On Jul 30, 8:15 pm, Paul Wiggins wrote:
GOt a bit of a challege ahead. Splashing my 1959 40' CC SeaSkiff into a
river. The bank is steep and 20' high. I'll need to remove the boat
prior to winter and after te spring floods (we've had back to back
100year floods).

Boat is 18KLbs. Lapstrake with a solid hull. I've heard all the stories
about being able to lift a boat by the Samson pole... but I'm assuming
thets not the case.

Two options seem to exist:
1) design a strap harness that will enable a honking big crane (20 ton?)
to literally lift the boat out level and place it on new cradles.
Designing the harness such that it doesn't crush the keel or the sides
of the boat will be a challenge.

2) build a one-trick-pony trailer that will ride on old railroad rails.
Two challenges are the dramatic angle change from level water to
50degree bank... and then at the top... another transition to level yard.

In writing this... I think the Crane idea is the best... simple, not too
costly, and I'll need one anyways to lift my docks in and out every year.

Any other approaches I'm not thinking of?

thankd so much.

I would tend to a good ramp to let neignbors use also if you have the
land. A large dozer and excavator can make short work of the bank.

A trick of current control is to always place a small bank upstream.
A ten foot litteral bank straight into the river can stop years of
strong strong current damage. A concrrtete front side makes it live a
long time. This way the concrete or timber ramp is in a slow water
area.

If it is impossible because of land laws then a crane is the next
choice. $10K can be best spent by improving the land for resale
purposes. A crane is of little land value. A used larger Grove type
crane is a good idea. 10 tons was a standard size I believe. A
special method of reninforcing the bank just might be necessary. A
platform of concrete would likely suffice.


Here is the trick to using the wheeled type crane. It drags also.
Make a boat sling and place logs along the bank surface. Make a sling
that can drag, surround the transom with a strap. Just be riminded.
It can drag more tha ten tons! So a few yards of "to far" out in the
water is irrelavent.

And an old used Grove is one with a bad transmission maybe.