Launching your Whaler......in the front yard

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Author Topic:   Launching your Whaler......in the front yard

ShrimpBurrito posted 06-03-2002 01:29 AM ET (US)
I heard of a guy who used to "dump" his 15' Super Sport in his front yard so he could easily work on the trailer. I can't remember the name for it, but the trailer was hinged in the middle to allow for launching in very shallow water. I can't think of anything shallower than the front yard.
Can anyone think of any reason why this might not be a good idea? Put down a few heavy tarps to protect from scratches, but other than that, it sounds good to me. I'm thinking of structural problems, but I would think there is more pressure on the hull while on the water when loaded with people and gear, especially while underway.
Tom W Clark posted 06-03-2002 01:49 AM ET (US)
ShrimpBurrito,
You can do this very easily and you don't even have to have a tilt trailer to do it.
I've done it with a regular Calkins trailer and a 16' Whaler. Just lift the tongue up in the air and the boat will slide off if it set up right. Be very careful if you're doing this by yourself as the trailer can tend to "water melon seed" out from under the boat and shoot forward potentially running over you (I speak from experience).
Getting it back on is as easy as winching the trailer back under the hull.
This will work better with some trailers than others but I don’t think you'll have any problems. A lawn certainly won't hurt the hull so long as the gearcase of the motor doesn’t land first. You can also use some Styrofoam blocks to set the boat on.
Hendrickson posted 06-03-2002 07:03 AM ET (US)
I have found it is better not to use the tilt apparatus that some trailers have as then it sort of jack-knifes the trailer, especially when reloading the boat. Have also found it is easier to disconnect trailer from vehicle when reloading boat because it is more simple to crank trailer under boat than to slide boat up on trailer.
aubv posted 06-03-2002 07:17 AM ET (US)
ShrimpBurrito,
With a small hydraulic jack, some cinder blocks and some 2 x 6/8's you can take your boat off the trailer, do work on both the trailer and the hull, and then put the boat back on the trailer. A lot safer then dumping on the ground or have the trailer watermelon seed out on you. Maybe a little more work but worth the effort. If your interested in a description of how to do this let me know. With a 15' it wouldn't take 10 minutes to take off/put on.
Arch Autenreith posted 06-03-2002 09:59 AM ET (US)
Shrimpburrito.
To work on the Montauk hull I tied the transom to a tree and just pulled the trailer out from underneath and onto the grass. Someone suggusted using old tires b/t the hull and ground to protect also.
I think I did try unhinging the trailer but no only did it drag on the ground on the way off but dug in while pulling it back on.
If I recall correctly while winching it back on it was exceedingly difficult to get it 'started' on the first roller b/c of the angle. I unhitched the trailer, got the bow started on the first roller then pulled the hitch back down to the ball and continued with no problem.
The jacking method sounds interesting but I don't have that many jacks, etc. and I needed to work on the hull anyhow so that wouldn't have worked out for me.
ShrimpBurrito posted 06-03-2002 01:03 PM ET (US)
Thanks for all the comments. I like the idea of unloading the boat on some tires, as I'm also worried about damaging the speed/temp sensor and the transducer.
Aubv - can you go into a little more detail on how you put the boat up on blocks? Do you worry about the cinder blocks collapsing under that kind of weight?
Salty posted 06-03-2002 10:58 PM ET (US)
Shrimp,
We used to lay out some old tires and dump it out on them. Works great. Wet your bunks and your hull when your putting it back on.
andygere posted 06-03-2002 11:44 PM ET (US)
I used the blocks/floor jack/tongue jack method with my Montauk. I didn't have a convenient tree, so I drilled a couple of holes in my concrete driveway and used eyebolts with anchors. Worked great for painting the bottom, and saved the $$ the yards around here charge to lift your boat off the trailer.
aubv posted 06-04-2002 08:06 AM ET (US)
Arch,
One small hydraulic jack, some wood and some cinder blocks is all you need. Once you understand how to do it, you can get access to the entire hull by moving supports from an area that you haven't worked to an area you have.
Shrimp,
We ran a marina for 10+ years and never had a cinder block fail-so no I don't worry about the weight. If the block looks deteriorated, get a new one. Send me an e-mail and I will send procedure to you, it's one of those things that is easier done than said.
Brian
Arch Autenreith posted 06-04-2002 08:11 AM ET (US)
send me the proceedure also please. email is coming.
Ed Z posted 06-05-2002 10:06 AM ET (US)

I have a 17 Nauset that I too "dump" in the yard... I used the trailer disconnected from a vehicle method... The electric winch provides enough resistence to prevent the "water mellon seed" prooblem... The boat does not slide on the grass during load or unload so little chance for hull damage... The only thing that requires and added person is the last few feet of the unload (or first few of load) to prevent the boat from tipping over to one side to far (the bunk boards don't support while in the deep tri hull portion)... I have been doing this for years with not scratches yet encountered... Ed
JohnAz posted 06-05-2002 12:42 PM ET (US)
If you put a pully on the rear most cross member and run a line through to the bow eye forward,,then use your winch to pull the boat rearward off the trailer..wet the bunks first

