Here We Go! Cutting Boatyards Out While Doing Bottom/Topsides Work

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

An alternative idea is to ask around some commercial yards where they might be willing to haul you with the fishing boats, etc. They tend to be pretty rough, but they also typically leave you alone. Another option is other industrial sites like port facilities along the waterfront. When we had a cat with two long fixed keels I dried her out on sandbars many times for general scrubbing and inspection, but it is tough to have enough time to do extensive work or painting unless you are someplace with really big tides. Plus, you need a bottom that isn't too soft or you sink right in, plus you have to wait for the bottom to dry enough, plus you need harbor authorities who won't take exception.

OK, I have nothing against the commercial yards. The only thing is I have only seen one in my life. There used to be one in Providence Rhode Island but it’s gone. That’s the only one I’ve ever seen.

can you recommend a list of them? Or even a single one? Because I have never seen one before in the Northeast.

I take it back I have seen two in my life. there is one along the ICW somewhere in the Carolinas also. it’s to the west of the channel and near some sharp turns in open water

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Chotu

seems reasonable. I was just trying to get a little extra boost so I had more time. was trying to raise it a bit higher than bottle jacks

With two of them and some blocking and/or jack stands you can bring it up as high as you want. And it’s Harbor Freight cheap

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

With two of them and some blocking and/or jack stands you can bring it up as high as you want. And it’s Harbor Freight cheap

I might be envisioning incorrectly, but wouldn’t i have to be under water (diving) to do what you are talking about?

or do it when the tide is out (at which time i should be painting)?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I might be envisioning incorrectly, but wouldn’t i have to be under water (diving) to do what you are talking about?

or do it when the tide is out (at which time i should be painting)?

Diving?! I thought you had a cat!

The bottle jacks will work just fine under water, but I envisioned you standing in the water next to the boat.

I think I saw car jacks that are air bags and inflated with a compressor. That would work too.

[Kettlewell]

OK, I have nothing against the commercial yards. The only thing is I have only seen one in my life. There used to be one in Providence Rhode Island but it’s gone. That’s the only one I’ve ever seen.

can you recommend a list of them? Or even a single one? Because I have never seen one before in the Northeast.

Here's a couple of suggestions to check out, but in general I think you should try in Maine. Possibly find some yard with an old marine railway.
Spruce Head Marine in Maine, but not sure they can haul you: https://shmarine.weebly.com/
Yank Marine in Tuckahoe, NJ: https://yankmarine.com/

Have you checked with Greene Marine in Maine? https://greene-marine.com/

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Diving?! I thought you had a cat!

The bottle jacks will work just fine under water, but I envisioned you standing in the water next to the boat.

I think I saw car jacks that are air bags and inflated with a compressor. That would work too.

ok ok. bending over with a snorkel on ha ha. to operate the bottle jack

But I think I don’t like a bottle jack because it’s difficult. It’s physically demanding. It requires me to work a lot before the rush job of trying to get the work done between the tides which is already going to be exhausting. So I am going to pass on the bottle jacks.

now, about the car jacks, you mean like this one? maybe not specifically this one because it’s kind of cheap, but something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Flieeya-Exhau...Y2hfbXRm&psc=1

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Here's a couple of suggestions to check out, but in general I think you should try in Maine. Possibly find some yard with an old marine railway.
Spruce Head Marine in Maine, but not sure they can haul you: https://shmarine.weebly.com/
Yank Marine in Tuckahoe, NJ: https://yankmarine.com/

Have you checked with Greene Marine in Maine? https://greene-marine.com/

Good old Walter Greene! I didn’t know he was still around. I looked into building the boat at his facility.

I also almost built it at Eric Goetz place in Rhode Island. Rent was too steep there for me.

these are some good suggestions and I will try these. They do require a lot of travel time so I still might go with the inflatable whatevers is to lift it out of the water a bit.

aside from saving time, lots of it, I also like being able to do everything I need to do on the boat without needing outside health. That’s kind of a big thing to me. Especially given how crappy marinas/yards are these days. They have no customer service anymore. They don’t need to. They’re drowning in business.

[Cheyne]

We had a hard time getting hauled out for our repower. Our solution was to hire a crane at the marine that we use for a slip, but couldn’t fit us in their travel lift. The crane operator brought out a 150 ton crane and snatched our little 380 like it was a toy. Instead of being far from the yard buildings I was put right next to it in the parking lot. Couldn’t have worked out better since we got to work with the people we wanted to work with. The cost was a little higher than they would have charged for a travel lift haul out. We paid $2800 for both ways.

Cheyne

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Chotu

ok ok. bending over with a snorkel on ha ha. to operate the bottle jack

But I think I don’t like a bottle jack because it’s difficult. It’s physically demanding. It requires me to work a lot before the rush job of trying to get the work done between the tides which is already going to be exhausting. So I am going to pass on the bottle jacks.

now, about the car jacks, you mean like this one? maybe not specifically this one because it’s kind of cheap, but something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Flieeya-Exhau...Y2hfbXRm&psc=1

Yes, except they used it with a compressor, not with the exhaust gas.

Also, you have air assisted bottle jacks… even at Harbor Freight

[deblen]

What is length,width,weight of your cat?
What is minimum draft? Does it have rudders,saildrives.keels-any other non-removable bottom projections? / Len

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Yes, except they used it with a compressor, not with the exhaust gas.

Also, you have air assisted bottle jacks… even at Harbor Freight

yes I’m looking at getting a compressor for this. I should be able to keep the weight down if I use bags and a compressor. Remember every pound counts. That’s another part of it. Plus I don’t want to go into the water to do any of it.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by deblen

What is length,width,weight of your cat?
What is minimum draft? Does it have rudders,saildrives.keels-any other non-removable bottom projections? / Len

LOA: 50
BOA: 25
Weight: Not sure. Maybe 14,000 lbs? 15,000?
Draft With No Rudders (engine steering only): 24 inches
Draft With Rudders: 36 inches

All appendages are retractable for maximum performance/convenience/safety

Air Draft 74ft

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Chotu

LOA: 50
BOA: 25
Weight: Not sure. Maybe 14,000 lbs? 15,000?
Draft With No Rudders (engine steering only): 24 inches
Draft With Rudders: 36 inches

All appendages are retractable for maximum performance/convenience/safety

Air Draft 74ft

How about a Fortress anchor set to one side and lift a hull with a halyard to the anchor?

[deblen]

What about grounding one hull at a time-on "supports"
Let the other hull drop with the tide.
You probably have time for cleaning & painting one hull per tide anyway.
How much tidal range do you have? / L

[Sailorichiban]

Hello all,
An interesting topic.
In the past I have successfully careened more than once.
To access the topsides and boot stripe, mainly for touch up work though sometimes considerably more filling, sanding and painting was needed.
I had the waterline on the bottom paint serval inches below the the boot stripe, it would be fouled after wintering at dock and required repainting with bottom paint during spring commissioning.
This I did at the dock typically.
Using a pair of halyards and winches that had swiveling blocks at the mast head to preserve the halyards. The halyards had attached tails used to securely belay them as far from the boat as feasible. In my recollection possibly I would have 20 degrees of heal.

Have you seen pictures of water bags being used to induce heeling to reduce the air draft to allow navigation below bridges that otherwise would be impassable?

In the case of a catamaran could a similar setup be incorporated to fly one hull at a time for maintenance purposes ?
Presumably then one could remain at anchor!
Best of luck to all !