Pull out services near Isleton, California?

[softdown]

I bought a 26' S2 in a slip at Owl Harbor near Isleton, California. I need to get it pulled out for a day or two so that I can take measurements and customize my trailer to fit the boat.

Have heard that Stockton, California may have the closest pull out services and is approx. 20 miles away. It is a deep water channel with no bridges so that is good. It is also a long, circuitous route that appears easy to get "lost" on.

Will be pulling the sailboat with a 10' dinghy and 10hp outboard. Hoping the wind co-operates.

From Colorado, I do not know the San Francisco/Sacramento area at all. I am used to having the mountains to orient myself.

I would bring a friend but last time he decided he needed to get back due to business...before I could get much figured out. Also lost much sleep because he snores like a hurricane. I need to give myself up to two weeks to get this job properly and safely done. At least four days are spent driving back and forth, a 2600 mile round trip.

Will be standing by with more information as needed... Pretty new here, if posted in the wrong section it should probably be moved.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by softdown

Have heard that Stockton, California may have the closest pull out services and is approx. 20 miles away. It is a deep water channel with no bridges so that is good. It is also a long, circuitous route that appears easy to get "lost" on.

Not really. Go down the Sacramento to Rio Vista, through Three Mile Slough (one bridge - easy to get to open, use your VHF) to the San Joaquin and then straight to Stockton.

Brunos at Light 41 may still have a lift, much closer.

Waltons in Rio Vista might have a lift, too, just south of the Rio Vista Bridge on the west side.

You really need to do your homework and get some charts (free from noaa on the internet).

Latitude 38 has ads for marinas and haul outs. Active Captain, while not as "active" (pi) on the west coast, has the charts and reviews of marinas.

Good luck, this is a relatively easy trip. Do it in the morning before the winds pick up. Check the currents, much longer if you're gong against the current.

PS I lived in SF from 1978 to last summer, I sailed all over the Delta for many years.

[softdown]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Not really. Go down the Sacramento to Rio Vista, through Three Mile Slough (one bridge - easy to get to open, use your VHF) to the San Joaquin and then straight to Stockton.

Brunos at Light 41 may still have a lift, much closer.

Waltons in Rio Vista might have a lift, too, just south of the Rio Vista Bridge on the west side.

You really need to do your homework and get some charts (free from noaa on the internet).

Latitude 38 has ads for marinas and haul outs. Active Captain, while not as "active" (pi) on the west coast, has the charts and reviews of marinas.

Good luck, this is a relatively easy trip. Do it in the morning before the winds pick up. Check the currents, much longer if you're gong against the current.

PS I lived in SF from 1978 to last summer, I sailed all over the Delta for many years.

Brunos is real close but appears almost shut up for business. We visited that of course.

Walton has apparently retired and was quite good at prop repair, a dying art.

Thanks for so much truly helpful information! I feel more confident now.

California delta marina services? Or San Francisco marina services?

[sailorchic34]

What Stu said, Waltons is the place and easy to get to from owl harbour. Delta marina (Waltons is at the back of the marina) has a guest dock and the point restaurant on site has pretty good food.

The Point restaurant is a big grey building that you can see from three mile slough about 2-1/2- 3 miles away. Just 1/4 mile past the coast guard station on the west side of the Sacramento river. Watch the currents entering the marina as the channel is narrow

Hail Three mile slough Bridge on channel 9.

One note, hold to the left side of three mile slough when entering it from the river. Right side is shallow at low tide.

[softdown]

Very pleased by the informative answers. Waltons web site came up with the second effort. They are significantly more expensive than Ament Marine for pull outs:
Ament pull out: $260 Labor rate: $100/hour Ament includes a pressure wash with pull out.
Waltons pull out: $338 Labor rate: $115/hour Trailer Load: $300

I also need to have the boat on the hard for 1-2 days so that I can measure and modify trailer. Could be looking at $1000 pretty soon. This is assuming that I am unable to find and use a suitable ramp.....which I am currently favoring since the trailer load is $300 among other expenses.

If there was a fairly steep ramp in the area, I could possibly use a 4WD winch to help. But no 4WD on the truck that I plan to use for the trip. Boat has 4' draft by the way. With a bunch of 2" x 6" lumber, and my construction experience, I could support the keel while 64 adjustable rubber rollers supported the hull.

