Any way to lift the boat?

[dlogvine]

I took my project boat to the lake today. Second time was much better than the first, however, there were several setbacks. The throttle lever clutch button was stuck and it was kicking like a horse when I shifted. Will take the throttle lever apart tomorrow. The Second problem was with the trailer bunk, one was broken and was hanging on the carpet cover. The question is, can I lift just one side of the boat without a frame or special crane just enough to remove the bunk and then replace it? Any ideas?

 

[garbageguy]

Sounds like a great project, what boat? got any pics?

 

[Tnstratofam]

I've used a good floor jack with a 2x6 to raise both my Starcraft and my Stratos to do some bunk repairs. The safe thing to do would be to have all your materials and tools and go launch the boat. Tie it up to the dock and make your trailer repair in the parking lot out of the way of the ramp.

Obviously have your new bunk cut and pre drilled and carpeted as well as spare bolts and nuts and washers to keep things from going south quickly.

This is what I did to replace the bunks on one of my trailers. tied the boat up out of the way and then did my bunk replacement off to the side under a shade tree. I also used a tape measure and sharpie to help keep things aligned.

 

[dlogvine]

I am almost done restoring 1993 Bayliner 1850 with 4.3 v6 Mercruiser. So far I did rebuild the engine completely, had to bore the cylinders over .30 in the shop, changed all the gaskets, bearings. Rebuild the heads and put a new carburator. Looks like the engine is running smoothly, had some problems with I think the steering pump fluid leak and the throttle lever clutch button. Will check them both tomorrow. As for the trailer repair on the lake with boat in the water, that was my first thought. Just checking if there were better options. I can use my cordless tools and my truck generator for this job. If interested in looking at the whole restoration, upholstery, plywood frames, carpeting, etc., I can send the link.

 

[Scott Danforth]

a few jacks and some wood pads, lift one side at a time.

 

[dlogvine]

a few jacks and some wood pads, lift one side at a time.

Would a regular 1.5 ton automotive jacks work or does it have to be a more powerful ones?

 

[bigdee]

Would a regular 1.5 ton automotive jacks work or does it have to be a more powerful ones?

I would be reluctant to use a bottle jack directly under the boat,if things slip you could punch a hole in your hull.

 

[Chris1956]

Drop the tongue of the trailer. Position cement blocks with wood blocks on their tops under the transom, on the sides. Now lift the tongue and the boat transom will sit on the blocks. If you need to get more clearance, jack up the keel, near the front, and use more cement blocks to support it. Never use just a jack to support the boat.

simple and safe.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I lifted my boat off the trailer (to repaint/rewire the trailer) using bottle jacks and blocks of wood. Worked very well. You jus have to be sure your blocks are placed such that they sit relatively flat on the top of the jack piston. The boat was very stable when lifted on the jacks. In practice, it's pretty much the same thing as when you see boats on stands for the offseason:

 

[Scott Danforth]

Would a regular 1.5 ton automotive jacks work or does it have to be a more powerful ones?

I use my 3 ton floor jack.

 

[GA_Boater]

Drop the tongue of the trailer. Position cement blocks with wood blocks on their tops under the transom, on the sides. Now lift the tongue and the boat transom will sit on the blocks. If you need to get more clearance, jack up the keel, near the front, and use more cement blocks to support it. Never use just a jack to support the boat.

simple and safe.

I've done it the same way except I positioned cement blocks/wood under the front keel after the stern contacted the rear blocks and lowered the tongue jack. It didn't need much height to take the weight off the bunks for replacement.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Would a regular 1.5 ton automotive jacks work or does it have to be a more powerful ones?

Yes, they would work.

 

[dlogvine]

I looked at the old bunk assembly and noticed that they are being hold by the bolts that go all the way through the top, through tge trailer frame and the nuts on the opposite side of the frame. Im not sure what is holding these bolts from spinning when the nuts are getting tightened, but i noticed that in all bunk replacement videos, people just drill the hole and thread the galvanized or stainless steel screws. Should i go this way or take apart the bunks and see how do the old bolts sit and try to emulate it? Also i looked at the old nuts. Pretty much all of them are really rusted to the bolts. And these bolts are large size. Should i try to break them or try to clean them and hopefully break the rust and unscrew them? Thx