Lift fiberglass tri hull by cap?

[dpappyp]

Is the cap strong enough to hold the weight of the entire boat? I'm trying to figure out how to most easily get at the hull to paint it, but obviously the trailer is a little bit in the way. If strong enough I was thinking about adding side to side 2x4 blocking inside the hull fitted underneath the turned down lip of the cap and then hoisting it in the air. Supports would be placed underneath of course in case the boat were to drop. Naturally I would like to paint the hull at once instead of lifting one end at a time or shifting around on the trailer to paint piecemeal.

Thanks

 

[Scott Danforth]

I would support by the two transom eyes and the bow eye myself.

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

What boat are you working on?

 

[dpappyp]

I just picked up a 1978 15' rinker built with a 70 HP Evinrude (starts right up) and trailer for $500. Floor is soft in a spot so first thing will be to see what I'm dealing with there. If the rot goes below the deck into the stringers then I might just scrap it and keep the motor. Transom looks solid. The keel has taken a beating so I plan on first patching that up with gel coat and then epoxy primering the whole hull. It's going to be left for extended periods of time in water so I want a barrier coat on there to avoid blistering. On top of that will go topside paint, I know it's not meant for long term submersion. So if it fails after just a season below the water line then I'll put a bottom paint on, I just hate the look of it. Otherwise I'm fine repainting every few seasons, if it can make it that long.

I'm new to the boat rehabbing world so any critiques or advice is welcome. I've done auto body work though; welding, painting, fiberglass, etc.

Thanks!

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

I would support by the two transom eyes and the bow eye myself.

+1

Since you are leaving scrapping it on the table, I'd core sample the transom along with the stringers as a first plan before I put effort into the keel repair. That may be the intention but it doesn't read that way.

 

[dpappyp]

Yup! That is the plan

 

[Woodonglass]

Is this a tri-hull or v hull?

 

[dpappyp]

Tri

 

[Woodonglass]

If the Stringers and Transom inspection yield rotting wood then I'd wait to repair the keel too. If you decide to restore the boat, you'll need to take the top cap off and gut the interior You can then flip the hull easily to do the keel repairs