We had started looking for a steep ramp. My friend received "that phone call" and suddenly had to get back to Colorado. Arghh.

VHF radio? This boat sat for 8 years as the owners approached their 80's. One battery has 1 volt, another 2 volts, another 5 volts. I doubt the radio works and I would not count on any other electronics. I do count on bringing back a decent S2 hull.

I am new to this. Have a power boat and had a sailfish. Bought the S2 for experience before going liveaboard in 2-3 years.

Bought at auction. The boat came with trailer. Figured the boat fit on the trailer. No....it does not. Kind of a fun and exciiting challenge. Kind of a daunting experience due to trailer and 4' draft and distance etc.

[gjordan]

You might want to find an S2 already out of the water to measure so that you can modify the trailer before you pull her out. That would avoid a lot of expense. Some marinas with ramps will have a tongue extension that can be used to not have to put your tow vehicle too far in. Is there an S2 facebook group? you might be able to get dimensions for the trailer pads from a member. Good luck. Grant.

[gjordan]

Just another 2 cents worth. Buy a Hand Held VHF. West Marine has some waterproof hand helds for around $100. Probably cheaper elsewhere, but a needed safety measure and I assume you will be TOWING ALONGSIDE. Having your dink tied alongside and using the sailboats rudder is much safer and easier than trying to tow with a rope. Another thing would be to have an anchor ready to deploy in a hurry if everything turns to Doo Doo. You will probably have a fun trip. ______Grant.

[softdown]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Just another 2 cents worth. Buy a Hand Held VHF. West Marine has some waterproof hand helds for around $100. Probably cheaper elsewhere, but a needed safety measure and I assume you will be TOWING ALONGSIDE. Having your dink tied alongside and using the sailboats rudder is much safer and easier than trying to tow with a rope. Another thing would be to have an anchor ready to deploy in a hurry if everything turns to Doo Doo. You will probably have a fun trip. ______Grant.

I think mounted VHF tends to be 25 watts while handheld if maybe 1 watt, maybe 5 watts. Perhaps I should but I hate to spend $100 for a one day item since I am spending so much on other items.

Think I have a couple handheld that look great but always had a very short battery life. Pretty sure I have a couple. They were not very cheap.

The gentleman who donated the boat is a class act. Nevertheless, I am starting to be disenthralled with what may be ~$4000-$5000 in extra expenses to make the darned trailer fit the boat. Just the round trip to the area with lodging and gas is over a $1000.

When an ad says the "trailer needs adjusting" I didn't think it needed to be completely refit. That would have costs well over $1500 if not for a contact in the steel business and being able to use some tires I already had. Not to mention a week, or so, of work.

I could go on and on. Add my name to the tens of millions who didn't get as good a deal as they hoped. Yea....I know. Fourth boat. This one is in another league.

[softdown]

Did find both of my Hummingbird DC5s VHF radios and one charger still in the box. Happy moment! Though I doubt the batteries are worth much at all, they should manage a call to the bridge. Then again...maybe not. Those suckers used to cost $259/each.

Seems like the marinas are busy. Not much luck getting through or getting messages returned. Probably a lot of folks needing service getting their boats ready for the season....or in the water.

How much does it normally costs to put a boat on the hard for a day or two? Any decent guesses?

[softdown]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Not really. Go down the Sacramento to Rio Vista, through Three Mile Slough (one bridge - easy to get to open, use your VHF) to the San Joaquin and then straight to Stockton.

Brunos at Light 41 may still have a lift, much closer.

Waltons in Rio Vista might have a lift, too, just south of the Rio Vista Bridge on the west side.

You really need to do your homework and get some charts (free from noaa on the internet).

Latitude 38 has ads for marinas and haul outs. Active Captain, while not as "active" (pi) on the west coast, has the charts and reviews of marinas.

Good luck, this is a relatively easy trip. Do it in the morning before the winds pick up. Check the currents, much longer if you're gong against the current.

PS I lived in SF from 1978 to last summer, I sailed all over the Delta for many years.

A virtual treasure trove of great information! Can't hardly believe that this chart is free on the net: Chart 18661

Looks like 4' of water leaving Owl Harbor. I'll need to pay attention to tides, something we do not have in Colorado. I see a river with 16' on the port side, 3' on the starboard side. Yikes! Think I better find an experienced person to guide the dinghy that pulls the boat.

