They did'nt teach this in my school !

[ytquest]

Hi everybody I am not educated enough to work this out on paper. Give me wrenches and fiberglass and I can fix or build what I need. I am in need of an Marine engineer or more than one, that can help me get the information I need to loft the trailer bunk heights. I have the original Boat plan that Island Packet's engineer (Jerry) sent me for the MK1 swing keel. I can't turn the fore-aft layout to a side view with spec's.
We have been in a refit on our force 50 and would like to take a few trips with the Bombay so I don't get too burned out. It turns out that they still have the original Bombay boat plan. Any help with this would be awesome...
With a side layout I can build what I need. Should a swing keel rest on the keel forward and aft of the center board trunk or should the hull support it when on a trailer. Thanks again this site has always been great for info.
Randy

[mogulskibum]

Can't help with the design problem, but I can note that I had a Cal-21 swing keel years ago, and the trailer was definitely designed so that the swing keel was supported by the trailer and not the hull during transport. (Be sure and "crank up" the keel so that it is again supported by the hull before launching though.)

[ytquest]

Thanks Mogulskibum, I was pretty sure you let the swing keel down on the trailer while transporting so it would not beat up the pin but was your hull supported by the bunks of the trailer or did the main keel or hull structure take the weight. I tried to load the boat plan but the file was to large. Not sure how to get it to load maybe a zip file! like I said (old sea dog trying to learn tech) LOL.

[ytquest]

Will try to upload boat plan again!

[mogulskibum]

My hull was supported by the bunks of the trailer, and then I would crank down the keel until it rested on a plank in the middle of the trailer.

[ytquest]

Thanks again Mogulskibum, that's what I thought. Now if I could figure out how to condense my file so it would upload the boat plan for others to see maybe they would know how to help me do a layout for the bunks or jack plates.

[SFS]

ytquest - I am not a trailer sailor, but mogulski's answer agrees with posts #3, 4, and 5 in this very recent thread elsewhere:

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/in...ocedure.185376

Hope this helps further.

[ytquest]

SFS, I'm not a trailer sailor either (until now). We did pull out the Catalina 22 for repairs that I got for my son's first boat. Our family boat is a 50' cutter rig ketch with a full keel for the last 27 years. So I am new to the trailer loading. My son and his family are moving to Colorado in the mountains.
The ketch is in a long needed refit and I thought it would be nice to have the Bombay set up to haul to different parts of the country to use.
I will just have to have to boat hauled out and take measurements and put it back in until the trailer is modified and have it pulled to check and make sure it fits. When the boat plan would give me the heights for the bunk's or screw pads...
Thanks for the link
R.A.

[gjordan]

Maybe make your bunks with the screw jacks like what boatyard stands use. The trailer I bought for my 34 foot boat came like that and it had been previously used for several different boats. It is nice to have an adjustment rather than welding everything up and discovering "OH SH%&," I am 2 inches off. Just my thoughts. Grant.

[ytquest]

Thanks gjordan, I agree and that is the route I am going to take. A architect friend laid out a grid from the boat plan and the sailboatdata.com to scale. going to measure the location of bulkheads and put screw jacks there. The boat is a Bombay Express and the bulkheads are a little different than the MK1 Island Packet but other than that it is the same hull! In fact Island Packet sent the boat plan for the Bombay to me..

RA

[gjordan]

Basically the screw jacks drop into pipe welded where you want the pads. Since my boat was shallower draft than the boats the trailer had been used for previously, I ended up lifting the screw part out of the pipe and cutting the pipe a few inches lower. That solved the problem. Since the pipe that is welded to the trailer should have 3 braces (triangular) reinforcing it, I would recommend having the braces welded 5 or 6 inches below the top of the pipe so if you do have to shorten a pipe, you simply cut it a little shorter without having to do more welding. I borrowed a large pipe cutter from a plumber and cut right thru the 3 inch pipe. Just my 25 cents worth. _____Grant.

[ytquest]

Grant, great advice and I will be using it. I have a shallow draft (28") board up. So the pipes won't be to tall anyway. I just want to make sure I leave enough room for the center board to clear the frame and have a place to rest. I seem to remember it hanging a little lower than the keel. Will get in the water and check. Thanks again for the great info.
Randal