Where have all the cradles gone?

[Jonny A]

I was hoping that as the season got busier a number of second-hand cradles would appear on eBay and Gumtree but there are hardly any about. I need something suitable for a 26 foot fin keeler. Any suggestions for where else to look?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Daverw]

I think more boats are staying on the hard each year as the owners try and decide what to do

 

[Seajet]

And Health & Safety issues have people worried about ' just welding up ' a common sense design, now one has to be a certified engineer with heaps of insurance, look at the accident in Weymouth and that mega-yacht which fell off a ship, both apparently cradle failures - the law suit if a boat fell on a passer by doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[sailor211]

And Health & Safety issues have people worried about ' just welding up ' a common sense design, now one has to be a certified engineer with heaps of insurance, look at the accident in Weymouth and that mega-yacht which fell off a ship, both apparently cradle failures - the law suit if a boat fell on a passer by doesn't bear thinking about.

Weymouth was caused by removing one of the props. Not cradle design. According to the inquest.

 

[Jonny A]

I was keeping a vague eye out last year and there seemed to be new ones coming up for sale every few weeks

 

[thinwater]

What about jackstands? They are the more common approach here.

 

[Seajet]

Weymouth was caused by removing one of the props. Not cradle design. According to the inquest.

It still makes people wary of issuing cradle designs and instructions...

 

[zoidberg]

Weymouth was caused by removing one of the props. Not cradle design. According to the inquest.

There was another issue - not pursued by the coroner. That particular 'cradle' was a DIY product, made up about 20 years earlier, and there was evidence it had considerable corrosion..... The structure certainly was not nearly as strong as when new.

That might be a cue to owners of existing cradles - to inspect critically each year, 'do an MOT'. They don't last forever, especially in an exposed location with salt-laden winter winds. If there's rust, dig and scrape and fix it. Don't just accept it.

 

[Seajet]

Good Point;

sadly time flies past , the trestles / cradle we built ' yesterday ' are suddenly thirty years old, and uninsured...

The sad fact is there are a lot less handy engineer types to make these sort of things nowadays.

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

.

Good Point;

sadly time flies past , the trestles / cradle we built ' yesterday ' are suddenly thirty years old, and uninsured...

The sad fact is there are a lot less handy engineer types to make these sort of things nowadays.

Absolutely true. The F.E.College where I did a “night school” class in welding many years ago is to close in 6 weeks time. Few people are taught metal working skills these days.

 

[Jonny A]

What about jackstands? They are the more common approach here.

I wouldn't feel safe on individual jackstands without an overall frame keeping them in the same position relative to each other. My boat's a Contessa 26 so there are no even remotely flat areas below the waterline.

 

[EU_Cruiser]

Where have all the cradles gone?
Nitpicked every one - ask Pete Seeger.

 

[thinwater]

I wouldn't feel safe on individual jackstands without an overall frame keeping them in the same position relative to each other. My boat's a Contessa 26 so there are no even remotely flat areas below the waterline.

Good point... but not true. In the US probably 98% of boats are stored on stands.

a. The yard will NOT let tenants place or move stands. The guy who got crushed illustrates why. They will move them for a small fee, or sometimes for free.

b. The stands are VERY secure IF place in the correct manner. They are connected with chains, the attachments for which are integral to the design.

For yards, one upside is that they fit any boat.

The key is to place them in pairs. Link them snugly with chain, and then tighten the stands in pairs, which also tightens the chain. I can see that to the untrained eye they look spidery, but they are very well proven.

https://youtu.be/RW6eF--B_5o
https://boatstands.com/proper-use/

 

[zoidberg]

For yards, one upside is that they fit any boat.

The key is to place them in pairs. Link them snugly with chain, and then tighten the stands in pairs, which also tightens the chain. I can see that to the untrained eye they look spidery, but they are very well proven.

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Worth knowing about, thanks.

 

[yoda]

I was hoping that as the season got busier a number of second-hand cradles would appear on eBay and Gumtree but there are hardly any about. I need something suitable for a 26 foot fin keeler. Any suggestions for where else to look?

Thanks in advance.

PM me, I have 3 available in Plymouth.

 

[thinwater]

Worth knowing about, thanks.

You are welcome.

I'm not anti-craddle. They look smart. But they are scarce as hen's teeth here, far less than 1% of the total.

 

[Quandary]

A couple of years ago a large yard in Loch Creran was taken over by a fish farm and the cradles were sold off, a guy with a caravan site near Skipton bought a load of them and had them advertised on Ebay, I bought one, well made demountable for manhandling or transport with the option of 4 or 6 pads. I bought one and was annoyed at the time that I had to drive all the way to Yorkshire for it but by then the local yard had been cleared. I can no longer recall the address and I think I paid cash but if it comes back to me I will PM the OP.

 

[Sybarite]

Many years ago I read an article about a person who, instead of using props to hold the boat up, used chains to keep it down...!!

in other words he used two steel cross beams on which the keel sits. Chains are then hooked onto the toe-rail and attached to the beams vertically underneath and suitably tensionned.. He also ensured that the cross beams couldn't swivel.

He said that the main problem was the yard which insisted on adding props. He had used that system for years without problems.

 

[armchairsailor]

Good point... but not true. In the US probably 98% of boats are stored on stands.

a. The yard will NOT let tenants place or move stands. The guy who got crushed illustrates why. They will move them for a small fee, or sometimes for free.

b. The stands are VERY secure IF place in the correct manner. They are connected with chains, the attachments for which are integral to the design.

For yards, one upside is that they fit any boat.

The key is to place them in pairs. Link them snugly with chain, and then tighten the stands in pairs, which also tightens the chain. I can see that to the untrained eye they look spidery, but they are very well proven.

https://youtu.be/RW6eF--B_5o
https://boatstands.com/proper-use/

Just had mine hauled, scrubbed and painted using that system. It certainly felt secure and was quick to set up. I can see why it’s used from a convenience point of view.

 

[Keith 66]

Our club uses launching trolleys, trouble is they get old & rust away under the paint then become a liability. There used to be a thriving trade in secondhand & at least one bloke did pretty well building new ones. There was always welding going on with Harry the welder & his son inlaw Terry after him.
Today price of a new trolley/cradle for a 30 footer would be north of 6 grand if you could find someone to build it at all.