I'll assume the bottom is usually mud rather than rock?

I need to find a steep ramp....maybe a 1:5, or is it 5:1? With a 4WD winch I could let the trailer get out there pretty good. Plus the Extended tongue adds 7' of length to the trailer.

Pull out: ~$300
Set on trailer: ~$300
Put on the hard: Guessing ~$300

Not to mention hiring a local to drive the dinghy. There are always several etc. expen$e$ of course. I can hope for an adventuresome youth who does it half for the fun of it.

[markpierce]

Delta Boat Works | Full Service Boat Yard

https://www.google.com/search?q=boat...,lf:1,lf_ui:10

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by softdown

I think mounted VHF tends to be 25 watts while handheld if maybe 1 watt, maybe 5 watts. Perhaps I should but I hate to spend $100 for a one day item since I am spending so much on other items.

What do you mean "a one day item?" Don't you think when you have your boat all fixed up you won't need one?

hh's go from 1 watt low power to 5 or 6 watts high.

Don't be pound wise and penny foolish. Over the years my hh VHFs have been great, I've had three in 18 years, not too shabby. You can always use them when you're on your boat. In The Bay Area you don't need 25 watts anyway, since the distances are usually shorter than say the PNW or Chesapeake Bay where a mast mounted antenna is almost a necessity. In 31 years when I lived in The Bay Area I've "needed" to use my 25 watt unit only once.

Buy a reliable hh VHF.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by softdown

A virtual treasure trove of great information! Can't hardly believe that this chart is free on the net: Chart 18661

Looks like 4' of water leaving Owl Harbor. I'll need to pay attention to tides, something we do not have in Colorado. I see a river with 16' on the port side, 3' on the starboard side. Yikes! Think I better find an experienced person to guide the dinghy that pulls the boat.

I'll assume the bottom is usually mud rather than rock?

Learn to read the chart. It tells you what the bottom is. Also tells you what the depths mean, usually MLLW which is about low tide. Tides there are usually from 4 to 6 feet. You need to do some studying. Not so hard. We all did it. I started lake sailing, too.

[softdown]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

What do you mean "a one day item?" Don't you think when you have your boat all fixed up you won't need one?

hh's go from 1 watt low power to 5 or 6 watts high.

Don't be pound wise and penny foolish. Over the years my hh VHFs have been great, I've had three in 18 years, not too shabby. You can always use them when you're on your boat. In The Bay Area you don't need 25 watts anyway, since the distances are usually shorter than say the PNW or Chesapeake Bay where a mast mounted antenna is almost a necessity. In 31 years when I lived in The Bay Area I've "needed" to use my 25 watt unit only once.

Buy a reliable hh VHF.

I'm not cruising the bay. I'll start with the Sea of Cortez then bluewater and global circumnavigation with the next much larger boat. This one is for learning for 2-3 years. I push everything 100% at 100 mph. I need a working 25 watts with a mast antennae. Plus....both Hummingbird VHF's seem to be working. I just don't expect the batteries to last too long.

The boats VHF has a real chance of working but the boat sat for 8 years. It is doubtful that I have the time to try to get the electronics working. The previous owner did not give me a key, other than a key to open the cockpit, now that I think about it. No keys?

While I have your attention....what do you think of offering boat moving services for $$$? I have a lifted 4WD truck with 488 and 37" tires. Not a submarine but getting there. This trailer will be pretty darned adjustable with the old 21" plates and the new 48" plates. The whole concept of this EZ-Loader trailer, with 64 rubber rollers, is to be highly adjustable.

I don't mind driving at all and have pretty extensive trailer experience. I own seven and have pulled hundreds of loads.

By getting into the boat moving service, I could get to know people in the boat/marina business and eventually find that special boat at a special price. Thinking about 42'+ for liveaboard/global circumnavigation. I always like to carry a lot of stuff. You know...being prepared.

[softdown]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Delta Boat Works | Full Service Boat Yard

https://www.google.com/search?q=boat...,lf:1,lf_ui:10

Kriminy, I'll put a bridal in my teeth and pull it there myself! Unbelievably close! Hard to believe that the 8 year owner of Owl Harbor "did not know" about that place. Oh well....most people are in business to make money instead of friends.