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Author	Topic: Launching your Whaler......in the front yard
ShrimpBurrito	posted 06-03-2002 01:29 AM ET (US) I heard of a guy who used to "dump" his 15' Super Sport in his front yard so he could easily work on the trailer. I can't remember the name for it, but the trailer was hinged in the middle to allow for launching in very shallow water. I can't think of anything shallower than the front yard. Can anyone think of any reason why this might not be a good idea? Put down a few heavy tarps to protect from scratches, but other than that, it sounds good to me. I'm thinking of structural problems, but I would think there is more pressure on the hull while on the water when loaded with people and gear, especially while underway.
Tom W Clark	posted 06-03-2002 01:49 AM ET (US) ShrimpBurrito, You can do this very easily and you don't even have to have a tilt trailer to do it. I've done it with a regular Calkins trailer and a 16' Whaler. Just lift the tongue up in the air and the boat will slide off if it set up right. Be very careful if you're doing this by yourself as the trailer can tend to "water melon seed" out from under the boat and shoot forward potentially running over you (I speak from experience). Getting it back on is as easy as winching the trailer back under the hull. This will work better with some trailers than others but I don’t think you'll have any problems. A lawn certainly won't hurt the hull so long as the gearcase of the motor doesn’t land first. You can also use some Styrofoam blocks to set the boat on.
Hendrickson	posted 06-03-2002 07:03 AM ET (US) I have found it is better not to use the tilt apparatus that some trailers have as then it sort of jack-knifes the trailer, especially when reloading the boat. Have also found it is easier to disconnect trailer from vehicle when reloading boat because it is more simple to crank trailer under boat than to slide boat up on trailer.
aubv	posted 06-03-2002 07:17 AM ET (US) ShrimpBurrito, With a small hydraulic jack, some cinder blocks and some 2 x 6/8's you can take your boat off the trailer, do work on both the trailer and the hull, and then put the boat back on the trailer. A lot safer then dumping on the ground or have the trailer watermelon seed out on you. Maybe a little more work but worth the effort. If your interested in a description of how to do this let me know. With a 15' it wouldn't take 10 minutes to take off/put on.
Arch Autenreith	posted 06-03-2002 09:59 AM ET (US) Shrimpburrito. To work on the Montauk hull I tied the transom to a tree and just pulled the trailer out from underneath and onto the grass. Someone suggusted using old tires b/t the hull and ground to protect also. I think I did try unhinging the trailer but no only did it drag on the ground on the way off but dug in while pulling it back on. If I recall correctly while winching it back on it was exceedingly difficult to get it 'started' on the first roller b/c of the angle. I unhitched the trailer, got the bow started on the first roller then pulled the hitch back down to the ball and continued with no problem. The jacking method sounds interesting but I don't have that many jacks, etc. and I needed to work on the hull anyhow so that wouldn't have worked out for me.
ShrimpBurrito	posted 06-03-2002 01:03 PM ET (US) Thanks for all the comments. I like the idea of unloading the boat on some tires, as I'm also worried about damaging the speed/temp sensor and the transducer. Aubv - can you go into a little more detail on how you put the boat up on blocks? Do you worry about the cinder blocks collapsing under that kind of weight?
Salty	posted 06-03-2002 10:58 PM ET (US) Shrimp, We used to lay out some old tires and dump it out on them. Works great. Wet your bunks and your hull when your putting it back on.
andygere	posted 06-03-2002 11:44 PM ET (US) I used the blocks/floor jack/tongue jack method with my Montauk. I didn't have a convenient tree, so I drilled a couple of holes in my concrete driveway and used eyebolts with anchors. Worked great for painting the bottom, and saved the $$ the yards around here charge to lift your boat off the trailer.
aubv	posted 06-04-2002 08:06 AM ET (US) Arch, One small hydraulic jack, some wood and some cinder blocks is all you need. Once you understand how to do it, you can get access to the entire hull by moving supports from an area that you haven't worked to an area you have. Shrimp, We ran a marina for 10+ years and never had a cinder block fail-so no I don't worry about the weight. If the block looks deteriorated, get a new one. Send me an e-mail and I will send procedure to you, it's one of those things that is easier done than said. Brian
Arch Autenreith	posted 06-04-2002 08:11 AM ET (US) send me the proceedure also please. email is coming.
Ed Z	posted 06-05-2002 10:06 AM ET (US) I have a 17 Nauset that I too "dump" in the yard... I used the trailer disconnected from a vehicle method... The electric winch provides enough resistence to prevent the "water mellon seed" prooblem... The boat does not slide on the grass during load or unload so little chance for hull damage... The only thing that requires and added person is the last few feet of the unload (or first few of load) to prevent the boat from tipping over to one side to far (the bunk boards don't support while in the deep tri hull portion)... I have been doing this for years with not scratches yet encountered... Ed
JohnAz	posted 06-05-2002 12:42 PM ET (US) If you put a pully on the rear most cross member and run a line through to the bow eye forward,,then use your winch to pull the boat rearward off the trailer..wet the bunks first