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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I am about to pull Wind Horse and move her to the country for a winter refit. This may sound a bit unusual, but I have always envied those of you on the Great Lakes for the few months you get to spend each year taking care of your boats, even if it is in the depths of winter. I‘ve been reading the Black Arts regarding trailers and cradles, and cannot decide if I want to buy a trailer that fits the boat, or hire a hauler and have a cradle built for the boat. I am calculating the economics now.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">If anyone has any inside information, an anecdote, idea or comment on storing the boat that is not covered in the Black Arts, please let me know. I am especially interested in how to get the boat from the trailer to the cradle (where to place the straps for support but out of the way of the jack stands) since the local crane and rigging company in La Grange is unlikely to have moved a sailboat and may need guidance.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">From the best I can tell Wind Horse has been sitting in salt water every day since January of 1974, with only few pulls for bottom jobs and other maintenance. She sails faster than most boats on the bay half again her size, but she looks like hell. I have done all I can do with the boat in the water.
Mike M
SV Wind Horse
#375
Galveston, Tx
Last edited by (2009-08-19 23:38:52)
Mike M
SV Wind Horse
#375
Galveston, Tx
Offline
We rather take this process for granted, so it's difficult to know what's obvious to you and what might be a revelation.
Our club Travellift picks up boats with the slings forward of the bow and stern areas where pads will be applied. When the boat settles into its cradle, the slings therefore are not trapped by the pads. Pads should be applied approximately on a line with the forward end of the cockpit and the forward end of the head windows, so the slings should go forward of these points. Make yourself a nice long wooden wedge to slip under the forward end of the keel so the weight is not all on the aft end. Since you are taking the boat inland, this is probably superfluous, but sailboats on land are happier with their rigs down particularly in storm country. Build yourself a nice high tarp frame that you can work under comfortably so you don't have to close up the boat and put everything away every time you stop work.
Are you going to strip the bottom? Factor this into your trailer/cradle economics - it may be cheaper to tow your boat to a sandblasting company than to have them come to you. If you decide to sand the bottom clean yourself, don't try to do this with some POS Black & Decker home-handyman toy. Invest in a powerful random-orbit sander with a dust removal system - your lungs will thank you (Bosch sanders are good and the dust removal hose, etc. is reasonably priced; an inexpensive ShopVac completes the system). Interprotect? Mix it carefully and then roll-and-tip it on for a smooth finish.
Rudder? It's probably full of water, but that doesn't mean it's toast (see my Black Arts entry on Towser's rudder). Alternatively, you may wish to build a second-generation style rudder. This will lighten the load on the helm.
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
Last edited by (2009-08-20 06:08:55)
David Weatherston
Towser, Toronto
C&C 27 Mk IV
Offline
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