Jacking boat off trailer...
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URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=48762
Printed Date: April-05-2025 at 4:50am
Topic: Jacking boat off trailer...
Posted By: ultrarunner
Subject: Jacking boat off trailer...
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 2:47pm
| Hey gang, any practical and safe way to jack the boat off the trailer to do some bunk maintenance? Ideally I'd pull the trailer out to work on it. This is a 196. Thanks. |
Replies:
Posted By: gun-driver
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 3:04pm
| Gantry and use the lift rings. |
Posted By: ultrarunner
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 3:15pm
| That was my first thought...so like a couple of wheeled engine lifts? |
Posted By: Orlando76
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 3:23pm
No like an overhead beam and a chain fall. Because we all have a Gantry in our 8’ tall garage  never thought of an engine hoist but I don’t think it’ll work nor would I try it.A buddy of mine had access to high density foam blocks of some sort. He put I’m guessing 2x8!or so on top of a jack, foam block on top of 2x then jacked away on the corners and eventually sat the whole boat down on the foam blocks. Pulled trailer out from beneath boat. I don’t recall what the blocks were/size or their intended application. In FL its not uncommon for custom homes to be built entirely out of foam, some sort of EIFS construction so maybe that’s it. ------------- Please support The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 1976 Ski Nautique 351 Escort 1993 Ski Nautique purple and black 351 HO PCM |
Posted By: MrMcD
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 3:25pm
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My Garage is also my basement. It has old 2 -1/4" x 10- 1/4" joists. And this home is 110 years old now. I bolted a couple hooks up near the top of the joists above my lifting rings and used a come-a-long to lift the boat while I pulled out the trailer for repairs. The boat is only 2,300 pounds or so? It worked for me. There was still about 8" of solid wood under my hooks. After doing my boat we did my brothers boat the same way. His was going to have to sit for 3 weeks so we lowered the boat onto some used tires we picked up and they worked perfect to support it off the concrete floor. It might be called Bubba work but we had zero damage. ------------- |
Posted By: ultrarunner
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 4:12pm
| Well, those cantilevered engine hoists are definitely not built for what I'm thinking....Better off finding someone local with a dock ;-) |
Posted By: Donald80SN
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 4:44pm
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I did my bunks about one month ago. I live lake view and I asked a friend if I could park my boat at his dock for a day or two. I planned it around days that it was not going to rain. It only sat at his dock over night for one night. I believe this was the first night I had ever left it in the water. My daughter gave me a ride back and forth to the local boat ramp nearby. Also, I purchased ($30.00) an electric staple gun from Lowes. It was a big help. Also, Lowes sells stainless Steel Staples. You need to use SST staples. ------------- 1980 Ski Nautique SOLD Back to Cypress Gardens 2002 Sport Nautique, GT-40, FCT2, Cover Sports, Tower Bimini, Inc., Wet Sounds Audio System, Star Gazer Wake Edition S. 1968 Ski Nautique, Holman Moody |
Posted By: JoeinNY
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 4:54pm
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An overhead beam and a chainfall is pretty luxurious but there are many posts on here explaining how to get it off with patience, wood/concrete blocks and a single jack. - in a pinch the tongue jack can do most or all the work. If you have level concrete an engine lift will certainly get the job done as well a bit easier than jacks - some may think it sounds sketchy but I have done it dozens of times. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1477 - 1983 Ski Nautique 2001 1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO5MkcBXBBs - Holeshot Video |
Posted By: Jonny Quest
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 4:57pm
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Joe's advice above is good. I did something similar. I bought a Harbor Freight 2-Ton engine hoist that I used when I rebuilt my trailer. It wasn't the most elegant option but it worked. As Joe stated, you need LEVEL floor (concrete or asphalt) You can jack up the boat's a$$ end off the trailer bunk boards easily. First start by dropping the trailer tongue all the way to the ground. Then use concrete blocks with some type of "softener" on top. I used carpet and some 2X4s. With the trailer tongue on the ground, the a$$ end of the boat us up in the air. Place the concrete blocks under the transom -- as far back as possible. Use the softner to protect the hull. Use 2X4s or similar on top of the concrete blocks so that you get as close to the hull as possible. Then pick up the tongue of the trailer. As the trailer tongue lifts up, the rear of the boat will sit on the concrete blocks/carpet and will lift up off the trailer bunks. Does this make sense? Then you have to lift the bow of the boat. I used my H.F. 2 Ton engine hoist to lift the bow of the boat by the lifting ring. Carefully pull the trailer out and block-up the boat so that it is stable. I used concrete blocks on the rear (transom) and on the sides and some under the keel. All softened with 2X4s and carpet. If the trailer cross-members interfere with the concrete blocks/supports, you have to do a block-and-move system by placing new blocking/supports where the trailer just vacated and removing the supports that are in the way of the trailer path. You may have to do this a couple of times. It worked for me just fine. Take your time and be cautious on your blocking schemes. Belt and suspenders is a good approach. I don't know if my narrative is easy to follow or not. If not, send me a PM. JQ ------------- Current 2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited Previous 2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow 1994 Ski Nautique Open Bow Aqua skiing, ergo sum |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 5:07pm
Plus 1
------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
JoeinNY wrote:Posted By: gun-driver
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 7:23pm
Oops forgot those flats down in that hot Florida sun don’t have garages that you can do things like this in.  But hey it’s cool enough a couple months of the year that you can work in the driveway with some blocks and jacks.  
