[kingfisher 165]

this winter I’m going to take the boat off it’s trailer to carry out some maintenance, brakes, bearings cables etc, can anyone offer some advice having done this as to how best to do it? I’d thought about laying out tyres along the keel and along each side to steady it. Ideally I’ll do this on hard ground not grass using the tyres to keep the boat off the ground and the bow up for drainage. Do I keep the trailer hitched or allow the draw bar to rise as I pull the trailer out?
It’s a Warrior 165 on a roller trailer. TIA

 

[jonC]

I’ve done this on small boats 16’ ish. Best use two trolley jacks, and plenty of decent blocks of wood. All you need to do is lift above the trailer, prop it up and the creep the trailer out by alternating lifting points. Should take about 4 shunts!

 

[dicky]

do you need to take the boat off to change bearings, brakes and cables?
We used tyres to get our old boat a seahog commodore off it's trailer to change the rollers. Luckily the drive where it's stored has a bit of a slope to it so we had the trailer hitched to the 4X4 and kept the winch strap on and slowly pushed it off whilst also driving forwards bit by bit inching it off very slowly.

 

[George51]

Hi
As Jon C says
I’ve done this on small boats 16’ ish. Best use two trolley jacks, and plenty of decent blocks of wood. All you need to do is lift above the trailer, prop it up and the creep the trailer out by alternating lifting points. Should take about 4 shunts!

This is mine the blocks are high enough to slide the trailer in /out as I need note the side stablisers in the second pic

 

[Clinker]

Roller Coaster trailer? If so, a few people where I am launch and recover their boat onto dry sand (so much the same apart from putting the tyres down). They simply lift the hitch end and with the help of one or two extra blokes, push the boat off at the same time pulling the trailer out. To recover, tilt the trailer up to get the rear end of the trailer under the curve of the bow and start winching (you'll probably need to take turns until it gets past the tipping point!). I've been the helper with this method on a 20ft boat and that was very hard work, but a 165 should be more easily doable.

With bunks or rollers but not a full roller coaster, I would go for George 51's method - just, as the boat is a lot higher you need to make sure it's very well chocked, especially if it's exposed where you're going to leave it.

 

[BruceK]

Good god George how on earth did you manage to roll your boat upside down. This I have to know. Curiosity here is killing me.

 

[George51]

Hi BruceK
That is for another tread I don't want to hijack this one from Kingfisher165
It was done fairly easy single handed:whistling:
Cheers

 

[kingfisher 165]

Roller Coaster trailer? If so, a few people where I am launch and recover their boat onto dry sand (so much the same apart from putting the tyres down). They simply lift the hitch end and with the help of one or two extra blokes, push the boat off at the same time pulling the trailer out. To recover, tilt the trailer up to get the rear end of the trailer under the curve of the bow and start winching (you'll probably need to take turns until it gets past the tipping point!). I've been the helper with this method on a 20ft boat and that was very hard work, but a 165 should be more easily doable.

With bunks or rollers but not a full roller coaster, I would go for George 51's method - just, as the boat is a lot higher you need to make sure it's very well chocked, especially if it's exposed where you're going to leave it.

Thanks Clinker, the bit I was unsure of was whether or not to unhitch the trailer and let the drawbar come up as I pulled the trailer out or to keep it hitched to the vehicle, it’s a roller trailer so the boat rolls off no problem at the slip, the idea of the tyres was to give it some support and keep it level, ideally I’d like it to sit on a hard standing rather than grass but obviously the grass would be more forgiving! It then allows me to get the trailer into the garage and work on it at night hence why the boat would need to come off.

