MacGregorSailors.com

Thanks again for the tips on removing the trailer. I need to get to work on that soon. I live in Oklahoma so the weather will get too wet and humid to paint soon.

ElkySS wrote:Something like this?

Great for a keel boat but on our boats the 4x4s go horizontal under the hull. Two will easily support the boat weight without damage, deformation or trauma. Block the ends with jack stands or lumber blocks.

You can actually get the off the trailer with just the front jack this way.

In that keel boat picture the 4x4s have almost no load, its all on the keel.

kevinnem wrote:
HEY! how did you get the boat off the trailer like that ...

(no really , I have to do some trailer work and really would like to know...)



Basically I dropped the tongue all the way down and measured how tall I could build the rear cradle to slide under the aft but not too tall so the boat would clear the eves on the garage. (11-1/2 degree "v") It has gussets to prevent "racking" on all axis. It would have been a lot easier without the vertical limitation.
The front cradle (20 deg "V") is just tall enough to allow the unloaded trailer out from under (just barely). I used my 2 ton floor jack.
So the process is
1. Lower tongue as far as possible (no wheel etc.) - place rear cradle under the aft.
2. Jack up the trailer tongue and place the forward cradle aft of the first bunk, lower trailer
3. Slide trailer forward until it hit the cradle.
4. Jack up the trailer again and place the cradle behind the axle, lower trailer.
5. Slide trailer forward until the rear bunk hit the cradle
6. Jack up trailer and move the cradle forward, lower trailer
7. Slide trailer forward until it hit the cradle.
8. Jack up the boat via a jacking block, place cradle just forward of the centerboard trunk, lower boat.
9. Pull trailer out from under.

After the cradles are built it's just 1/2 hour and it's off the trailer.

Don T

Here is a view of the OTTER on its cradles.


Trailer out from under.


Here is a pic of the aft cradle sans the carpet.