Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

[Edgewater37]

I'm prepping the bottom of my 14' Sundance for an anti-fouling paint job. The boat is on the trailer, 2 wooden/carpet covered bunks. Does anyone have any easy suggestions as to how to move the boat either to the side or propping it up off the trailer so I can paint where the boat contacts the trailer? .. Available materials are 3 jack stands, a small 2 ton floor jack and a couple of 4x4's. I'm trying to get as many opinions as I can in order to determine the safest approach since i'll be underneath the boat. It weighs 700lbs or so without the engine so removing it from the trailer with brute force isn't an option..
Thanks!

 

[JB]

Re: Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

Howdy, Edgewater.

I painted the bottom of Sunshine (see avatar) while she was on her trailer.

First, I painted everything I could get at.

Then I jacked up the bow as high as I could and placed a plank crosswise to get the hull up off the bunks and keel rollers and painted what I had exposed.

Finally I jacked up the transom as high as I could and moved the plank aft. In my case that exposed all that hadn't already been painted.

Hope that gives you some ideas for your case.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

personally I'd either drag it off the trailer and tip it up OR jack and block it under the keel and either side of the stern.... raise it 6-12" above the trailer

 

[oops!]

Re: Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

if you only have a 14.....the above would be correct....

on bigger boats...that can be a real pain in the ..........

to get the boat off the trailer....two ways......if you have a floor jack.....lift the transom and block it off......change jack position to the bow..under the keel......and jack that up....block it off by placing stands under the chines, out of the way of the trailer wheels....and just roll out the trailer.

if you dont have a floor jack.........lower trailer tongue all the way just about as low as you can......this will raise the transom......block the transom off......and raise the tongue of the trailer till it is allmost as high as it can go.....block the keel and pull the trailer out as far as you can till it hits the blocks. jack the tongue back up.....change front block position and pull the trailer out.

 

[Edgewater37]

Re: Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

Thanks for that info, I wasn't sure if it was safe to apply jack-type pressure to one spot, but I guess if I were to distribute the pressure with a board (4x4) or something with the jack, it wouldn't put holes in the boat.. I'll give that a try.. Just finished sanding down the hull beneath the waterline on all exposed areas and tomorrow i'll be painting! Thanks again

 

[bekosh]

Re: Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

For that small of a boat it's easy. Get a 12 pack of beer, call 3 buddies, pick it up, roll it over and put it on what ever stands you want. Then kick back and have a beer.

 

[Larry Tate]

Re: Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

one way I used on a 20 ft grady was take 2 bottle jacks (found in most cars) and put them both on either the starboard or port side. place the bottoms on the trailer itself and raise the tops to the hull. place a piece of 2x4 between the jack and hull to not damage it of course. now what i dad was jack the boat up off the trailer on one side and remove the bunks themselves. if the bolts holding them on arent rusted to hell, this will work fine and give you enough room to at least get a roller to those spots you couldnt. one more thing- when the boats jacked up and you're ready to remove the bunks, give it a good shakin'. if it is not secure in any way it will simply fall off the jacks onto the bunks of the trailer. good luck

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

I have a 5,000 lb boat (24 feet) and boy is that a pain to hold the boat up with one hand while I paint the bottom with the other

As the other folks have said 700 lbs is not too much, but it would not be a good thing to have fall on you.

On my 24 footer, the bunks contact the hull about 15 inches inboard of the chines. That affords me a nice lifting area So, with several jacks and associated lifting pads, I lift one side of the boat enough to get a paint roller (with extender handle) all the way to the keel. I paint one side, let it dry real good and then lower the boat back onto the bunk. Then repeat the process on the other side.

After both sides are done, then it is a matter of painting where the lifting pads were. It's done.

Your boat is a lot lighter, so lifting one side at a time should not be too bad. the 3 buddies and a 12 pack just might do it.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Bottom painting while the boat is on the trailer, suggestions?

Lower trailer tongue. Put cement blocks uinder each corner of transom. Jack up trailer tongue. Put cement blocks under keel in bow area. Lower trailer tongue a bit until boat is suspended a couple of inches above trailer. Use a piece of wood between blocks and boat to protect hull. Use the small foam rollers and a small brush to apply anti-fouling paint.

Take her off the blocks the same way, and touch up hull.