 

[manicdev]

If you don't unhitch I would think the boat would have a fair drop to the ground as it "tilts" off the back of the trailer.
What I would do is position the boat where it needs to be (once off the trailer) and connected to the vehicle.
If that's on hard I would put tyres under the transom (making sure the engine is all the way up lol).
Then I would slacken the winch strap about 3/4 foot (ish, maybe a bit less) and push the boat back off the trailer.
Repeat a little at a time until you feel the boat starting to "tilt" off the back of the trailer (if you know what I am trying to say) onto the tyres.
Then uncouple the trailer from vehicle and the boat should then drop down onto the tyres and the drawbar will come up into the air .......leave the boat on the winch strap so it can't go any further off the trailer at that point......(probably will help to have a couple extra pairs of hands with you tho).
Then I would attach a strap from the drawbar to the vehicle and GENTLY pull the trailer, letting out the winch strap a bit at a time (will need others to stop the boat coming off to quickly and the trailer bashing the back of the vehicle) and don't forget to add tyres all the way up the boat to keep it off the hard ground as it slides "gracefully" lol off the trailer.
That's the general gist of it and I have done this many, many times.
Can't think of anything I have missed out, but just take your time and it should all go well.
Sounds complicated but the whole process don't take long once you have done it a few times.

OR ...... you could just push the boat back while still attached to the vehicle and as it tilts off the back of the trailer put tyres under it and drive forward with other people lending a hand.
Personally I prefer the first one as I feel more in control of it.

 

[Clinker]

One other thing you can do, if you have enough access and a long enough winch strap is run the strap round the rear most keel roller (if you have one), back to the bow eye - winching them pulls the boat off rather than on.

 

[George51]

Clinker is spot on that it was how I transfer d mine onto my cradle and using round logs

 

[adammus]

I’m planning to take the boat off the trailer as well. Not easy to do it at home. Any of you have ever used boat stands with t-bars to lift the boat off the trailer? Popular stuff in the US but couldn’t find similar here, in the UK? What do you think about it?

 

[George51]

Hi
Have a look at this I have made 2 sets for removing my boats on and off trailers

 

[BruceK]

I’m planning to take the boat off the trailer as well. Not easy to do it at home. Any of you have ever used boat stands with t-bars to lift the boat off the trailer? Popular stuff in the US but couldn’t find similar here, in the UK? What do you think about it?

Please note these are support stands and NOT jacks. They are not designed to lift a boat nor in most cases designed to carry a boat load. They are there to stop a boat tipping. I have 6. Note the boat weight is supported on blocks. And for reference each one of mine is rated above my boats entire weight, but as said. Not meant to be weight bearing.

 

[adammus]

Thanks! It looks like virtual trailer
There is plenty of different ways of lifting the boat. I need to gather all your ideas and find right way how to do this. How to keep the boat on the ground is quite simple, as we can see in the photo but the lifting stage will be freaking tricky

George, those small jacks look nice - where did you get them from? With heavier boat those supporting plates should be much bigger to avoid any damages to the hull I guess.

 

[PENINSULA]

you really dont need to take the boat off m8,

 

[adammus]

Im planning to replace wooden bunks with roller bunks and check/replace centre rollers. Ideally would be to take her off the trailer.

 

[lewlew100]

George, that does look like a clever way to support the boat, I suppose that you support the stern with the rear jack and very carefully drive the trailer out from under the boat and then add the front support just before the boat leaves the trailer and everything collapses!!! I would expect some side supports need to be used when putting the boat on and off the trailer, and also when the boat is off the trailer. As Bruce has said, the boat still needs keel support. When using supports (as in Bruces photo), I like to see a bottom transverse link or tie between each pair of supports. Geoff.

 

[BruceK]

...

When using supports (as in Bruces photo), I like to see a bottom transverse link or tie between each pair of supports. Geoff.

Storm chains are used on the type shown to my right. Storm chains are bad news on my type. Notice the bottom of the two type of stands and the angle of the head plate. Mine are designed to slide slightly while maintaining support on a near vertical axis. To chain them would cause them to tilt and tip over. The ones to the right cradle the hull on a 30 or so degree axis and those do benefit from a storm chain

 

[suzook12]

Im planning to replace wooden bunks with roller bunks and check/replace centre rollers. Ideally would be to take her off the trailer.

You can do all that with the boat still on bud, just makes the keel changeouts a bit more awkward