Making a boat lift

[DePlano]

I need to do a lot of work to my Tempest and was thinking I was going to make a lift and place to store it.

I was just going to go down to the hardware store and get some 4X4s, 2X4's and some heavy duty ratchet straps and put those on some pilings (the cement things you can attach 4X4s). Thinking I would just put four vertical 4X4s with two long 4X4s for the top of the sides, two short 4X4s for the top of the ends, and a bracing it a little more with 2X4s. I would use the straps to go under the boat and hold it on those

What are the serious flaws with what I am thinking about doing? Other good (cheap) ideas? The trailer is screwed (1 1/2 mile dirt driveway basically killed it) so I am not going to move it around that much before I start working on it

Yes I will mow first

I was going to drop the keel so that is only going to have that added weight for a short time.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...g?t=1210803570

[48Dodge]

Can't post pictures or direct links yet, but if you'll look on the last couple of pages on my photobucket account, you'll see what I did. Feel free to post the pictures since I can't.

smg.photobucket.com/albums/v96/blustig/Sailboat/

4x4s for the vertical pieces and doubled-up 2x8s for the horizontal bar on the front "sawhorse". I wish I had made the rear support in a similar fashion. Much easier to build and sturdier. My rear support isn't going anywhere, but if and when I do it again in the future, it'll be another sawhorse. I don't know how much your boat weighs, but 4x4s should be enough for the cross pieces. I'll probably rather use doubled-up 2x6s.

[merlin2375]

48dodge, here are your pics

[Bermuda30]

Redneck engineering...

http://s280.photobucket.com/albums/k...t=100_0990.jpg

http://s280.photobucket.com/albums/k...t=100_0988.jpg

[48Dodge]

I can almost hear that wood creaking and splintering from here!

[DePlano]

I can't believe that boat is staying up on that thing

That looks like a good way to go about it 48, but I don't think it will work for my trailer and boat

Thanks for the response though, and thank you merlin for linking them

[sailortjk1]

His Oday looks a lot heavier than your boat and it is resting very nicely on his home made stands.
Why don't you think a set up like that would work for you?

How much does your boat weigh?
Looks like about 5 guys could pick it up and place it anywhere you want to.
Put it on the ground and lay it on its side.

[TrueBlue]

Have to agree with tj that, despite the homespun appearance of his wooden "sawhorse" rig, it seems to have adequate support and provides clearance for trailer removal. The beam does have some visual deflection but won't fail.

Don't know if 48Dodge actually calculated the loads and spans with his design, but I would have engineered the beams at bow and stern, for point-loading and perhaps used plywood gussets in place of the diagonal braces to resist racking.

[TrueBlue]

Bermuda30's solution however, in post #4, scares the bejeezes outta me . . . check out that beam's deflection (g).

[48Dodge]

Oh yeah, I was out there with my slide rule. hehe

Seriously, though. I just overbuilt the thing and kept adding supports to make sure it wouldn't go anywhere. I want to say my Oday is just around 2500lbs (supposed to be 2200 from the factory). I really just had to build the whole thing around how high I felt safe jacking the whole thing up and leave enough room to get the trailer out. Anything supporting the hull is better than the trailer it was sitting on. One bunk was busted up so it was pretty much just resting on the uprights. Also, if I weren't sanding and repainting, the whole setup would have been padded with carpet.

After being on the supports for about 2 months now, the front support probably is deflecting a total of about 1-2 inches.