How to move a sailboat on a cradle

musicmanontheseas · #1 (**permalink**) 06-06-2009

Any suggestions on how to move a sailboat which is on a cradle and get both up on a flatbed trailer and then how to get them off. Any pictures available would be helpful. The sailboat is a 25' Bristol, full keel 6,000 lbs. and it needs to be moved about 350 miles in Georgia.
Thanks

sailingdog · #2 (**permalink**) 06-06-2009

How solid is the cradle and is it a one-piece cradle? If it is a solid one-piece cradle, you might be able to lift both the boat and cradle together, but you'll need a crane.

kd3pc · #3 (**permalink**) 06-06-2009

I'm with SD on this one...it really depends on the cradle.

You should be under 10K pounds total so a fork lift may do the trick, else a crane...Unless you really know the cradle condition, I would have the yard lift the boat with the travel lift and sail/motor to your new location.

all the best.

musicmanontheseas · #4 (**permalink**) 06-06-2009

I've been told that the owner didn't think there was access on the sides to get a lift to the boat. I have no idea on the condition of the cradle but based on what I know of the owner I would expect it to be in very condition. I have seen some posts that suggest jacking up the cradle up on two beams high enough to back a flatbed up under. Any comments on this method?

sailingdog · #5 (**permalink**) 06-06-2009

That's a recipe for disaster IMHO. Unless the flatbed can get lower than most can, you will be tilting the cradle enough to cause the boat to shift on it... once the boat starts moving....bad things happen quickly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmanontheseas

I've been told that the owner didn't think there was access on the sides to get a lift to the boat. I have no idea on the condition of the cradle but based on what I know of the owner I would expect it to be in very condition. I have seen some posts that suggest jacking up the cradle up on two beams high enough to back a flatbed up under. Any comments on this method?

Selkirk · #6 (**permalink**) 06-06-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmanontheseas

I've been told that the owner didn't think there was access on the sides to get a lift to the boat. I have no idea on the condition of the cradle but based on what I know of the owner I would expect it to be in very condition. I have seen some posts that suggest jacking up the cradle up on two beams high enough to back a flatbed up under. Any comments on this method?

I dunno. I like that method. What they do with houses is lift them off the foundation and get the truck under it.

In fact, I'd contact a house mover and see if they will jack it up and get it on a flatbed for you. They do that kind of work all the time and have all the jacks and stuff. Piece of cake for them.

JimsCAL · #7 (**permalink**) 06-07-2009

For years our club stored boats on cradles and used a local hauler with a special flatbed trailer to launch and haul the boats from a nearby boat ramp. Cradles were shifted from blocks to the flatbead first using jacks and hydraulics that lowered the bed during the transfer. Contact a hauler to see if they have such equipment.

saildork · #8 (**permalink**) 06-07-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmanontheseas

I've been told that the owner didn't think there was access on the sides to get a lift to the boat. I have no idea on the condition of the cradle but based on what I know of the owner I would expect it to be in very condition. I have seen some posts that suggest jacking up the cradle up on two beams high enough to back a flatbed up under. Any comments on this method?

How did they get the boat in this spot in the first place? Seems to me the reverse of the same process will at least make the boat accessible to equipment that can then place it and the cradle onto a flatbed.

aibuiltpc · #9 (**permalink**) 06-07-2009

Same here, I had a boat and craddle set up that my hauler would just move both to the water. He could've moved it 350 miles too. I only moved it 30 miles on average. Look for a hauler that has the correct rig for safety sake.

Good Luck

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimsCAL

For years our club stored boats on cradles and used a local hauler with a special flatbed trailer to launch and haul the boats from a nearby boat ramp. Cradles were shifted from blocks to the flatbead first using jacks and hydraulics that lowered the bed during the transfer. Contact a hauler to see if they have such equipment.

merc2dogs · #10 (**permalink**) 06-07-2009

Call up a mobile home mover. If they can't get the boat and cradle on a trailer it can't be done.
I've moved my Triton three times, twice with a flatbed, once with a professional mover. Once with my buddies who work at a mobile home service, and once I put it on a flatbed alone using a floor jack, a bunch of wood for cribbing, (from the mobile home service) and some pipe for rollers. Here's the Triton and the cradle:

Picasa Web Albums - ken - triton

I just lifted it a bit higher than the trailer with the cribbing in front set back a bit, then pit the pipes down on the trailer, set the front of the boat on it, then pulled the cribbing in front and pulled the trailer back with a pair of come-alongs. Three stacks cribbing on each side, remove cribbing as I reached each stack to keep the boat stable.
If you do that, make sure you stack the cribbing more like " # " with at least two blocks per layer, and not just one block on another.
Cribbing was various chunks of 8x8,4x4, and 2x6 Lift it, fill space with thinner cribbing, go to other end lift it twice as high, fill the space replacing thin stuff with thicker stuff as you can.
Whether it's a viable option depends on the cradle. With the triton cradle, it's heavy duty enough that I've actually considered just mounting axles and a tongue on it. (8x8 square tube)

Ken.