How to turn boat over?

oneoldude

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
Messages
48
I need to turn over a 15' fiberglass utility boat. It must weigh 600 to 800 pounds.<br /><br />The hull was left in the water and it is encrusted with barnacle remains that have to come off. Also there are a few impact dings where the gelcoat is gone and must be fixed.<br /><br />I read that the archives have instructions on how to do it with some old tires and a couple strong backs but I have searched the archives for the instructions with no luck.<br /><br />The boat is now on a trailer and I do not know what to do next. Any suggestions?
 

ED21

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 26, 2003
Messages
828
Re: How to turn boat over?

When I was a kid we just took off the motor & windshield & rolled the boat over. We had many hands & adult supervision & did it on the grass.<br />We would then have a party scrubbing off the slime 2 or 3 times a year. <br />Seems like nobody had ever heard of bottom paint. That would have been easier, but not nearly as much fun.
 

AaronG

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 22, 2004
Messages
234
Re: How to turn boat over?

Why do you need to turn it over? Just use concrete blocks and wood to block it up so you can work on it. Start by lowering the tounge of the trailer so the stern of the boat is as high as you can get it. <br />blocks under it. Raise the tounge, and now the stern is off the trailer. Now use a floor jack and blocks of wood to raise the bow off the trailer. You'll have to raise and lower the bow a few times to get the trailer out from under it. Be careful.
 

jim dozier

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jan 8, 2003
Messages
1,970
Re: How to turn boat over?

I've never done it but the thought occured to me if you had a large tree or something capable of suspending the boat you might try this. Bolt a piece of sufficiently large bar steel between the rear lifting eyes and install a large bolt sticking out of the center of the bar. If you hoisted the boat up by the temporary center bolt in back and the existing eye in the center up front, using people or ropes to steady it, when you got it up high enough you could just roll it over and set it back down.
 

ThomWV

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 19, 2003
Messages
701
Re: How to turn boat over?

This is not going to answer your question but I was in Wanchese last spring when they were turning over one of Buddy Davis's new 67' wooden hulls. It is quite a site to see. The hulls (67'x22')are built up side down inside a barn. After they are built the forms are removed and then the hull (unfinished) is moved outside to be turned over. They are cold molded plywood. There are usually 2 bulkheads in place but at the 2 points where the crain attahces they use chain and Eye-bolts. 4 holes are drilled in the hull, 2 on each side and large Eye-bolts are put through them and then chained to its counterpart on the other side of the boat. Then wooden beams are cut and epoxied to the top side of the hull just above the chains. The crain can then pick up the almost 70-foot hull and turn it over with out it splaying open like a dead clam. When its a $3million hull hanging in the air a lot of breaths are held. Pretty neat sight. I was lucky to be just driving by when it happened but I was unlucky not to have a camera with me.<br /><br />As for the problem here, its a 15' boat, I'd tie a rope to the aft end and just drive the trailer out from under it on the grass. Then I'd scrape the bottom while it was facing up and do any refinishing I was going to do while it was so ver easy to get to. Then I'd turn it over once it was lighter and shiney. Once again, its just a 15 foot hull. Get a bunch of buddies and a 12 pack together and you should be able to get that hull up and supported in minutes. Don't open up the beer until the boat is up in the air.<br /><br />Thom <br /><br />Thom
 

MrBill

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 4, 2002
Messages
710
Re: How to turn boat over?

I'm not sure I can adequately desribe what a colleague of mine once did to roll over a heavy 25' boat. It involved making use of plywood to create two large circles around the boat hull front and rear. The beam on his craft was about 9'4". He first crafted two half circles and sat the boat on the two half cricles. Then created and bolted two top halves to form two full circles surrounding the boat. The boat was easily rolled over allowing him to complete the hull repairs that required the boat to be upside down for a substantial period of time.<br /><br />The bottom circle halves created first need to formed to the shape of the hull...but I can't remember exactly how he got the measurements so perfect, but he was an exceptional engineer. He thought well enough ahead that he could unbolt the bootom halves which werre on top once the boat was rolled so that he had no obstructions. This required the tops to support by the gunwhales when turned over. He tripled up 3/4" ply and also reinforced it with 2X because the estimated boat weight was 6,000 lbs. Sorry that I'm not able to submit a drawing, but this was actually done by my former boss, an old yankee who grew up on the ocean. Don M are you out there to comment futher??
 

G DANE

Commander
Joined
Nov 24, 2001
Messages
2,476
Re: How to turn boat over?

I'v turned my 17' over two times. <br /><br />Just removed windshield, laid two old tires under rubrail, had a buddy to hold it balanced on rubrail, and carefully lowered it to rest on 4 old tires. No problem it isnt that heavy.
 

Winger Ed.

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Messages
649
Re: How to turn boat over?

Dane nailed it. <br />Get one or two buddys, and roll it over after you've pulled the engine, maybe steering wheel, shifter & windshield. Tie the back end onto a truck or something and pull the trailer out from under it first while putting junk tires under the hull as it comes off. Then roll it over.<br /><br />Flip it back the same way onto a few old tires when you're finished. Then you can winch the trailer back under it while someone rocks the hull to help it slide back up & onto the trailer easier. <br /><br />800 lb. isn't that heavy if you don't have to actually lift the entire thing at once, but only rock it up onto its side as you roll it over and ease it onto some tires.
 

jim dozier

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jan 8, 2003
Messages
1,970
Re: How to turn boat over?

I had another idea but it involved helicopters so I'll go with GDanes instead :D
 
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