Spreader bars for liftout

C

CJU

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 Jul 2001
Messages
209
Visit site
I have seen references to spreader bars in various posts on the forums. As we are about to have our fat yacht lifted out by a crane using conventional slings via 15' chains to a single hook I can see that the hull is going to be squeezed as it is lifted. Do the bars go at deck level and take the strain from the toe rail. Or are the fitted at the top of the slings making the strops U shaped and thus clear of the toerail. As our club will not interrupt the lift for one boat to have bars fitted at the top of the slings (or buy the bars). I thought about using acrow props to force the strops apart at deck level, as the strain is taken up. Anyone any thoughts?
 
Acros are probably an unnecessary expense. A square frame of scaffolding pole laid on the deck would do the trick - just make it long enough to ensure the slings can't slip off the ends during the lift. You can tie it roughly in position to prevent unexpected movements, but allow a little float for it to settle and not transmit lifting loads to your deck gear.
 
You may be worrying unnecessarily. I lift my cat without spreaders. She is 5 metre beam and about 7 tonnes. I do always insist on longer chains though and lift with the hook about 40 ft above the deck. If you don't have the height of crane you need spreaders perhaps but if it's a mobile most have longer chains they can fit if not spreaders. If you do fit spreaders, they have to be certified as part of the lifting gear. DONT use scaffold poles! They could buckle and slip causing more damage when they do than having nothing. Ask whose insurance covers your yacht when in the air and being lifted and remember that insurers won't pay out unless it is done with certified gear by a profesional company or yacht club with their own trained personnel.
 
The crane operator (one man and his son owner-driver) who comes to the yard where I am based uses long chains and slings with no spreaders. Been using the same person for a good many years after a few unsatisfactory experiences (Like coming in with a crane that's too small or arriving on site with no slings!) with other operators.

As said spreader bars have to be part of the certified kit. This particular guy does not even own any but if anyone insists (one person did for a couple of years) he will hire them use them for just the one lift and the extra cost is passed on to just that individual.

Anyone within 25 miles of Southampton needing a really first class crane operator will loads of boat lifting experience would do well to contact Brian at MEON VALLEY CRANE HIRE
 
You would be better off just using the longest chains you can get under the hook and no spreaders. If the spreaders are slightly too wide then the slings won't grip the boat and she might try to tilt while lifting. Most mobile cranes carry chains much longer than 15 feet.
 
Your crane operator should know his stuff - I would say go for spreaders - just because everybody else has been getting away with it for years.... no it won't fall out of the slings -

Anyway all the guidance for everything is here

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cre_Q...t=result#PPT266,M1

As seen from other post here it will be hell trying to get your 'fellow' club members to fork out an extra shilling to have the job done

Lots of other info on the net - from official sources that is!

BOL
 
I always use spreader bars simply because I can, even on a relatively narrow beam boat. Your operator is best placed to advise you. Your ideas to use some sort of uncertified acro-prop or scaffold pole spreader 'lash-up' is a notion to forget. Hope the lift goes well!
 
do you have a teak toerail or similar protruding out from the hull edge? I know of one that was ripped off by a (French) yard doing a lift - pulled off by the spreaderless strops as they tensioned. Fixed as an insurance job, which begs the question.. what insurance cover is provided for your lift? or to put it another way - who is going to pay if there is damage?
 
The strain on bars is considerable and you'd need serious bars - Acrow's may be ok.

But as long as strops are long and hook is up near spreader level on a mast - you should be ok.

GRP Job in Latvia :

Image004.jpg


2006-29-Nov015.jpg


Wooden race boat being lifted in (Estonia) :

in_slings.jpg


Need more ? ..... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
You may be worrying unnecessarily. I lift my cat without spreaders. She is 5 metre beam and about 7 tonnes. I do always insist on longer chains though and lift with the hook about 40 ft above the deck. If you don't have the height of crane you need spreaders perhaps but if it's a mobile most have longer chains they can fit if not spreaders. If you do fit spreaders, they have to be certified as part of the lifting gear. DONT use scaffold poles! They could buckle and slip causing more damage when they do than having nothing. Ask whose insurance covers your yacht when in the air and being lifted and remember that insurers won't pay out unless it is done with certified gear by a profesional company or yacht club with their own trained personnel.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed, when we use a non hoist type crane we have always just used doubled up strops on our cat.


tc-hoist-01.jpg
tc-hoist-02.jpg
 
What surprises me about the boat lifts pictured by various posters is that none appear to have any tie between the forward and aft slings. I once had my boat (then a Hurley 22) lifted without such ties, and just as the boat was coming over the embankment the front strop suddenly slipped forward and up the bow. Boat would have landed on its nose, but fortunately for boat (and bystanders including myself) strop caught on underside of bow roller.

The square metal frames that are used by some boatyards to spread the lifting strops also appear to restrain them from parting too far forward and aft. Without them, it seems to me, a further strop holding the forward and aft strops to one another on each side is essential to safety.
 
Thanks for all the info. I think I will have it lifted with just the strops and chains. I have contacted the importers who have said it shouldn't be a problem if we use long slings and or chains, which we will, As we also have a protuding toe rail they have said we must use blocks 4x4x14 to keep the strops from the rail.
 
I would hazard a guess that your boat may have been a wee bit nose heavy ?

Lifted like this for years - as have many others. I've never seen a strop slip as you say - but I don't doubt your word at all.

What I do notice when my boat lifts is that the strops are really pressing hard against the edge of the bilge keels where they are trying to straighten out.

Second point - hydraulic lifters used in marinas do not have horizontal ties to stop their strops slipping. They are in fact worse of than a crane slung set as they are vertically rigged as against crane set angled to same lift point hook. I've seen boats "swinging" in them and still never seen a strop slip.
 
Moonfire has hit the problem correctly.
Another consideration is boats with "bannisters" instead of lifelines ( at the back, Nauticat, Claymore etc.) as these will inevitably be in line of the strop.
I had these problems at the weekend and will have spreaders just a few inches longer than the beam of the boat made before lift-in.
They will also serve to keep most of the strop from dirtying the topsides (I hope).
I will be fitting them just above the line of the guardrail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top