Taking the Boat off the Trailer on Land

[Mechmaster]

I need to do some maintenance on my 1998 DHM trailer. For ease of access, I would like to block the boat and slide the trailer out.

Does any have any tips for doing this? I have done it in the far past with an I/O, but never with any of my Malibus. Can one of the dealers enlighten me as to how they remove the boats from the trailers at the boat show?

[Steve B.]

Not sure. At boat shows they may use a forklift with special forks? Our boats do have lift points at the bow and transom. Lots of way's to do that if you have the right equipment. After the boat is lifted it could be put on some kind of boat dollies. Yardarm makes them and others.

If I had the overhead beef, I'd use 3 electric chain motor's sync'd together.

Steve B.

[Bozboat]

I have this idea that you could lower the tongue all the way, then take a 4x6 and some cinder blocks and brace the back without blocking the trailer, then raise the tongue, (lifting the stern off the trailer) then block the bow and lower the tongue and slide the trailer out

But so far I have been too chicken to try this,

Anyone pull this off without getting hurt or damaging the boat?

[Cueball]

I'd really like to learn something here as well. I hate doing anything half-a**ed, and just trying to wax the bottom of a boat on a trailer is a complete half-a** job, let alone doing some serious trailer maintenance. Come on you brainiacs, teach us!

[tvano]

i'd stay away from cinder blocks as they are much to brittle unless used as intended w mortar.

i'd stick w styrofoam or wood blocking.

[hummel]

if you were to build a support system to hold the boat with wood/rubber/styrofoam/etc (like Noah back in the day) outside of the wheel wells, deflat the tires (assuming the leaf springs werent compressed a greater distance than deflatting the tires), hook the trailer up and pull it out? make sense? works in my head. may have to take off some of the outter items off the trailer.

or jack up the tailer at the axle and tongue, lower boat on to a support systyem that would allow the trailer to be puller out. could be accomplished with 1 floor jack and 2 jack stands; jack up the trailer while attached to truck, place jack stands under axle then jack up at tongue. replace floor jack with jack stand at the tongue while supports are being built/installed. lower trailer, attach to truck, pull out. repeat in reverse to place boat back on trailer

[Bozboat]

i'd stay away from cinder blocks as they are much to brittle unless used as intended w mortar.

i'd stick w styrofoam or wood blocking.

I agree, cinder blocks not the right product

[shawndoggy]

let me just say for the record under no circumstances am I going to crawl underneath the boat to wax it (probably EVER), but most definitely while it's supported by some janky shawndoggy-built home scaffolding. egads. What a horrible way to die.

[Indyxc]

This thread has the makings of the next Darwin Award.

[Michigan boarder]

Back on topic - the OP is hoping to service the trailer, not the boat.

I think your safest way is a sling around the bow eye for the front, and a spreader bar with chains to each transom eye for the rear. Lift it right up and slide in your bracing. You'll need lift equipment to do that, though. Plan B - launch and moor the boat while you service the trailer. What do you have to do, bunks & paint?

[Mechmaster]

The way I've done it with an I/O is the way Bozboat suggested.

I need to do paint, bunks, carpet, lights, and brakes. I don't think I can get through everything in a day, or I would launch the boat and tie it up.

[Bozboat]

Back on topic - the OP is hoping to service the trailer, not the boat.

I think your safest way is a sling around the bow eye for the front, and a spreader bar with chains to each transom eye for the rear. Lift it right up and slide in your bracing. You'll need lift equipment to do that, though. Plan B - launch and moor the boat while you service the trailer. What do you have to do, bunks & paint?

Assume I need three days to a week to work on trailer and that I have no way to leave boat in water, and I need to remove my boat from the trailer without a crane or fancy xxx lifting equipment. And like SD said, I respect physics (having made at least a B- in that class after a bottle of Advil) I don't want to lose an arm and I don't want to wreck my boat. So the big Q is: how do I get the boat on and off the trailer without an insurance claim (health or property)?

[Pittwr]

I picked up two 24" boat stands off Craig's list to support the stern and solid blocking for the keel. I'll pull the boat around a foot off the trailer, making sure the trailer doesn't tip back, and then lower the tongue to insert the stands. I'll then take a floor jack with blocking and lift the bow and remove the trailer. I'll need to reposition the jack as needed.

I'm doing some gel coat and trailer repair as well.

I'm spray the bunks with armor all to help slide the boat back on.

