few ups and downs it helps to have some help to tell you when to stop and go. Depending on the type of trailer you have it will work this way.
Bakazoo posted 03-19-2009 06:45 AM ET (US)
That is good in theory but with crossmembers and axles there is no room for the blocks and such the movement would only be inches at a time. Going to get a tow truck to lift the bow from the towing eye and slip it out. I can't get to the lifting eye...
newt posted 03-19-2009 07:37 AM ET (US)
The method described by motparts will work. Be sure to support the boat at the stern on both sides in addition to under the keel. As you pull the trailer out, the hull will lose contact with the side bunks and start to tip hence the need to block/jack at the sides.
You can start by jacking up and supporting the stern. Then pull the trailer out from under the boat until the trailer tongue starts pulling up on the ball hitch. Once that happens, jack up the rear end of the trailer or some point under the keel to raise the bow of the boat and put another block under the keel somewhere forward of the center of gravity of the boat. Continue pulling the trailer out until the tongue weight is gone again or your blocking hits an axle or cross member, and repeat until the boat is clear of the trailer.
The process will go quickly. I did the reverse to get my 25 footer onto the trailer. I recommend a good supply of cold beer to help things along.
Dave Sutton posted 03-19-2009 09:10 AM ET (US)
Tow Truck? Come on....
Dave's Foolproof Way:
Tie the stern of the boat to 'anything substantial'. If nothing substantial is handy, dig your anchor into the ground with a shovel to act as a dead-point.
Unspool a few feet of your trailer cable/webbing and then hook your car/truck to the trailer at one end, hook the back of the boat to the 'anything substantial' and drive the trailer forward, pulling the boat a few feet off of the back of the trailer.
Jack the back of the boat up about 6 inches, and block it. Let the boat lay back down on the blocks.
Keep pulling the trailer out from under the boat and keep blocking it until you are done.
A Montauk only needs two blocks to hold it securely for painting, etc.
I can do this alone in less than fifteen minutes.
If you are brave, the 'loosen up the cable two feet, run truck in reverse and hit the brakes' method works too, to get it started off of the trailer.

Dave

.
Dave Sutton posted 03-19-2009 09:13 AM ET (US)
And I should have said that a Montaul only needs to be blocked at two points, not with two blocks. I use two on each side of one point near the transom, right on the chine (to prevent tipping sideways) and a third block under the keel forward.

Use wood, not cinder-blocks. Cinder-blocks will break 'one day' and you'll then be asking how to get your boat from the ground back onto the trailer again. Trust me here... ;-)

Dave
skred posted 03-19-2009 11:35 AM ET (US)
I plan to put my 13 Sport on "blocks" in my garage. I keep the winch line attached, tip the trailer at the front and - eventually the boat will slide back till I have about 18 inches of the hull clear of the trailer at the stern. I then put the tongue on the floor, which raises the stern, put whatever blocks I have on either side at the stern (outside the width of the boat), and put a 4x4 across, under the hull at the rear. (Helps to have a friend standing on the tongue to hold it down till blocking is done).
As the tongue is raised, the stern will come to rest on the 4x4 (use heftier lumber if you're worried about weight).
I then run a lifting strap over 2 4x4's straddling the garage joists (out to 8 feet), and lift the bow by hand (only about 100 lbs. or so) till it clears the trailer by a couple inches, and attach the strap to the norman pin.
Now the trailer rolls clear with no obstacles. Then I block the bow in at the keel and ease off the lifting strap, which takes the load off the joists.
To reload the boat, simply raise the bow a couple inches, hold with the strap, pull the front blocks, run the trailer under as far as possible, lower the bow and remove the strap. Hold the trailer tongue down, remove the rear 4x4, and raise the tongue, allowing the stern to settle on the trailer. Winch the boat back forward, and it's done. Takes longer to write about than it does to accomplish...
Tom W Clark posted 03-19-2009 12:38 PM ET (US)
I agree with Dave, it is very simple. I blocked my Montauk by hand, no cars, trucks, or winches, nothing.
You do not jack the stern up, you drop the bow with your tongue jack as far as it will go.
Block the stern.
Crank the tongue jack as high as it will go.
Block the keel forward.
