trailers with keel boards

[jb]

I'm interested in how you access/paint the bottom of the keel when the trailer has a keel board ?

thanks,

j

[Ivo]

jb,

I've jacked the boat up a few inches, raised the side supports up to the hull, lowered the boat to rest on the side supports, and then pulled out the keel board.

Ivo



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[jb]

Ivo,

how to you jack the boat up?

I have 96 CP 16 on a newer 2010 trailer... no rollers. The the bunk board completely covers the bottom surface of the keel and then some, so I'm unable to access that surface in order to lift it off the board.

j

[Ivo]

jb,

My keel board is attached to the trailer with angle brackets.  I first took off these brackets, then placed the jack below the keel board.  I jacked up the keel board with the boat right on top of it.  I raised the stern first and then the bow, adjusting the side supports as I went.  Once on the side supports, I lowered the jack and the keel board fell away.

Hope this helps.

Ivo

[jb]

 IVO.

Our trailers are a little different, my keel board is bolted down to the 3 cross members.

But just so I'm not assuming this, you're telling me that the two bunks alone w/o any support under the keel will hold up the boat?

thanks for your responses!

j

[Ivo]

JB,

Glad to help if I can...

I have the keel board bolted down to the cross supports with four pieces of angle...two at the front, and two at the rear.  This is the best pic I have showing one of the four angle brackets.

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I had two stern bunks and two bow bunks fully supporting the boat while the keel board was removed.  The pic from the earlier post shows the stern bunks.  This pic shows one of the bow bunks.

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This pic shows a little bit of both sets of bunks.

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Ivo

[jb]

thanks IVO, you have been helpful!

j

[SMITH]

Many boatyards, and boat dealerships will safely lift the boat off the trailer, set it on Brownell Stands and paint it for a few bucks.  Having been nearby on three separate occasions when yachts fell while suspended, I strongly advise against lifting your vessel yourself.  Let the pros do it, and NEVER work under a suspended load.  It's a messy way to die.
SMITH

[capt_nemo]

Continuing with what SMITH says above...

And some yards (not many) will lift the boat, support it properly somewhere out of the way, and let YOU paint your boat.

Check around. Look for small Mom and Pop yards with inexpensive boat lifts. Or talk to a boat dealer about using one after normal hours.

I replaced the centerboard pennant on my Sun Cat using a small overhead boat lift for 20 minutes and $20 bucks at my friendly boat trailer dealer. Sure beats doing it the hard way while in the water.

capt_nemo

[jb]

Smith & capt_nemo,

appreciate your concerns about safety but safety is always my prime  concern.

I'm looking ideas for the best way to raise the boat 2-3 inches so the bottom of the keel is exposed. I intend to place blocks between the keel bottom and the keel board.  The trailer is still under the boat, two jack stands will provide stability and the trailer also has supporting timber under it to prevent any tilting. So, the boat is not actually suspended.


j

[brackish]

That may be true in the "land of the not quite right" where there are boat yards on every bend in the creek, bayou or street as it may be.  Unfortunately it is not the case where I live.  Only one Marina on my Corp of Engineers lake I think they were grandfathered in because they already owned the land.  I asked the owner last week what it would cost to do my 23's bottom.  Pressure wash, light sand and two coats of ablative rolled on.  About $1350.  In my estimation that is a bit more than "a few bucks".

Did it myself last time on the trailer and will do so again.  Cost about $200 for the paint and supplies. Mine has keel rollers so I jacked it up on two 4000 lb. jacks wedged the bunks and never ever felt the least bit in danger.  It was far more stable than the boats set on stands in the yard, in fact I have felt somewhat anxious about working under those although I have done it before.

When I had my Columbia 8.7, not trailerable, the yard would pull it, pressure wash it in the slings, and set it on stands for $125.  Then you got three days before demurrage charges commenced and you could do all the work yourself.  If you didn't buy your paint from them they charged I think $25 per gallon.  If we planned well we could do the bottom, change the anode, and service all the thru hull valves and intakes in that three days.  But now the yards will not let you do that stating liability issues.  Of course, in Mississippi, many of the yards sold out to Casino's so competition is non-existent.

So Smith, you think this (my 8.7):



Is safer than this (my 23):



I actually did not use this setup.  The plan was to drop the bunks one at a time.  I found jacking the keel from the concrete with two 4k jacks and wedging the boat to the bunks with movable wedges with a space between for coating made much more sense.  I never felt in danger whereas I always felt a little nervous under that 8.7 rig.

[Jon898]

Unless they don't show in the photo, I'd also be really nervous about the 8.7 setup as I can't see any chains holding the jackstands together from one side to the other.  These are often forgotten by yards especially when it's only a "temporary" haul-out.  The other issue with a jackstand setup is that it becomes very tempting to shift stands to paint under the pads which can get you in a world of trouble if you don't know what you're doing.

Incidentally, one of the challenges yards face with DIY (making it rare these days) is the potential for EPA fines resulting from anti-fouling (and other "pollution") being allowed to wash off into the waterways (even though it had been in the water all season) by boatowners not being aware of the regulations.  Of course that's the same EPA that insisted on holding tanks that you pump out into the town sewer system that then discharges untreated into the body of water you were sailing in (personal experience in the Chesapeake some years ago).

Regardless, safety first please!

[skip1930]

Saw off the keel boards [bolt on with angle iron later] and jack the hull up off the trailer using the hull bunks.
Or simply put a 2 x 4 under the keel at the balance point by using a floor jack.

Lifting the CP-19 off the trailer this way is a snap.

skip.

[Lazar]

There exist innumerable methods for create widows, a couple of which are discussed on this thread. $1300? Nickels and dimes juxtaposed me becoming flattened fauna. No thanks, I'll seek part time employment if necessary...color me overly cautious. 

[SMITH]

Regarding the above photos and the fact that I investigate boat accidents, with the odd occasional death or serious injury, for a living, both setups shown could be good for my business.
SMITH