[Lieutenant Dan]

Here is a video on Youtube that (more or less) shows the process that Bozboat suggests....

I too have a bunch of work that needs to be done on my trailer. I don't know if I have the guts to do this though....

[Bozboat]

Here is a video on Youtube that (more or less) shows the process that Bozboat suggests....

I too have a bunch of work that needs to be done on my trailer. I don't know if I have the guts to do this though....

There is no way I would try that. I would end up mashed.

[shawndoggy]

I really like the piece of wood on top of the cinder blocks. Lends an air of legitimacy.

[Bill_AirJunky]

There is no way I'd try & slide the boat off the trailer on some blocks of any kind. Just seems like way too many things can get screwed up doing that.

I'd do it one of these ways:

- Put the boat on the lake. Talk to your dealer or any marina & ask them what it would cost for a week. Better yet, a month, get your trailer work done and use the boat as much as possible. It'll be the best month of boating you've ever had. And you'll have plenty of days in there to work on the trailer.

- Get another trailer. Bet your dealer has a loaner.

- Or lift it. I could find a buddy who works for some place who owns a couple of big fork lifts that would do the job. Our HOA just rented a machine to install our docks that would easily pick the boat up. Or if worst comes to worst I would take the boat & trailer to our dealer, ask them to lift it & put it on something (boat lift, trailer, whatever), cover it & take the trailer home for repairs.

Personally I always do the first method. Keep the boat out on the lake for weeks at a time. And get all the trailer work done while it's off the trailer.

Edited April 2, 2013 by Bill_AirJunky

[jwl019]

How far do you live from a boat ramp and what is the road like (smooth/rough)?

If close, short bunk the boat on the trailer and leave as much hanging off the back end as you are comfortable with (1-3'). This will give you a good point to start your blocking with and be out of the way of trailer bunks and crossbars on the trailer. Preferably cut some logs reasonable size for bases and minimum 2x8's about 1-2' long running parralel with the hull length wise for blocking further up in the air laid on top of flat log. Then use Boz's method to get it up jn the air, be mindful you will need at least 8 sets and strategize where best placement is due to crossbars and axles. Try to place where you only need to move 2 at a time to relocate them when sliding the trailer out. Pull trailer out a little, shift blocking around, pull trailer again, etc. It is a slow poor mans process! Make sure once the trailer is completely removed, place more blocking under it and keep people away from it.

Man, I need a beer or 6 just thinking about how bad the process was the time I did it! If you have a dealer friend, marina, or boat detailer friend gets there jacks and make your life a little easier. And lastly, make sure your boat insurance and life insurance is paid up, lol!

[teamerickson]

That treated lumber can cause cancer!

I think that's a diamond hull.

[Slayer]

I think that what Michigan Boarder suggested is the right way to go. We have an overhead crane at work in the steel shop that one of our foremen used to do the exact same thing as MI Boarder suggested. He used the crane to get the boat off the trailer, used cribbing (wood) to lower the boat on (load was still on the crane-cribbing was there for the purposes of redundancy only if the crane failed) and pulled the trailer to replace the bunks, sand blast, repaint, and replace the wheel bearings. He has a 1990 Sunsetter and this worked well for him.

[Levi900RR]

I had to do this once with my Skier. I went down to my local fiberglass shop and borrowed two special jacks they have and some boat stands. I was able to jack the transom up, slide the trailer forward and get the stands under it. I then slid the trailer slowly until I could get the second set of stands under the front. It was very stable but I don't know how I would have done it without those special jacks.

The jacks looked like these:

http://yardarm.com/images/boat.jpg

[Woodski]

Another option if you live reasonable close to a dealer would be to see if they would dry store it for a week. If they do it as part of their business plan, they will have a forklift and can simply pull the boat off the trailer and stick it on their rack. Many marina's also offer a similar service. Price should be reasonable if you choose a low demand storage time, such as summer.

Boat show units usually are set on three stands, 2 at transom, one under the V section. Local dealer can demonstrate the process easily enough.

[madracing]

Call local boat dealer, I built a new trailer for my buddies supra and it was 125.00 to store it for two weeks they used forklift to take and install boat

[Bozboat]

Call local boat dealer, I built a new trailer for my buddies supra and it was 125.00 to store it for two weeks they used forklift to take and install boat

No local dealers, regional maybe.

No local boat docks

still I would rather spend $125 much at a dealer than the emergency room