Lower tongue jack a bit and pull it out as far as it will go. A cross member or the axle with hit the front block but you just block behind the cross member or axle and remove the front block.
The trailer is now free to pull out.
I set my Montauk on the parking strip in front of my house. Piece of cake:
http://home.comcast.net/~tomwclark/IMG_0813.JPG
I made a single "cradle" out of scrap plywood and lumber I had laying around the shop that fit the shape if the hull at the transom.
TransAm posted 03-19-2009 01:57 PM ET (US)
Tom has the right method; when I crank down the tongue, the stern raises almost 6 inches. Block it there, and crank the tongue back up. Unfortunately, my trailer has 3 cross-members and an axle, so after the rear is blocked, it's a bit of a pain clearing 4 obstacles with the forward keel block.
prj posted 03-19-2009 03:27 PM ET (US)
"parking strip", public right-of-way, no difference... ; )
JMARTIN posted 03-19-2009 04:04 PM ET (US)
Hey Tom, I heard a blip on the news just last night about the possibility of doing away with street parking to allow for more bike lanes in some Seattle neighborhoods. I hope your neighborhood is not one under consideration. John
DeeVee posted 03-19-2009 06:12 PM ET (US)
If you have any sort of substantial overhead support, such as a carport beam (which is what I use), you can use this to support the bow from above, using the lifting eye.
Use the same method Tom describes, using the trailer tongue jack to raise the stern by lowering the bow. Then block the stern. I use a very heavy duty construction come-along to raise the bow of my Outrage 22. After removing the trailer, have the forward block ready, slip it under the keel, lower the bow. Done.
Doug
Bakazoo posted 03-19-2009 06:45 PM ET (US)
She's up !
Nice to have so much input from members, it makes one look at a lot of options and use a combination of the best ones for our individual purpose...My girl is on blocks today ! I set up the stern at the dead end before the Whaler Drive and then again 4' forwarda, lifted the bow off the blocks I had her on by jacking and supporting the area under the tow ring, slid the trailer out as much as I could and set a 3rd set of blocks where I could pulled the old trailer out and then put another set of blocks to hold the bow with 2x4 stabilizers. Now tomorrow I can work the new trailer back under. Seems easy to do a 13 or 17 with no rigging, but I am doing a 23 on a float on type trailer with no rollers, with the motor on and rigged as a Temptation.
Also I was able to do it solo with a little planning !
Best advice, go slow , plan ahead.
Chris in Miami
Tom W Clark posted 03-19-2009 07:10 PM ET (US)
Patrick, John,
Having a boat blocked up on the parking strip is illegal as hell. So is having my Revenge 25 parked on its trailer in the street. The 9' Tender seen on edge is legal because it is in my driveway on my side of the property line.
I did manage to just squeeze the Montauk in between my Pacific Sunset Maple and the New Zealand Flax thus keeping the sidewalk clear for strollers and wheel chairs. The boat sat there for months.
Seattle is a town of reasonable people. The law says you cannot park boats or other trailers in the street *unless* they are hitched to a licensed vehicle. In that case they are entitled to the same parking privileges as any other licensed vehicle: You can park for up to 72 hours (up from 24 hours only a few years ago). The idea is that streets are for vehicles, not for storage.
In reality, these parking laws are enforced only if somebody complains. I have never had a ticket. My neighbors like me because I take care of them. They take care of me by not complaining about my boats. It's a good system.
John -- My neighborhood, Ballard, is one where more bike lanes are going in but I live on a side street that will not be affected.
filthypit posted 03-20-2009 08:49 AM ET (US)
ha-ha-ha-ha!
tom's house looks like ours! Boston Whalers everywhere!
we're not allowed to have boats parked between the front of our house & the street... and they'll write you a ticket here in a minute! luckily our house is "L" shaped, so we can fit one boat in the driveway, in front of the car.
i would'a thought a few healthy men could pick-up a 17' Whaler(?) my sister and i can pick up our 13ft Sport.

