Dealing with my Alden shell

Toller

Cadet
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
14
This might not be the best place to post this, but I can't find anything better.

I own an Alden 18' rowing shell. It weighs about 120 pounds. It is essentially a flat bottomed heavily built fiberglass canoe with an insert that makes it a rowing shell.
Rowing Shells and Accessories from Chesapeake Rowing - The Alden 18 Double Rowing Shell

I live on a Finger Lake in NY, but have no beach. My waterfront is stone/concrete wall at the water, about 4' above the high water line (with 8' of grass even with the top of the wall). If I have to lift the boat onto the wall each time, I won't be using it much.

I had the idea of building something like a hoist out of either pipe or wood, only with slings that would hold the boat about a foot and a half out of the water. During Sandy we had waves about 2', so 1.5' ought to be okay. Presumably this is not an original idea; if you have seen it before, I would appreciate knowing how it has been done.

The boat can't be turned over; the stuff that make it a rowing shell rather than a canoe is held in casually, and is not stable upside down. So, I was thinking of putting one or two drain plugs in. Does this make any sense?

Any advice on how to store this shell would be appreciated.
 

lakegeorge

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 19, 2002
Messages
660
Re: Dealing with my Alden shell

That sounds feasible and it makes sense. You also might want to consider sliding it on rollers out of the water.
 
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