using end of boom to support block and tackle for lifting?

[BruceW]

I have a problem that can be solved with having two people. I am trying to figure out how I'd do this alone.

Here goes:

a. Boat is in the water, don't have a trailer
b. I have a 57 lb 4 stroke engine to put on the mount
c. It would be cool to have something to help me balance and take some weight off so I could lower the motor onto the mount.
d. Or help lift the motor off if necessary.

With two:

can put boat stern to dock, one guy one the boat, one guy on dock with safety line. Maneuver motor in place, and Vee-ola.

Oh, when motor dies, yes, it did, and you are out a ways from dock, with no wind, and want to take this motor off, only one person can fit in stern to do all the lifting and get it up onto transom. Argh!

Okay, sure, I can get Sea Tow, or what ever that service is called. I will.

But still, I would love to figure this out. I can get one of these: http://www.davisnet.com/marine/products/marine_product.asp?pnum=00430, or one of these: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=11151&partNumber=1930015&langId=-1&searchKeyword=easy+lift#.UrWMh_RDsrU

Then, I could lift it easier, but still is low and needs to be raised up higher, from awkward position. I'd like some help from mechanical advantage.

Would the boom support this? Would a spare vang or (hmm, maybe I want a boom vang anyway, since I have end boom sheeting now) block and tackle work for this?

Would this system also help retrieve someone who falls overboard? 

Is it too heavy out there at end of boom to do this?

Well, please  let me know your thoughts on the main problem and solution, even if this isn't the way to go.

Thanks!

[nies]

Ten bucks and a strong/young dock boy....................nies

[Bob23]

The only problem I see is that the end of the boom on the 23's does not extend far enough aft to be directly over the outboard. As to whether you could lift a person out of the water, I think the rig is strong enough but you'd need some sort of block and tackle...as well as a strong enough topping lift. Probably not a bad idea to contact the factory about this question.
Bob23

[skip1930]

One~the boom as stated, needs to hang over the stern, preferably over the outboard engine.
I would not worry about the boom or topping lift. It holds [handles] far more then 60 lb when sailing and moving the 2000 lb+ boat forward.

I know a CP-19 sailor who has his wife schooled in recovering his 'body' from the water using a horse collar hung from the boom with a block and tackle.

[Not like this will ever happen in real life.]

skip.

[BruceW]

Well, I did use the strong dock boy method while at the dock, and yeah, I agree about the boom not going out far enough. Maybe it would pull the motor back toward the stern too much to make it workable.

Only time I think this would be necessary is when trying to switch out a motor for a spare, like I actually did yesterday.

I'm thinking, get Tow Boat US service contract, get  motor fixed, figure out if it was bad gasoline (freshly purchased non-alcohol gas from a station known for this type of gas, near the marinas) or if something already in the engine when I bought it led to this issue, or even....something not yet known.

Thanks for the suggestions and comments so far!

[brackish]

I had to swap motors this summer, removing a 104 lb. motor and replacing it with a 59 lb. motor.  What worked best for me was to motor over to the public ramp (about 200 yds.), tie off the bow line at the adjacent dock, spin the boat around stern in and pull the boat up the ramp dock until the motor was in relatively shallow water but the boat was still afloat.  I could then wade in and remove it from the mount drag/carry it up the ramp then mount the lighter motor.  I could do this by myself, working while standing straight up.  Water was warm, but could do it in the winter with a wetsuit pants or waders.  Essentially in water a little over knee deep.  I could back my truck down the ramp with the motors to shorten the carry distance both ways.

I did this mid week and at the "slow" traffic time at the ramp so I didn't bother anyone launching or retrieving.  Ramp is a multi lane.

If you are away from the dock and motor quits, sail in if you have wind, skull in if completely calm.

I thought about the boom method but the angle wrong without adding an extension.  Considered the backing into the slip, but worried about being able to horse off the heavier motor.  Also thought about a 2 x 4 boom, strapped to the stern rail stanchion that would swing over the motor, however, the method above much simpler and more direct.

[BruceW]

Glad you mentioned that one, Brackish. I had suggested that to my friend as a method, and he said he had found the local dock to be unsuitable. However, I think I'll explore that area for my self next time. I feel  I can carry the motor up to the stern and put it on much easier even than the 2 man method.

I have a 2 hp motor that came with the boat, which I can use to get over from the slip to the launch ramp once I validate that I can wade in. I would have used the 2 hp, but we have enough current I thought it wouldn't help enough, with the early darkness we have now.

[skip1930]

Not sail boat related. When the family owned houseboats on the Illinois River we had one electric wire going down to an electric Fwd-N-R clutch in the outdrive fail. Went home on one engine.
At the dock.
A couple of long 2 x4's laid over the cabin's roof and cantilevered over the engine hatch with a come-a-long allowed the 383 engine and Velvet drive to be unbolted from the stern drive and skinned forward. The exhaust ports were sealed up from the outside with Hill's Brother plastic can covers and water pressure. Yep. Fixed the wire. It worked.

skip.

[MacGyver]

I am a pretty big guy, and pretty strong compared to my co workers it seems. The method we have used to do what you are talking about is we turn the boat around in the slip, and I sit on the dock with my feet touching the water so my butt is as close to the edge as I am comfy with. I am in a position where I wont slip in at all

I then take the old engine in a bear hug, after it is loosened of course, and lift up and then I turn and lay it over onto the dock. The first time everyone thought it was stupid, as I was a bit shaky, but I had a hold of it without issue, I just probably made a face when doing it that made everyone double think it.

I set the other one on the mount in a similar fashion, taking the lower unit and sending it towards the water as I got a hold of the top. then set it down on the mount and done.

Bracks way seems much better, especially on our boats. With the short drafts that is really a awesome way, and one might even be able to bury a tow vehicle and get them super close.

but on Cat 25s, Odays, etc, this has worked for us several times............ The only time it didnt was with a guy who had a Merc that weighed a ton, my back was sore for a bit.......

Mac

[BruceW]

Well, I'm thinking I would like a safety line tied to something or I could try that sit on dock maneuver. One of those webbing gizmos I mentioned above would allow a line to be tied to it, and then to....something on the boat maybe.

However, I'll be pursuing "Brack's Way" because a. it has shown to work, and b. I can be more upright and in my natural stance with the motor. I feel like I'm of an age where I don't want the sore back I might get from the other methods.

[MacGyver]

I dont blame you on staying away from a sore back. It is not only the back pain that gets to you, but hurting the back is a mind player too, since it does affect the main core of the system.

It is amazing to me when we do things that hard way, and there are such simpler ways out there...... kinda a "why didnt I think of that moment"

Mac

[brackish]

Yep, I started out with the sitting on the dock method, and think with some docks I could have done it, but my marina has floating docks that are very low to the water, When sitting down, I would actually have to lift the motor up fairly high to get it off the mount and was worried about back damage myself.  I have a periodic slipped disc problem and reaching out and up to get that motor off just looked like a trigger for that.   But standing and bending my knees slightly then lifting straight up worked fine.

I gotta say, I'm much happier with the lighter motor on the boat. 

[BruceW]

One idea we had on the trip upriver that worked well to get the motor onto the boat:

Hooked the main halyard to the motor handle; balanced the weight for taking the motor from the dock to the boat. Then walked it back as one of us let the halyard have soem slack.

After that, it was just a safety rope and lower the motor slowly onto the mount.

We never figured out anything that would help hold the motor any better once you get it to the stern of the boat.

Oh, and this was a two man method. I think the Brackish method is the only one-man method I'd try. Where the boat is, I might take a dinghy out to the stern and tie it up as a platform. That still seems like a two man method.