Thread: The latest on the Grey Seal Huon Seal

Can't you just slide some padded chocks in here and there? That way you can move them easily when you want to paint that patch.

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These are the supports I am talking about

Any change couldn't include drilling in to the trailer , it is sealed.
Welding yes , drilling no.
Regards Rob J.

Offhand I'm thinking something like the legs that the Poms often use for standing their boats up in drying harbours. If they went from the chainplates to the shed's concrete floor, you should be able to use these to support the boat while you wanted to paint the bottom. Then, when you want to paint the topsides, ditch the legs and use the trailer's bilge props.

Sumbloak , I also need something that is going to support the boat when it is going down the road.
What we have works ok for that , but not for working on the hull.
Regards Rob J.

Yes I figured that. I'll phrase it another way. If you want an alternative that lets you have better access when painting the boat inside your shed, you could prop the boat off the concrete floor and drop the trailer chocks out of the way.

Obviously the trailer chocks would still be available for trailering. I was just thinking of how to get rid of them temporarily when they are in the way for painting the bottom (I figure they're not an issue when painting the topsides).

Last year I had the hull professionally painted.
The burly painter , and his 3-4 crew of big young blokes did jack the boat up to paint under the supports.
It wasn't easy.
Obviously as we jacked the boat up , the trailer came up too.
And if the trailer was chocked so it couldn't move , lifting 2000 kg of boat sort of distorted the trailer a little .
I may well have him paint it again , but maybe on a slip , this time.
Regards Rob J.

Well , we went to the Warrnambool small wooden boat show today , met Robert Ayliffe , who pointed me towards a bloke who may be interested in buying HS , but also on pointers to fixing the brightwork , and antifoul.
Also , I saw a support on a trailer , that would suit HS's trailer , I believe.


Regards Rob J.

On your boat, you'd only need a single stand on each side, probably a bit aft of midship, to keep the boat from flopping over. I dislike rollers against wooden planking, as they apply a lot of localized point loading, which can really move the planking around. I've seen wooden boats driven or dragged up a trailer and actually have watched as the fasteners where pushed out of the planking as they went over the roller. On a deadwood assembly (like yours) this isn't a problem, but planking over frames . . .

I like to use what I call "floppy" support stands. The attached images (with a lousy camera) are of some I made for a much bigger boat (27'), but you get the idea. Just some square and angle stock and a hunk of carpet covered plywood. These will flop side to side to accommodate a boat that's a little off center and have enough surface area to spread out loads a lot. On this particular boat (lapstrake power cruiser), they where placed directly under the outer most bilge stringer, offering greater support. The two bunks inboard are about 24" (.61 m) apart and live directly under the engine bed stringers (big V8), so take the weight of the aft portion of the boat, while the rollers forward (not all installed yet) accept the keel. The V shaped thing forward forces the keel to self center as the boat is drive over the trailer and vertical guides keep the boat's butt centered (not yet installed, but you know what I mean). The red lines on the port bunk show the varying deadrise is carved in, which is also important, if using this style of bunk board.

Sanders-23.jpgSanders-24.jpgSanders-25.jpg

My point is, timber lapstrakes have to be carefully supported, or you will pop fasteners, usually between frame bays, which kind of sucks. The heavier the boat, the more important this is (this one is a 2 ton boat).

Yes , the actual boat contact , I wasn't too sure about the rollers either.
In Portland harbour it is difficult in particular to get the boat on the trailer , there can often be a fair bit of wave action.
Although I haven't tried the new marina , it may be better.
But what I am looking for is how to hold that pad (or roller) up on the boat , or drop it down easily.
Your boat and the one i photographed have a similar setup.
Thanks for posting.
I'll go with a pad/carpet , and a clamp type setup.
Regards Rob J.

My home made floppy supports allow the pad to pivot (athwartship) freely. I usually mount the pad slightly longer on the inboard side, so they always flop to this "receiving" position, when unloaded. I do this for the same reason you've noted about loading, the boat can move around a bit, in spite of guides and land off center a touch. The pads will flop over to meet the deadrise, whatever it might end up being, for each recovery session. Also note I bevel all the pad edges at 45 degrees, then wrap the carpet around it. I don't like crisp edges against wooden planking and this also allows the boat to slide sideways a bit without "hanging" on anything, like lap edges.

Thanks PAR.
Now all I have to do is find someone who can do it for me.
Regards and thanks Rob J.

You can easily build these stands and the rest of the trailer modifications. Look at the photos above, they're home made. A hack saw and a drill is all you need for the netal. Just cut up some angle stock, drill some holes and install some bolts. The support itself is just a length of 2" (50 mm) square tube and "U" bolts to the frame, though it could also be through bolted. I prefer the U bolts, simply because they can be adjusted up and down to suit. In fact, when I built these stands, I didn't have a hunk of 1/4" steel wide enough to span all four U bolts at the same time, so I just used a couple of lengths of angle, which actually turned out to be a stiffer setup anyway. You're a boat builder, which simply means you make it up as you go along.

Yes , you are right , they wouldn't be hard to make.
But the reason HS is in the shed , and not on the water , and is for sale , is because of arthritis , particularly in my hands wrists and elbows.
Making things , and sailing , is all in the past tense now.
Regards Rob J.