Raising Boat On Trailer to Make Repair

[faithie999]

I have a 1961 13-footer. Some previous owner did a poor job with a fiberglass repair on the outside of the hull near the bottom of the transom. I started removing the poorly-adhered fiberglass, but it wraps around the bottom and then heads about 4 to 6-inchestowards the bow.

I need to raise the boat about 4-inches so I can remove some bad fiberglass where the boat is resting on the trailer bunks.

Q: can I use a scissor jack, then jack stands, using as jacking points the longitudinal ribs on the hull that are just inside the trailer bunks?

I will use some short pieces of 2x6 lumber to spread the point force of the scissor jack and jack stand pad.

When I get all the poorly-repaired areas sanded I hope I will find a deep ding or hole which would be the reason for the original repair.

Thanks

Ken

[ConB]

Buy 12 pack of beer.
Shanghai two buddies.
Remove engine.
Flip boat upside down.
Now you can do a proper repair.

Con

[faithie999]

Yes, that would be desirable, but I'm on my own at our vacation place so removing motor and inverting is out of the question.

[jimh]

Move boat under stout tree limb. Raise boat with ratchet straps using lifting eyes on transom.

[tlsch377]

Do what Con suggest, even if you have to pay someone to help with the labor. Laying under a boat to do that amount of work will be very difficult and the work to flip the boat will be much easier and better than the effort of getting help to flip the boat.

[fno]

I disagree with JimH on the ratchet straps. While they are well suited to lifting something vertically. However, they will drop whatever they are holding up when you release the ratchet. Maybe JimH is referring to a ratchet hoist which does work in both directions. Cable hoists and chain hoists are quite cheap and easily found at Harbor Freight and or Northern Tools. They will not last a lifetime but in all likelihood you will only use them once or twice. I lift and raise various things in my job on a frequent basis. The extrusion die in the photo (right side) weighs about 12,000 lbs.

die and extruders.jpg (121.42 KiB) Viewed 3437 times

[jimh]

I disagree with JimH on the ratchet straps. While they are well suited to lifting something vertically. However, they will drop whatever they are holding up when you release the ratchet.

Heya Frank--good point. But the question was only about RAISING, not lowering, if I can get some wiggle room there. The tree limb and the notion of lifting via the lifting eyes are really the principal elements of my suggestions.

I think the device pictured in your comment above not only weighs 12,000-lbs but it must be work a lot more than a 1961 13-foot hull. More weight, more value ---> much greater care in raising.

[fno]

All good Jimh, Not knowing somebody else's rigging skills and knowledge is a problem when giving advice. While you or I may get away with something like this. Someone else may drop their 13 footer on their (god forbid) wife or mother in law. This weekend I flipped a 11' tender with my tractor and a set of forks on it. I had the luxury of using nylon slings, shackles and some cribbing (wooden blocks). As you mentioned, the subject is about "raising" not lowering so my best advice is to raise a glass together to a successful outcome for the original poster.

[Ghost]

While likely excessive for the subject of this thread, and expensive, these seem an interesting option. And this thread feels like a good place to let folks know about them.

Mike

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/brownell-boat-stands--trailer-lifts-set-of-4--16687667