Hi All,
Shortly I shall be using a Travel Lift to haul out my BCC. Having never used
one before, I wonder if there are any tips you might have re sling position
etc. Tips of any description would be most appreciated.
Denis N Ripley
‘Bristol Cream’
|
I always oversee the yard-hands when the boat is hauled and launched.
Following is a brief description of how I haul, block and launch my boats.
Warning, I am not a marine professional, please consult with the boat yard before performing any of the steps listed below.
Straps and Lifting:
I have yard place the aft strap at the aft cabin bulkhead and the forward strap at the forward cabin bulkhead. Once the straps are positioned, I will not let the yard lift the boat until the straps are tied together with a stout rope. I have seen straps slide on full keel boats when the boat is lifted, hence the reason for tying the straps together.
When the boat is moved by the travel-lift operator, the boat should not bounce around in the slings or swing too much. If it does, stop the operation and ask the operator to slow the travel-lift down. If this does not work, talk to the yard manager. Boats can be damaged or dropped if they are bounced or jostled in the slings while being moved.
Blocking:
When the boat is blocked, I used a 4' level to ensure the boat is level for and aft and athwartship. In addition, I also "eye" the mast to ensure the ship is level athwartship. During the blocking process, I like to see three good blocks of wood under the keel and three boat stands per each side of the boat.
Bottom Painting:
A few days after I have completed the bottom painting, I have the yard move the stands so I can paint the area where the pads rested against the hull. When the stands are moved, I place a piece of plastic sheeting between the boat stand pad and the new bottom paint to prevent the paint from sticking to the stand. If you paint the pad area when the boat is lifted to launch it, the bottom paint in the pad areas is not as effective as the rest of the bottom paint on the boat. Bottom paint needs to dry at least a day before launching the boat.
Launching
Again, I always have the straps tied together before the boat is lifted and I always oversee the operation.
I am interested to hear how over owners haul, block and launch the boat.
Warning, I am not a marine professional, please consult with the boat yard before performing any of the steps listed above.
Fair Winds,
Rod
S/V IDUNA
|
|
Denis,
Its a good idea to have a picture of the hull shape for the yard. I put the front sling at the middle of the chain plates and the back one about where the tiller ends in the cockpit. Have them tie the slings together so nothing slips off. Also take a picture so you can remember where the straps go. Many people mark the boat itself. Oh, I also pray.
Kate Kate Christensen, Senior Associate RogueWave Yacht Sales & Services, LLC. PO Box 4697, Annapolis, MD 21403-4697 USA 410 571-2955 HomeOffice 410 703-5008 Cell Phone 801 681-9741 Fax -----Original Message----- From: Denis N Ripley [mailto:dripley@shaw.ca] Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 11:37 PM To: bcc@yahoogroups.com Subject: [bcc] Travel Lift
Hi All, Shortly I shall be using a Travel Lift to haul out Denis N Ripley
BRISTOL CHANNEL CUTTER OWNERS ASSOCIATION<span style=“font-size:10.0pt;font-family:“Courier New””> Mail List Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcc BCC Owners Home: http://www.geocities.com/bccowners Post message: mailto:bcc@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: mailto:bcc-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: mailto:bcc-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com List owner: mailto:bcc-owner@yahoogroups.com Your use of |
|
Most of my experience is with cranes -- my hull is in the backyard. With a crane spreaders can be an issue. For my first lift I fashioned my own since the
operator hadn't brought any. Two sets of 2x12x12' boards bolted together with a V notch cut in each end and rested just forward and aft of the main cabin right on
the bulwarks worked very nicely I have no deck boxes or coamings to block the way. She rides nose low and was rock solid in the straps.
I've included two photos of that first move. The crane operator actually put half the boat into the shed for me then held the back end up as we rolled her the rest
of the way in.
Don Kircher / Daytona Beach
|
I don’t own a BCC, but I have my boat (full keel with cut away
forefoot) hauled every year. I also watch the yard haul many other
boats each season. The biggest risk in having a travel lift haul a
full keel boat is snagging the rudder. Since the BCC has an outboard
rudder that won’t be a problem. Basically I would suggest that the
aft sling be positioned a foot or two aft of the cabin house.
Position the forward sling just forward of the mast. Rather than
tie the slings together I suggest that a line be tied to the forward
sling and led aft to the primary winches. The attachment of the
line to the forward sling should be low (around the waterline) at the
turn of the bilge. At least that is what the yard I use does and they
launch and haul over 200 boats a season.
Todd Dunn
Bass Harbor, ME
Good advice all, although I think the rudder is still at risk, even
if it is outboard. As the operator takes tension on the aft sling, I
wiggle the rudder to make sure it is free. A picture of the
underbody is a great idea, it tells the operator that you are
competent and prepared and expecting the same in return. I have all
my underwater fittings marked on it as well, even though they are in
the hollow of the garboard area, therefore protected.
I have never tied the slings together, but request that she be
lifted/carried nose down which holds the slings from sliding
forward.
I also bring some cardboard cut up into strips to pad the straps,
just in case they just hauled Bill’s Barnacle Barge. They straps can
scratch the gelcoat if they have crud imbedded in them.
