My Typhoon slipped out of the slings !!!

[ronkberg]

Yesterday I sailed up the river to a marina capable of hauling my Typhoon. My wife helped me to unstep the mast and I tied it to the pulpit and aft cleat so the boat was ready to be hauled.

Today I was at the marina bright and early to see her hauled, bottom cleaned and set on my trailer. The boat was staged under the slings and they started to lift, carefully watching for balance. I told the yard manager that I was concerned with the aft sling, as it was very close to the rudder......and then the front sling rapidly slipped up and off the bow. Lots of noise, motor into the river, mast settled back onto the boat but has a 45degree bend about six feet from the deck end. Pulpit was torn from the deck mounts and bent badly, but the deck in not damaged. Slight damage to the teak on the aft deck and the cleat has been busted but the aft deck undamaged.

Marina recovered my motor and since it was in fresh water, they expect it will recover and work fine. I agree and will assess it after they perform the necessary flushing and cleaning.

I will be posting on the buy/sell page to see if anyone has a mast and pulpit....maybe something left from last year's hurricanes. The marina will cover all of the repair costs and will fit out a new mast if a "seasoned" one is not available.

Luckily it happened now so that all will be repaired and ready for the 2007 season. Although I am sad, my attitude is "shit happens and then you deal with it". My Typhoon will be dancing in Saco Bay next spring I am sure and this day will be a fading memory.

Ron

[David van den Burgh]

Sorry to hear about your boat. Glad she's not worse off.
Given your experience, this probably goes without saying, but... our yard always runs a line between the forward and aft strap to prevent what you've described. In fact, lately they've been using two lines - one on either side of the keel. Generally they place the aft strap first, positioning it under the rudder heel and bringing it up tight, then they position the forward strap and lift her slightly bow down.
Good luck getting her back in shape.

[bhartley]

Wow! You sure are handling it well. I am afraid I would not have been nearly as contained.

At least it was the end of the season and not the beginning. Check her over really well just to make sure there isn't any hidden damage.

Spring will be here sooner than you think and I'm sure they'll have her good as new -- and will be a LOT more cautious putting her back in.

Bly

[Warren Kaplan]

Sorry to hear of this but it could have been worse. Make sure you get a surveyor over to your boat before you settle with the yard on the bills. Maybe you think the deck and other areas of the boat suffered no damage but you should get a surveyor in there to make sure before you sign off on anything with the yard.

[osteomark]

Big bummer. Boy, thats what I'm afraid will happening to my typhoon. And you witnessed it. Ughh.
I've been blessed because my friend has Ford F250 and was able to back the trailered typhoon down a ramp and she floated beautifully off next to a dock. $8 at city marina! I needed a little more help getting her back onto the trailer, one driving truck, one in the bed of truck to center her bow, and one on dock to set the stern area but worked great.

Mark

[Mark Yashinsky]

Usually the rear strap is not a problem, because that part of the keel is flat and parallel to the ground. Because of the cutaway forefoot, that front strap is the worrisome one. Should have a (or two) lines tying the front and rear straps together, ideally down near the keel, but at least start at the water line, before the boat is walked by the Travelift.
Also, were the straps at least parallel to each other or even better, angled in slightly (like a pyramid)?

[M. R. Bober]

You didn't mention the name of the marina....
I'm with Warren. Get a surveyor to check your boat.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Annapolis (where one inquiring mind wants to know), MD

[ronkberg]

I will not divulge the marina name because they are very reputable and they made a mistake. Yes the operator should have tied the slings together and he did just that....after mine fell....and hauled a 26' foot Island Packet with no problem.

The marina owners have owned up to the error and are willing to pay all of the costs so I do not want to become confrontational at this time. I will broach the subject about getting a survey completed but I really doubt that it is necessary. The pulpit just pulled out of the deck mounts and the aft cleat was not very robust (OEM I suspect ) and broke but the mounting screws are all still in place. I think that speaks well for the strength of the aft deck fiberglass.

As soon as the motor was retrieved, they took it to an outboard repair shop and will have it assessed and repaired. The motor has been very reliable and I will need to get assurance that it will be ready when needed next year. Getting all of the fresh water out and then a good coating of WD40 or similar product and then get her running for a few hours should get her clean. Agreed?

Searching for a used mast has not been successful as yet and I plan to call Spartan Marine to get a quote on a new extrusion. Then the marina can fit it out with my rigging, antenna and lights.

I am a reasonable person and also optimistic that the repairs will progress in a timely manner. If not then I will consider having my lawyer get involved.

Ron

[Oswego John]

This is OJs son mike, how high were you? If this is a really good yard and crew/ they should have no problem about you having a surveyor go aboard,around and under your vessels hull. Remember.... your life depends on the strength and integerty of your hull. I have only had one vessel damaged by me while lifting out, was not a Cape Dory, it was a 26 footer, a sail boat she was though, a lot of noise. Man lied about weight,didnt want to pay for emptying all his tanks, my fault for trusting,I was crane operator! Thing is no real visible damage,there was a lot of fixable damage to port hull, it would have been real bad later on and I would have been off the hook,I..as operator demanded owner have her surveyed,there was a possible accident hiding there. Not trying to scare you. This was only accident I have had lifting in over 40 years. Be safe, please. Dog says wooof. SEMPER FIDELIS. Mike.

[ronkberg]

Hi Mike, the Typhoon was only 2-4 feet clear of the water when the sling slipped. The splash was not very large, but I was more in shock than anything else. I saw the bent mast immediately but looking back aft, my comment was that the motor mount was gone. The haul operator said he saw mount and motor flip off into the water. Maybe my mind was in denial as the reality came over me.

Anyway, I will consider the need for a survey after I look closer at the boat to assess where other damage might have occurred. Hull and keel did not take much abuse and only splashed. Mast bent about where it was tied to the pulpit, then the pulpit detached from the deck mounts.

Thanks for the thoughts and please give my best to your dad, I've appreciated his many postings.

Ron

[bhartley]

While at the Georgia coast buying our newest addition, we noticed that all of the boats (power & sail) in the yard we used had sling marks. Ours are just small triangles just under the rub rail.

When we arrived at the yard, they already had hauled the boat and there were the slings just in the right place nicely balanced. Neither my husband nor I had seen anyone use them in at the yards we have used in New England. Maybe we just missed them, but they probably would make a nice addition to anyone's topsides.

The picture in the CD manual shows where to put the slings, but there are no portholes or reference points ABOVE the waterline.

Of course, tying the straps together is also needed!

Cheers,

Bly

[Al Levesque]

Our Club Yardmaster religiously requires that we drop a loose bowline down the forward strap and tie off on the jib winch before he puts pressure on the forward strap. The slime makes all the difference on haulout.