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Hi guys,

Maybe you can give me some advise.
I need do some work on the rear of my trailer and it might take a while so I nixed launching it at the ramp and working at the marina.
We have a 1963 SeaCoaster, it's been in the family since it was new. I remember my Dad hoisting the rear of the boat from around the outboard, he used to take this heavy rope, wrap it around the base of the engine where it's bolted onto the transom, and using a block and tackle raise the stern until he could slide a support, it looks like a glorified horse, under the transom. Then he'd lower it down on that. I could always do that same procedure, but I was wondering if there is better-safer way for the boat.

Any ideas?

Thanks, Arnie

I use the lifting rings, the thru-bolted rings on the tramsom. If you're just lifting it up for a few minutes, your method is probably fine as well.

I had my strip-built Thomboy hanging by the lifting rings for several weeks one time when I was working on the trailer. This boat has deck mounted lifting rings both bow and stern that are connected by rods to the keelson.

Andreas

Arnie,

You can also use a sling or strap under the hull and a block and tackle attached to the rafts or some other type of support over the boat. I have used that method a couple times with differnet boats and canoes. I have seem people use a floor jack and blocking under the transom. One pulls the boat off the rear of the trailer far enough to get the jack under the transom to jack it up and them place blocking along isde of the jack under the boat to support the weight of aft of the boat and the motor. The slowly slide the trailer out from under it placing blocking as they went along making sure the boat was solidy supported and stable. That method works if you do not have overhead support that willl carry the wieght of the boat and motor.

Good Luck,

Phill

Arnie, why don't you just slide the boat off the trailer on to your grass, when done with the trailer work, load it back up, problem solved.

Monty

Arnie,
I have a '59 Sea Lancer, and I came up with some overhead beams. I used an 8 ft 4x6 supported on the end by the wall with an appropriate length 4x4 and used a jack used to jack up the floor of a house from the basement on the other. I jacked it tight to the ceiling in the garage and made sure the uprights are plumb. I then attached blocks to the ceiling and wall to keep them in place. With one of these in back and lifted by the rings on the transom, and another over the bow and lifted by the ring on the deck that is bolted through the keel, it worked well and breaks down nice when I am done.
This also worked well to take off my '63 Mercury 85 hp "Tower of Power" by myself using a lifting ring that I bought at my local Merc dealer.

Bill

I've used a couple of approaches. One approach I used when I wanted to touch up the bottom at the transom was to use a floor jack (for cars) to lift the trailer, with Boat on it, off the floor about 8 inches. Slide some 6X6's under the transom. Placed jack stands on the 6X6 (one on each side). Lowered the trailer, back of boat stays up on the stands, front is still on the trailer.

Each year I take the boat off the trailer to inspect the bottom, touch up, repair any popped screw plugs, etc. I jack up the back as described above. Then jack up the front, place some home made stands under. Move the trailer forward as far as i can. Reset the jacks up front, move the trailer forward, and so on. It's tedious. Takes about 45 minute to have the boat on stands and the trailer out.



another time I used my truck to pull the trailer out. I put the transom on stands as described above. . Using the bolt holes for the motor, I attached the boat to the wall studs to prevent it from moving forward as i pulled the trailer out This way I could pull the trailer out until the the stem was over the tailer axle. i placed stands under the boat at the front and pulled the trailer the rest of the way out. Reverse the process to reload the boat.


In this shot, I had moved the rear stands forward so I could paint the spots where the stands were. Usually they would be under the transom.

I feel compelled to let folks know that these shots are from the first season I had the boat. All the de-lam and outer stem leakage has been repaired. Also - the transom blocks you see were purposly over built so as to be used when the motor (a 295 pounder) was still mounted. When the motor is on, I would not have the transom stands forward like that, only ever under the transom