Working on a boat when on land

[Alex_V]

so, staying a few days and working on a boat when on the water is a no brainer, but when a boat is on the stands the wight is supported by keel and the stands in a few places. Load is concentrated in isolated locations. Can multiple people working on a boat put excessive pressure on the hull where it is supported by stands? Just something I never thought of. Any thoughts?

[zboss]

Fear not - people do it all the time. Just make sure that the stands are correctly spaced (they should be placed at the bulkheads if you have a flexy boat) and that the marina uses chains to connect the stands.

[Mike OReilly]

Depends on the boat I suspect. In general though, there shouldn’t be excessive pressure on the stands. They are there for balance. The keel, and connected infrastructure, is what should be bearing all the weight.

I commonly live and work on my boat when it is out of the water. No problem. My boat is a full keel, heavy built design. Some lighter built designs should have their stands positioned at the bulkheads. But if set correctly, there shouldn’t be any problem living and working on the boat.

[boatman61]

Not if the stands are properly placed.. if not the hull can oilcan with certain boats..
Keel should have nil effect.

[Cheechako]

Should not be a problem. The real problem is hurrying down the ladder! Took a few falls building a boat on the hard for 2.5 years! You get to where you are just flying up and down the ladder, down facing outboard!

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Should not be a problem. The real problem is hurrying down the ladder! Took a few falls building a boat on the hard for 2.5 years! You get to where you are just flying up and down the ladder, down facing outboard!

As a kid, I had a dog that could climb the ladder. Going down was a controlled crash. Much like people in a rush.

[tdoster]

My issue was the yard used roll away stairs and waking up in the morning finding someone "borrowed" the stairs making it interesting. This is a good question and you should use your yard time to your advantage if the yard allows you to work on or even stay aboard during the haul. Most yards don't work on the weekends and that is a good time to get your own list of chores done without getting in the way. Getting a little harder to find yards that allow DIY "officially."

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by tdoster

Most yards don't work on the weekends and that is a good time to get your own list of chores done without getting in the way. Getting a little harder to find yards that allow DIY "officially."

Interesting and thankfully doesn't seem to apply this side of the pond. Indeed my local boat yard doesn't lift boat at the weekends because there are so many folk working on boats its actually too risky and the staff get a weekend off.

Pete

[Emouchet]

Being on the ladder is my word for being on the hard...

[Shrew]

The weight is on the keel. The stands hold the balance. Like standing a 300lb log on end.....a single finger can hold the balance point. It's not a big deal to have several people on board at the same time.

We sleep, eat and work on the boat as if it were in the water. The big difference is the ladder and walk to the bathroom.

I wold suggest a method to raise and lower goods and equipment. I wouldn't suggest running anything but tiny loads up and down the ladder.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by tdoster

My issue was the yard used roll away stairs and waking up in the morning finding someone "borrowed" the stairs making it interesting. This is a good question and you should use your yard time to your advantage if the yard allows you to work on or even stay aboard during the haul. Most yards don't work on the weekends and that is a good time to get your own list of chores done without getting in the way. Getting a little harder to find yards that allow DIY "officially."

Most all yards up this way allow DIY projects.

I've completed two bottom jobs in the last few years and one topside paint job.

The city boatyards will though more closely inspect that you are placing out tarps etc to catch the crap you sand off your boat

As far as a ladder, that's always the boat owners problem but one can usually be found around the yard if you look and don't have your own.

Also, usually the yard folks are the only ones allowed to place the stands etc.....

The local yard here has a deal where you can keep your boat in the yard from November thru February and the fee is $8.00/ft which is about the same as most folks slip fee. This allows you to complete boat projects when you feel like it and not be in such a rush.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by tdoster

My issue was the yard used roll away stairs and waking up in the morning finding someone "borrowed" the stairs making it interesting. This is a good question and you should use your yard time to your advantage if the yard allows you to work on or even stay aboard during the haul. Most yards don't work on the weekends and that is a good time to get your own list of chores done without getting in the way. Getting a little harder to find yards that allow DIY "officially."

I built a rolling stair for working on my boat. After coming to the yard and finding them 100 yards away on another boat I started chaining them to my boat.

[John_Trusty]

Don't know what your boat is, Alex V, but up here in the frozen north 'on the hard' is just another boating season. I ran over to my boat at lunch today to re-wire a cabin light. As noted earlier, the weight rests on the keel, and the stands are just there to keep it balanced. Considering your boat (probably) weighs at least a half-dozen TONS, and a person weighs only 0.1 ton, a couple hefty boys up on the boat will not even be noticed.

[Robert Tilbury]

Originally Posted by Cadence

As a kid, I had a dog that could climb the ladder. Going down was a controlled crash. Much like people in a rush.

I would have made a slippery slide for the dog ,,,, would have been great

[lifeofreilly57]

Originally Posted by Cadence

As a kid, I had a dog that could climb the ladder. Going down was a controlled crash. Much like people in a rush.

Mt last pooch was an 80lb mix, he get up to the boat on the ladder but I had to carry him down, he'd climb on my shoulder and I'd bring him down. Deck was 12' off the ground.
One time the the ladder failed and the dog and I fell, everyone came over to see if the dog was OK.
He was fine by the way.