lifting boat up a few inches in cradle

:(:(:(:(

Sorry, but in someone elses Yard, they MUST do any moving involving re chocking etc. :(

tis on their Insurance, their heads no doubt :cool:

after all, tis your Life and Health at stake ! :eek:

perhaps the boatowners next to you also?? :(
 
aaaaaand breathe, calm down folks,ffs.:)

normans thanks, i am sure it can easily done with a bit of care and planning.i will give it a go in the morning.
 
If I was 'allowed to' and the yard refused to do it, then I'd be looking to jack the cradle itself, not the boat on its' own.

If there is a gap below the keel beam, I'd go under that (at the front). Pack it with each pump of the handle.
 
I have a 6 1/2 ton long-keeler which (occasionally) sits in a Jacobs cradle in the yard.
The first spring, when I was anti-fouling, the yard manager came along and slackened one of the four legs so I could paint the area under the pad. WTF!:eek:
He was quite relaxed, telling me that the other pair would hold it upright.
I do it that way every time now, but always check wind strength and direction first.
I suppose it helps that the keel is 18" wide at midships point, and 6" at its narrowest.
 
What a poor series of responses from "Practical" boaters. With care, it is perfectly feasible to jack the boat up a few inches. As others have said, keep following up with thin packers and wedges.

Of course you can, but surely the yard should be made to do the job that they should have done properly in the first place. Lazy buggers not to have checked it properly in the first place!
 
No they re chocked the boat. Didn't try to move it, they re chocked it.

Paint all you like, but don't rechock (or move, same difference) your own boat.

Be rather more useful if you explained why the owner's action failed. For example, did they remove a support without backing it up first? Or was the cradle design at fault?

As others have said, it's not rocket science.

Regarding the OP's query, I can see this could be more demanding than just painting under a support. All depends on whether the cradle supports are designed, and adjusted, to take full weight of the boat. Mine are. If that wasn't so, I'd need a crane to relevel.

Some owners have to lay up on club premises where no crane is available apart from lift out/ lift in days. So advice on the art of the possible is useful (but obviously no-one should do anything like this they were unsure about just because someone on the internet said it would be ok).
 
And how pray tell does one use a spirit level on a boat? ok maybe possible to use the boot line as a horizontal or "level" line but....

Probably easier than the Air Con engineer that tried fitting an Air Con unit with a spirit level at sea :eek: funny to watch though :p.

I would guess its a bit of a black art setting all the boats up in the yard to the owners whims...
 
If the boat is supported in a steel cradle with legs connected to the other legs then it should be ok to adjust he boat upwards as it cannot fall out of the cradle
If the boat is supported on either timber supports or individual steel jacks then it is possible that a load transfer could move one & the whole lot collapse
If you do decide to do yourself watch where you apply the jacking force. If it is a timber boat you can probably just jack on the centre line of the boat just in front of the keel
If it is a plastic boat then you need to either spread the load where the jacking point meets the boat or at least apply the jacking point beneath a bulkhead
A 3 tonne jack should lift one end of a 6 tonne boat as you are only lifting part of the boat, the rest still being on the ground at he stern
It is not always the yards fault that the cockpit does not drain because some slope forward when the boat is levelled on the ground. The obvious thing would have been to make a note on the yards job sheet. I do & the yard have no problems doing as i ask.
 
And how pray tell does one use a spirit level on a boat? ok maybe possible to use the boot line as a horizontal or "level" line but....

They tend to put it somewhere like the cockpit sole so that they can check that the water will drain. If it drains there then normally the decks drain too. Have you not seen them use them?
 
Last edited:
The boat is in a steel cradle with 4 adjustable supports legs, i wouldnt attempt to try to lift a boat that was chocked up on wooden pit prop type supports only.

the water getting in is rain water and it is the reason i lifted out to try and cure it.
 
when owners know best

IMG_00101.jpg

There's a bit of a difference between a collection of props on fin keel boats (as in your picture) and the OP's long keeler in a cradle. Almost if not all the boat's weight is on the keel and gentle adjustment of the jack/acrow prop, the pads and wedges under the keel is all that is needed. Advising the yard's management (if such exist) of your intentions would be polite.

Winding down pads for rubbing down and antifouling in benign weather is also comfortable with a long keeler. I sit my keel on a series of blocks which can be moved (acrow prop again) one at a time for painting the bottom of the keel - works well as long as I don't hit anything or go through the Forth/Clyde canal.
 
To be perfectly honest & without trying to cause deliberate offence to the person who posted the thread i would( with the greatest of respect) suggest that the fact that he finds it necessary to ask the question in the first place suggests that perhaps it would be better that he should not attempt it but ask the yard to do it

Before everyone jumps on me to tell me how they have managed some herculean task just take a look at the pic of the boats posted above

If one had been used to moving heavy objects etc then one might at least have a clue how to do it
But lets face it we do not all work in those envoronments to get at least an idea of the skills it is unwise to blunder on if the consequences could reflect on others
 
update

All done, thanks for all replys.

I used a 5 ton jack as the 2 ton wouldnt touch it.
I should have mentioned the cradle the boat sits in has 4 supports, the boats weight is all on the keel so these side supports just keep it upright, i added a few pit props as extra support.

I removed these and took the pads out of the aft supports, put the jack under the front of the keel,well padded and up she came,i had 1 x 12inch blocks that i put under the keel when a gap appeared.

In all i took the front up 6 inches, the only thing i had to be worried about was the clearance at the aft supports.

the yard guys loaned me the jack:)
 
Just got back from the yard having adjusted my boat in her cradle. Cockpit now draining, no list to starboard. Success.

26ft long keeler in a cradle with four unconnected props.

Easy. Two acro props, some wedges, a hammer and another person, plus a bit of thought and some care.

Club yard so a do it yourself job. I slightly agree with the sentiment that this is a "Practical Boat Owner's" forum. Adjusting the boat in the cradle is an annual event.
 
Just got back from the yard having adjusted my boat in her cradle. Cockpit now draining, no list to starboard. Success.

26ft long keeler in a cradle with four unconnected props.

Easy. Two acro props, some wedges, a hammer and another person, plus a bit of thought and some care.

Club yard so a do it yourself job. I slightly agree with the sentiment that this is a "Practical Boat Owner's" forum. Adjusting the boat in the cradle is an annual event.

Well done you.:):)
 
All done, thanks for all replys.

I used a 5 ton jack as the 2 ton wouldnt touch it.
I should have mentioned the cradle the boat sits in has 4 supports, the boats weight is all on the keel so these side supports just keep it upright, i added a few pit props as extra support.

I removed these and took the pads out of the aft supports, put the jack under the front of the keel,well padded and up she came,i had 1 x 12inch blocks that i put under the keel when a gap appeared.

In all i took the front up 6 inches, the only thing i had to be worried about was the clearance at the aft supports.

the yard guys loaned me the jack:)

Well done you too
 
Top