Proper support during winter storage.

[Jon Schneider]

Our yard is very small and packed and often needs to be able to move boats around in spring before launch and in fall after pull out, so to facilitate this all our boats are on cradles (of different build quality). Using a special trailer (I'm assuming common in other yards and designed for this purpose) they can move boats around.

Pierre, this is interesting.  I would think that using a cradle to actually move our boats (any weighty boats) would be a really bad idea.  The cradle must sag in the middle while it's being lifted, unless it's lifted by slings under the middle bar only.  Even then, I would think the rocking back and forth that must happen would be far more injurious to the places on the hull where the pads versus the gentler, broader support of slings around the hull alone. 

[pjcomeau]

Much bigger heavier boats then mine go through this process every year. I'm new at this and just followed suit. The cradles are built to be able to be set off the ground, so the hydraulic trailer (blades with support bars), just gently lifts the cradle of the ground, then they are slowly move to launch area, were a crane and straps are waiting (revers in the fall). I'm sure it's not the ultimate treatment of the boats (the small bouncing around during the trailer ride), but I'm assuming the long trip from NY to NB on the back of a truck was harder on it.

-PC

[Ron Hill]

Pierre : Many yards use these cradles as they can store boats closer together than with a travel lift (saving a few feet for every boat!!).  They have a large fork lift and then move the boat on the cradle out of it's storage area to a point where a travel lift can pick it out of the cradle for splash.

Most Every Catalina that comes out of the factory is shipped in a cradle and is the best way to store your boat.  Most of us have the problem that the cradle is a bear to move if and when you move your boat to another area!!  A cradle is much better than jack stands as the pads or located at bulkheads, not located at the whim of the yard!   A few thoughts.   

[tonywright]

Thanks Ron

It seems that there are many different ways to store a boat. Local conditions seem to dictate what is best. In our yard we have no travel-lift (we are a not-for profit club, and those are expensive to buy and maintain!). We rent commercial cranes to do launch and haulout, and split the cost amongst those members that use the service. This currently works out to $100 each way. This is mainly for boats that cannot use the stationary crane at the well that is rated for boats up to 10,000 lb only. The rest either self-launch from their trailer, or use a private service with a hydraulic lifting trailer that can lift the cradle and bring the boat over to the stationary crane for launch.

All of our boats (about 500) are stored on either cradle or trailer (OK, one full keel Nonsuch uses jackstands). Shipping cradles are not admissible since they do not fold for storage. Once a cradle is folded, it is fairly easily moved and stacked on its side.

Tony

[tonywright]

To confirm the lift points. I placed the aft lift point at the bulkhead in line with the companionway (this is still ahead of the thru hulls under the head sink), and the forward lift point in line with the bulkhead separating the V-berth from the saloon. This resulted in a perfectly balanced lift. Now the boat is in the water, all doors work smoothly once more.

Lift weight was 7.4 metric tons as measured by the crane. This is 16,314 lbs, (without mast, but with a full diesel tank). Last year someone gave me the wrong conversion factor and told me the boat weighed 18,000 lbs. The sages on this board knew that there was an error somewhere. They were right, as usual! 

Tony