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Author	Topic: taking boat off trailer and on to cinder blocks
NYmontauk17	posted 03-18-2009 04:48 PM ET (US) any suggestion on how to take my 17 off the trailer and put it onto cinder blocks
motparts	posted 03-18-2009 05:18 PM ET (US) you need to jack it up in the back high enough to get it off the trailer on blocks going the long way with the boat. then jack up the front slightly off the trailer behind the tongue. Then move the trailer forward as far as you can until you have to stop at the axle. put some blocks on the other side of the Axle and slowly move forward again until you get to the back of the trailer do the same thing again. There is a few ups and downs it helps to have some help to tell you when to stop and go. Depending on the type of trailer you have it will work this way.
Bakazoo	posted 03-19-2009 06:45 AM ET (US) That is good in theory but with crossmembers and axles there is no room for the blocks and such the movement would only be inches at a time. Going to get a tow truck to lift the bow from the towing eye and slip it out. I can't get to the lifting eye...
newt	posted 03-19-2009 07:37 AM ET (US) The method described by motparts will work. Be sure to support the boat at the stern on both sides in addition to under the keel. As you pull the trailer out, the hull will lose contact with the side bunks and start to tip hence the need to block/jack at the sides. You can start by jacking up and supporting the stern. Then pull the trailer out from under the boat until the trailer tongue starts pulling up on the ball hitch. Once that happens, jack up the rear end of the trailer or some point under the keel to raise the bow of the boat and put another block under the keel somewhere forward of the center of gravity of the boat. Continue pulling the trailer out until the tongue weight is gone again or your blocking hits an axle or cross member, and repeat until the boat is clear of the trailer. The process will go quickly. I did the reverse to get my 25 footer onto the trailer. I recommend a good supply of cold beer to help things along.
Dave Sutton	posted 03-19-2009 09:10 AM ET (US) Tow Truck? Come on.... Dave's Foolproof Way: Tie the stern of the boat to 'anything substantial'. If nothing substantial is handy, dig your anchor into the ground with a shovel to act as a dead-point. Unspool a few feet of your trailer cable/webbing and then hook your car/truck to the trailer at one end, hook the back of the boat to the 'anything substantial' and drive the trailer forward, pulling the boat a few feet off of the back of the trailer. Jack the back of the boat up about 6 inches, and block it. Let the boat lay back down on the blocks. Keep pulling the trailer out from under the boat and keep blocking it until you are done. A Montauk only needs two blocks to hold it securely for painting, etc. I can do this alone in less than fifteen minutes. If you are brave, the 'loosen up the cable two feet, run truck in reverse and hit the brakes' method works too, to get it started off of the trailer. Dave .
Dave Sutton	posted 03-19-2009 09:13 AM ET (US) And I should have said that a Montaul only needs to be blocked at two points, not with two blocks. I use two on each side of one point near the transom, right on the chine (to prevent tipping sideways) and a third block under the keel forward. Use wood, not cinder-blocks. Cinder-blocks will break 'one day' and you'll then be asking how to get your boat from the ground back onto the trailer again. Trust me here... ;-) Dave
skred	posted 03-19-2009 11:35 AM ET (US) I plan to put my 13 Sport on "blocks" in my garage. I keep the winch line attached, tip the trailer at the front and - eventually the boat will slide back till I have about 18 inches of the hull clear of the trailer at the stern. I then put the tongue on the floor, which raises the stern, put whatever blocks I have on either side at the stern (outside the width of the boat), and put a 4x4 across, under the hull at the rear. (Helps to have a friend standing on the tongue to hold it down till blocking is done). As the tongue is raised, the stern will come to rest on the 4x4 (use heftier lumber if you're worried about weight). I then run a lifting strap over 2 4x4's straddling the garage joists (out to 8 feet), and lift the bow by hand (only about 100 lbs. or so) till it clears the trailer by a couple inches, and attach the strap to the norman pin. Now the trailer rolls clear with no obstacles. Then I block the bow in at the keel and ease off the lifting strap, which takes the load off the joists. To reload the boat, simply raise the bow a couple inches, hold with the strap, pull the front blocks, run the trailer under as far as possible, lower the bow and remove the strap. Hold the trailer tongue down, remove the rear 4x4, and raise the tongue, allowing the stern to settle on the trailer. Winch the boat back forward, and it's done. Takes longer to write about than it does to accomplish...