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Posted By: KENO
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 7:38pm
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Here's how us backyard hacks would do it. If you have a spare boat and trailer out back there, you can use it to store the other one in 
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Posted By: gun-driver
Date Posted: May-29-2020 at 7:45pm
That is innovation at its best  But seriously all it takes is some 2x4s and some type beam (I used square tubing I pick up in my travels) and a couple chain falls and voìla 
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Posted By: ultrarunner
Date Posted: June-06-2020 at 8:03pm
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Ok, so, in hindsight, I'd have brought some straps for the bunks and made a temp repair when I had the boat off the trailer today...but as with twins running the show in the am. and trying to get out the driveway...well you get the idea... In any event, the PO temp repair with the rope you see, didn't do the job. The scrapes you see are just some paint swap, no gouges or scratches. so that'll buff out, as they say.... QUESTION: Is there enough structural support at the side of the hull to jack slightly in order to get the weight off that bunk so I can temporarily secure it in its proper position? As it sits now the forward portion of the hull is NOT resting on the trailer frame, as you can see from the pics. My thought is to support a couple of hydraulic jacks with proper material at the hull and floor, like a 2 x 6 and lift in two locations. Thanks, Mark  
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Posted By: desertskier
Date Posted: June-06-2020 at 9:09pm
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Or jack up that side of the trailer a few inches then support the hull and lower the trailer. ------------- 92 SN - Owned since 93 99 Pro Air 89 SN - Went to live on a lake in Texas 75 Donzi 16 - Sold in 93 |
Posted By: 75 Tique
Date Posted: June-07-2020 at 12:29am
You mean not everyone has a gantry in their shop? My buddy down the lake (the submarine guy for those of you with good memories) just bought a 24 (I think) unit storage building right in our neighborhood. He saved at least half the units for his own stuff, shop, projects....  In this particular case, he let some neighbors work on their sailboat in it, specifically on this day to lift up front (gantry) and rear (if you look closely you will see his forklift...(doesnt everyone have their own forklift) so as to remove the 550# retractable keel for repairs. Anyway, the first thing I thought of when reading through this thread was Joe and using the tongue jack, and low and behold, Joe gets on and mentions using the tongue jack, and darned if I didnt happen to have a picture of him (hanging off the back of the boat) switching trailers through the use of blocks and trailer jack  ------------- _____________ “So, how was your weekend?” “Well, let me see…sun burn, stiff neck, screwed up back, assorted aches and pains….yup, my weekend was great, thanks for asking.” |
Posted By: ultrarunner
Date Posted: June-07-2020 at 10:13am
Yep, that would work also, but still I'll still need to support the weight of the boat along that edge. Enough structure there? Thanks |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: June-07-2020 at 3:24pm
I'm not too sure about jacking up one side of the boat. I have a feeling the hull will slide off the bunk on the other side towards the side being jacked up. The trailer should come out from under the boat so a good repair can be made. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: ultrarunner
Date Posted: June-07-2020 at 4:41pm
Oh, I just need to lift a quarter to half inch, at the most, to reposition and secure the bunk. Not worried about boat sliding off. Thanks, Mark |
Posted By: ultrarunner
Date Posted: June-07-2020 at 6:06pm
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Done. Got the offending bunk re-centered on the rail. Didn't have the heart to cut the 11 foot straps, so just tied them off. As soon as I can find someone to take the boat off my hands for a couple days, I'll fix both bunks permanently. Now time to buff out that area...  
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