3 sets of blocks under the keel, they carry the weight. 3 sets
of stands, MUST be chained together, to keep her balanced. Always
have the yard set or reset the stands, but make sure they do it to
your satisfaction. Also, look at the boats in your row, if one goes
over it is a dominoe effect. If a single boat falls over, the yard
is negligent usually. If a bunch fall over, the yard can argue “an
act of God” and deny liability. At the yard where I was last winter,
a 24’ Helms fin keeler, old but meticulously maintained, had just
gotten the last coat of bottom paint and was a couple of days from
launch. It fell off the stands in a storm and it looked to me to be
totalled, bulkheads broke thru the laminate. Even though that was
the only boat that fell, the yard denied liability, claiming the 60
knot winds were an act of God. The boat is still there. I assume
there are suits/countersuits, etc. Even if repaired, I doubt it will
ever be right and I can’t imagine them paying for loss of use or
emotional heartbreak.
John Churchill
— In bcc@yahoogroups.com , Denis N Ripley <dripley@s…> wrote:
Hi All,
Shortly I shall be using a Travel Lift to haul out my BCC. Having
never used
one before, I wonder if there are any tips you might have re sling
position
etc. Tips of any description would be most appreciated.Denis N Ripley
‘Bristol Cream’
I just had my BCC travel-lifted with a fairly old lift here in Marblehead
Because of the lift design, I had to remove the backstay, jibstay, and
inner stay!. Both headsails are on harken furlers. I used throw
cushion PFDs to rest the furlers on deck and avoid scratching.
If you need to remove stays, have a combination wrench handy thay fits
the rigging terminal perfectly; the yard guy who jumped aboard (-I was
alone driving my BCC into a nasty, rusty slipway during foul weather
with a faulty engine–) he used some old needlenose pliers and made
burrs and dents on the navtec fitting before I could run below and get
a proper wrench.
Interestingly enough, since the mast is keel stepped and has an
overbuilt double spreader design, the mast didn’t really wobble much
as the boat was bumped around around the yard with the backstay and
both headstays flapping around. One teeny mast wedge fell off. I still
got no water intrusion around the mast boot when it poured right after.
Of course, although the standing rigging was loose, neither furler
wanted to go back in…the rigging had re-arranged itself and I was
1-2" too short. I had to run a halyard thru a block on the end of the
bowsprit to bend the mast forward and generate the slack required to
re-insert the foward stays. Taking the sails off the furlers
beforehand is highly recommended =)
The hull shape actually made it easy to slide the slings under the
boat. You may want to mention to them that your boat weighs 15,000
pounds…not too many 28 footers are that built up.
Julian
— In bcc@yahoogroups.com , Denis N Ripley <dripley@s…> wrote:
Hi All,
Shortly I shall be using a Travel Lift to haul out my BCC. Having
never used
one before, I wonder if there are any tips you might have re sling
position
etc. Tips of any description would be most appreciated.Denis N Ripley
‘Bristol Cream’
That reminds me… I always back in to the travelift slip, so I
only have to pull the backstay-still a PITA since I have the vane
there. When I detach the furler, I put it outboard, padded and tied
to a forward stanchion so the foil does not take a “set”. When I
reattach the furler, the problem seems to me to be to pull the
catenary out of the foil rather than bending the mast forward. I use
a line tied to the foil with a rolling hitch, then cinch it down with
the vang tackle attached to a webbing loop over the outboard end of
the sprit. With the backstay and bobstay slack, I can usually do it
this way singlehanded. It is especially tough if the boat is in the
water, because there is nowhere to stand except on the sprit, but
ashore a step ladder is great.
I rerigged last winter and replaced everything with the mast in
the boat. Having been at the masthead with only part of the rigging
attached, I can attest that the mast is quite stiff fore and aft, but
not side to side. Being up there with out any upper shrouds attached
was scary. It is sort of off the topic, but I would strongly suggest
not doing it that way, pull the mast to replace rigging.
John Churchill
— In bcc@yahoogroups.com , “pelenur <pelenur@y…>” <pelenur@y…>
wrote:
I just had my BCC travel-lifted with a fairly old lift here in
MarbleheadBecause of the lift design, I had to remove the backstay, jibstay,
and
inner stay!. Both headsails are on harken furlers. I used throw
cushion PFDs to rest the furlers on deck and avoid scratching.If you need to remove stays, have a combination wrench handy thay
fits
the rigging terminal perfectly; the yard guy who jumped aboard (-I
was
alone driving my BCC into a nasty, rusty slipway during foul weather
with a faulty engine–) he used some old needlenose pliers and made
burrs and dents on the navtec fitting before I could run below and
get
a proper wrench.Interestingly enough, since the mast is keel stepped and has an
overbuilt double spreader design, the mast didn’t really wobble much
as the boat was bumped around around the yard with the backstay and
both headstays flapping around. One teeny mast wedge fell off. I
still
got no water intrusion around the mast boot when it poured right
after.Of course, although the standing rigging was loose, neither furler
wanted to go back in…the rigging had re-arranged itself and I was
1-2" too short. I had to run a halyard thru a block on the end of
the
bowsprit to bend the mast forward and generate the slack required to
re-insert the foward stays. Taking the sails off the furlers
beforehand is highly recommended =)The hull shape actually made it easy to slide the slings under the
boat. You may want to mention to them that your boat weighs 15,000
pounds…not too many 28 footers are that built up.Julian
— In bcc@yahoogroups.com , Denis N Ripley <dripley@s…> wrote:
Hi All,
Shortly I shall be using a Travel Lift to haul out my BCC. Having
never used
one before, I wonder if there are any tips you might have re sling
position
etc. Tips of any description would be most appreciated.Denis N Ripley
‘Bristol Cream’