Tom W Clark	posted 03-19-2009 12:38 PM ET (US) I agree with Dave, it is very simple. I blocked my Montauk by hand, no cars, trucks, or winches, nothing. You do not jack the stern up, you drop the bow with your tongue jack as far as it will go. Block the stern. Crank the tongue jack as high as it will go. Block the keel forward. Lower tongue jack a bit and pull it out as far as it will go. A cross member or the axle with hit the front block but you just block behind the cross member or axle and remove the front block. The trailer is now free to pull out. I set my Montauk on the parking strip in front of my house. Piece of cake: http://home.comcast.net/~tomwclark/IMG_0813.JPG I made a single "cradle" out of scrap plywood and lumber I had laying around the shop that fit the shape if the hull at the transom.
TransAm	posted 03-19-2009 01:57 PM ET (US) Tom has the right method; when I crank down the tongue, the stern raises almost 6 inches. Block it there, and crank the tongue back up. Unfortunately, my trailer has 3 cross-members and an axle, so after the rear is blocked, it's a bit of a pain clearing 4 obstacles with the forward keel block.
prj	posted 03-19-2009 03:27 PM ET (US) "parking strip", public right-of-way, no difference... ; )
JMARTIN	posted 03-19-2009 04:04 PM ET (US) Hey Tom, I heard a blip on the news just last night about the possibility of doing away with street parking to allow for more bike lanes in some Seattle neighborhoods. I hope your neighborhood is not one under consideration. John
DeeVee	posted 03-19-2009 06:12 PM ET (US) If you have any sort of substantial overhead support, such as a carport beam (which is what I use), you can use this to support the bow from above, using the lifting eye. Use the same method Tom describes, using the trailer tongue jack to raise the stern by lowering the bow. Then block the stern. I use a very heavy duty construction come-along to raise the bow of my Outrage 22. After removing the trailer, have the forward block ready, slip it under the keel, lower the bow. Done. Doug
Bakazoo	posted 03-19-2009 06:45 PM ET (US) She's up ! Nice to have so much input from members, it makes one look at a lot of options and use a combination of the best ones for our individual purpose...My girl is on blocks today ! I set up the stern at the dead end before the Whaler Drive and then again 4' forwarda, lifted the bow off the blocks I had her on by jacking and supporting the area under the tow ring, slid the trailer out as much as I could and set a 3rd set of blocks where I could pulled the old trailer out and then put another set of blocks to hold the bow with 2x4 stabilizers. Now tomorrow I can work the new trailer back under. Seems easy to do a 13 or 17 with no rigging, but I am doing a 23 on a float on type trailer with no rollers, with the motor on and rigged as a Temptation. Also I was able to do it solo with a little planning ! Best advice, go slow , plan ahead. Chris in Miami
Tom W Clark	posted 03-19-2009 07:10 PM ET (US) Patrick, John, Having a boat blocked up on the parking strip is illegal as hell. So is having my Revenge 25 parked on its trailer in the street. The 9' Tender seen on edge is legal because it is in my driveway on my side of the property line. I did manage to just squeeze the Montauk in between my Pacific Sunset Maple and the New Zealand Flax thus keeping the sidewalk clear for strollers and wheel chairs. The boat sat there for months. Seattle is a town of reasonable people. The law says you cannot park boats or other trailers in the street unless they are hitched to a licensed vehicle. In that case they are entitled to the same parking privileges as any other licensed vehicle: You can park for up to 72 hours (up from 24 hours only a few years ago). The idea is that streets are for vehicles, not for storage. In reality, these parking laws are enforced only if somebody complains. I have never had a ticket. My neighbors like me because I take care of them. They take care of me by not complaining about my boats. It's a good system. John -- My neighborhood, Ballard, is one where more bike lanes are going in but I live on a side street that will not be affected.
filthypit	posted 03-20-2009 08:49 AM ET (US) ha-ha-ha-ha! tom's house looks like ours! Boston Whalers everywhere! we're not allowed to have boats parked between the front of our house & the street... and they'll write you a ticket here in a minute! luckily our house is "L" shaped, so we can fit one boat in the driveway, in front of the car. i would'a thought a few healthy men could pick-up a 17' Whaler(?) my sister and i can pick up our 13ft Sport.