I am starting to get the itch to dig out the old scow from winter
storage and work on her so the family is all set for a nice summer of
being on the water. It's a 1977(ish) Glastron T-179 and the trailer
is the same vintage. Anyways, I would really like to pull the boat
off the trailer and beadblast the trailer and slap a snappy coat of
paint on it. My riddle to you wonderful folks of rec.boats is... Is
it possible to remove a 17" fiberglass I/O boat from the trailer
safely wilst I do this project? Of am I gonna have to bribe someone
this summer to let me park the boat in the water somewhere for a week
or so? My Dad was able to pull the 50's CrisCraft off his trailer a
few years back to repair the axles.. But that was more of a cradle
trailer.

Any ideas? Or do I just live with the nasty rust forming and have
this ugly faded turquoise trailer under my shiny red boat? I would
also like to remove the rollers and add new rails/pads.

Thanks!

Dave

I think you have the best/easiest idea, that is, if it's available to
you and that is to unload the boat in the water and do the work on the
trailer. I understand your predicament as I'm in a similar situation.
However, I think my trailer might be beyond what I'm comfortable with
for any distant travels. My '77 trailer was in good shape when I got
the boat/motor/trailer combo, but for some reason, salt water has taken
quite a toll on it over the past three years. :^) As far as removing
it from the trailer and using jackstands, I leave that to the folks
that have been there to respond.

-Jim



Dave wrote:
I am starting to get the itch to dig out the old scow from winter
storage and work on her so the family is all set for a nice summer of
being on the water. It's a 1977(ish) Glastron T-179 and the trailer
is the same vintage. Anyways, I would really like to pull the boat
off the trailer and beadblast the trailer and slap a snappy coat of
paint on it. My riddle to you wonderful folks of rec.boats is... Is
it possible to remove a 17" fiberglass I/O boat from the trailer
safely wilst I do this project? Of am I gonna have to bribe someone
this summer to let me park the boat in the water somewhere for a week
or so? My Dad was able to pull the 50's CrisCraft off his trailer a
few years back to repair the axles.. But that was more of a cradle
trailer.

Any ideas? Or do I just live with the nasty rust forming and have
this ugly faded turquoise trailer under my shiny red boat? I would
also like to remove the rollers and add new rails/pads.

Thanks!

Dave

I've never done it.. but have read the process many times.
1. get a lot of jackstands.
2. RAISE the STERN of the boat by lowering the trailer jack.
3. slip a number of jackstands under the STERN of the boat.
4. RAISE the BOW of the boat by raising the trailer jack.
5. slip some more jackstands under the bow.
Work the trailer out from under by alternately raising and lowering the
trailer, and inserting and re-inserting the jackstands as needed to slip the
trailer out.

Candidly, the thought of any one of the jackstands slipping or not being
positioned properly is enough to make me wait until Summer and put her in
the water....but...there you have it.
--
RichG
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners

On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:45:57 GMT, "RichG" wrote:

I've never done it.. but have read the process many times.

I've never read the process ... but I've done it with a 19 footer and
smaller many times.

1. get a lot of jackstands.

Me too. Then I;

2. Back the boat up to something stout... like a large oak tree.

3. Tie lines from the lifting rings to the oak tree.

4. Drive/pull the trailer out from under the boat while at the same
time, sticking jack stands underneath as you go (tell the driver to
drive slowly LoL!) Helps to have the forward set of stands not to far
forward (you'll see why when you're putting it back on the trailer)

To get it back on, you don't need the tow vehicle. Use the trailer's
winch to pull itself back under, removing the stands as you go (don't
forget to keep the boat tied to the oak tree).

It's no trouble at all with a "winch on" type trailer. I've never
tried it with a "float on" type though, there might be a problem
there. Obviously you have to go slowly and carefully (helps to have
good accidental health insurance).
Try it with a small boat first, maybe a skiff. A larger boat works the
same way, it's just not as forgiving of error.

Rick

Bingo! Talked to my old-man today. He said the same process.. Get a
solid line and strap the ass end to one of the oak trees in the
backyard via the transom eyes. Pull trailer out slowly while placing
blocks/wood under hull. When done with this process, stand back and
think to youself, "Gee, that boat is sure high off the ground now".
Use winch to pull boat back on newly painted/bearinged/axled trailer.
Should be a good way to kill a Saturday morning eh?

