yacht cradle

kunyang

kunyang

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I've looked to borrow or buy a cheap cradle, but it looks as if i am going to have to build one, any drawings or photos of simple cradles greatfully received, and a parts list if possible. I was thinking of a scafolldings and plank set up to avoid welding if I can.

Dave
 
Here's a drawing of one that was holding up my 3.5 tonne 28ft Stag (drop keel) when I bought her. Corner posts are Acro props and the base was 2 inch angle iron.
cradle.bmp
 
Thanks for that, it is a start, the trouble is,

with the boat in the water, I can't get the angle of the acro props right, so they would have to be adjustable, probably a pivot on the end of the prop and a number of holes in the cross member, and then the height of the top of the prop is quit important (probably), Kunyang draws 1.4m, and I suppose the prop needs to support her about 300mm below the water line? and then there must be a brace on the acro props to stop them slipping apart?

Dave
 
Here is an almost completed one I made last summer for my 26ft boat. It's made from angle iron and size 0 Acros. The base is made in pieces so that it fits into the boot of a small hatchback. The pads slide on top of the Acros and are made from some scaffolding tube, angle iron, plywood and carpet tile.

If you drill a series of holes along the frame and fit the bolts loosely, you can adjust the angle of the props fairly quickly. The only welding required was to secure the tangs for the braces.

I've sent you a PM.

IMG_2132.jpg
 
I built my cradle from scaffold poles, tubeclamps (from plumbcentre) and acros. It holds my 28ft, 2.8tonnes finkeeler.
 
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Thanks Guys,

You have given me some good ideas. I'll probably have a go at building one. I need to get it right though. Can't lift the boat back in at the club. It wouldn't go down too well, with three cranes on hire and every one waiting.

Question,

where's the best place to get the parts?

Dave
 
I bought my Acros from a local scaffolding firm. If you Google Acro (or Acrow) you will be able to find what sizes there are although with your draught you should find the size 0 adequate.

The angle iron came from another local engineering firm and bolts from the local Eurofasteners.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, if you drill a series of holes in the base where the bracing struts fit you will be able to adjust the angle of the props to fit the boat fairly quickly. The bolts could be left finger tight and tightened fully after the crane has moved on to someone else's boat.
 
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My boat sat on her beaching legs for an hour or so. I took 4x2 timber for the supports and 3x1 and 2x1 for the cross bracing, just cut and bolted it to fit on site.
Main issue is good well positioned supports then something ( cross bracing) to make sure they stay in place. I see a lot of factory cradles where the bracing seems massivly over engineered. The example shown on this thread look excellent though.
 
kunyang said:
Thanks for that, it is a start, the trouble is,

with the boat in the water, I can't get the angle of the acro props right, so they would have to be adjustable, probably a pivot on the end of the prop and a number of holes in the cross member, and then the height of the top of the prop is quit important (probably), Kunyang draws 1.4m, and I suppose the prop needs to support her about 300mm below the water line? and then there must be a brace on the acro props to stop them slipping apart?

Dave
Click to expand...

I've been using this system for the last 24 years on my fin keelers 32-35ft, 1.5 to 2.0m draft.

Got the Acrow props & scaffold clips from a scaffolding company, and the aluminium scaffold poles from a scrap merchant.

Bugger- why won't it upload my pic? Manage attachments, Browse, double-click pic, Upload, Close this window - what am I doing wrong?



Advantages are cheap, adjustable & portable- Acrows in the boot, poles on roofrack.

Disadvantage - takes an hour or so to set up (singlehanded).
 
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I too have been using aluminium scaffold tube and scaffold clips (ideally the ally ones which are hard to find nowadays) for my 32' foot fin keeler - with absolutely no problems.

For dimensions, you may be able to find line drawings on-line or, find a sister ship thats for sale and ashore abd make a voisit with your tape measure.
 
Well if you are Mr Kiriakis of the Stenna yard in Nidri, Greece, (where there ARE earthquakes too) then you dont bother with cradles and such effeminate things.

Just some old oil drums and a stick or two, dont worry if it falls over it will only fall an inch before resting on its neighbour.
 
maxi said:
I too have been using aluminium scaffold tube and scaffold clips (ideally the ally ones which are hard to find nowadays) for my 32' foot fin keeler - with absolutely no problems.

For dimensions, you may be able to find line drawings on-line or, find a sister ship thats for sale and ashore abd make a voisit with your tape measure.
Click to expand...

Google will find the owners association website with line draqwings from which you can scale the measurements for a cradle. In fact there is a photo of one in a cradle - note that the pads coincide with the main bulkheads although that looks a tad short, so any extra bow and stern support wouldn't go amiss.

Rob
 
billcowan said:
Well if you are Mr Kiriakis of the Stenna yard in Nidri, Greece, (where there ARE earthquakes too) then you dont bother with cradles and such effeminate things.

Just some old oil drums and a stick or two, dont worry if it falls over it will only fall an inch before resting on its neighbour.
Click to expand...


Been there for six months but a bit further apart. Have pics to show. No problems
LOL but he makes good coffee in a saucepan and he is an excellent traditional boat builder.

What did the ancient Greeks do when they pulled out their boats they did not have cradles or oil drums?
 
If you have some sort of a reasonably long keel boat then two stout, tall poles of wood or steel tube, set vertically and with wire strops and rigging screws, (or good old fashioned blocks n tackles), shackled to BOTH the top of each pole and to a shroud point on each side of the boat.
Have moved a lot of boats too that way on flat cradles, in England too-eek
 
Cradle

Just give some thought to your painting the A/F on the hull. Make the pads and indeed the keel supports removable so that you can paint underneath the supports. olewill
 
kunyang said:
Thanks Guys,

You have given me some good ideas. I'll probably have a go at building one. I need to get it right though. Can't lift the boat back in at the club. It wouldn't go down too well, with three cranes on hire and every one waiting.

Question,

where's the best place to get the parts?

Dave
Click to expand...

G'day Will,

The last two cradles I owned were both built in one of the local scrap yards.
Both designed to go down the ramp and motor into.

A simple 'H' frame at the front with a pad for the area just behind the bow and two adjustable arms at the back with a simple sling with chain on both ends that slip into notches at the top for adjustment.

The wheels on the first one were off an old fork lift, solid rubber, the last one had old air craft wheels.

The whole thing sits on a simple box frame made of RSJ.

All scrap metal yards have a boiler maker who will cut and weld the jinker in his spare time.

Good luck and fair winds. :)
 
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