-Dje


lid wrote in message . ..
On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:45:57 GMT, "RichG" wrote:

I've never done it.. but have read the process many times.

I've never read the process ... but I've done it with a 19 footer and
smaller many times.

1. get a lot of jackstands.

Me too. Then I;

2. Back the boat up to something stout... like a large oak tree.

3. Tie lines from the lifting rings to the oak tree.

4. Drive/pull the trailer out from under the boat while at the same
time, sticking jack stands underneath as you go (tell the driver to
drive slowly LoL!) Helps to have the forward set of stands not to far
forward (you'll see why when you're putting it back on the trailer)

To get it back on, you don't need the tow vehicle. Use the trailer's
winch to pull itself back under, removing the stands as you go (don't
forget to keep the boat tied to the oak tree).

It's no trouble at all with a "winch on" type trailer. I've never
tried it with a "float on" type though, there might be a problem
there. Obviously you have to go slowly and carefully (helps to have
good accidental health insurance).
Try it with a small boat first, maybe a skiff. A larger boat works the
same way, it's just not as forgiving of error.

Rick

On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:45:57 GMT, "RichG"
wrote:
Candidly, the thought of any one of the jackstands slipping or not being
positioned properly is enough to make me wait until Summer and put her in
the water....but...there you have it.

================================================== =

To do this even halfway safely, all of the jack stands must be chained
together in a continuous loop. Brownell stands have a slot near the
top of the tripod weld for inserting the chain links. It's also
important for the stands to be resting on a solid surface, using
plywood sheets under the bottoms if necessary. The integral jack
screw assembly provides enough mechanical advantage to lift the boat
without using the trailer jack at all. The secret is to raise each
jack a little at a time working your way around the boat from stand to
stand until it is high enough. The biggest challenge will be to
position the jack stands in a way that allows the trailer to be safely
removed.

On 16 Mar 2004 23:27:22 -0800, (Dave) wrote:

I am starting to get the itch to dig out the old scow from winter
storage and work on her so the family is all set for a nice summer of
being on the water. It's a 1977(ish) Glastron T-179 and the trailer
is the same vintage. Anyways, I would really like to pull the boat
off the trailer and beadblast the trailer and slap a snappy coat of
paint on it. My riddle to you wonderful folks of rec.boats is... Is
it possible to remove a 17" fiberglass I/O boat from the trailer
safely wilst I do this project? Of am I gonna have to bribe someone
this summer to let me park the boat in the water somewhere for a week
or so? My Dad was able to pull the 50's CrisCraft off his trailer a
few years back to repair the axles.. But that was more of a cradle
trailer.

Any ideas? Or do I just live with the nasty rust forming and have
this ugly faded turquoise trailer under my shiny red boat? I would
also like to remove the rollers and add new rails/pads.

I've done this several times - I use the exact same technigue Rich
detailed except that I use boards on cinder blocks and I lift the boat
rather than the trailer.. It takes a little work, but it will get the
boat off the trailer so you can work on it unencumbered.

Good Luck.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
-----------
"Angling may be said to be so
like the mathematics that it
can never be fully learnt..."

Izaak Walton "The Compleat Angler", 1653

"Dave" wrote in message
om...


it possible to remove a 17" fiberglass I/O boat from the trailer
safely wilst I do this project?

Sure, it isn't too hard.

If the boat has lifting eyes you can build a frame to hoist the boat up.
That could be expensive though.

The cheapest way is to get 4 (or more) jackstands, matching numbers of
short lengths of 2x6 and a floorjack. Always have a 2x6 between the jack
and the boat. Start at the back, jack the boat up an inch or so and set it
on a jackstand. Move forward and repeat the process until the entire boat
is sitting an inch above the trailer. Move the trailer forward (carefully)
until a frame member or axel is hitting one of the jackstands. Jack the
boat up again, move the jackstand to a spot just behind the frame/axel.
Repeat until the trailer is free.

Of am I gonna have to bribe someone
this summer to let me park the boat in the water somewhere for a week
or so?

That's my favorite way! Wait till summer, rent a slip at the marina where
you like to boat and store the boat there. Enjoy being able to drive to the
marina and just hop in the boat and go.

Rod