This past Sunday was to be the haulout day for my typhoon. This is her first year in salt water. In years past I had always launched and hauled her using a hoist and the lifting ring in the bilge, but here in Portland Maine there are no hoists that can be used for free. Launching her at the beginning of the season was no problem. She floated right off the trailer. Hauling her out proved to be more problematic.
The trailer, once used for salvaging crashed airplanes, is a flatbed affair with the wooden cradle bolted on. The tounge is way too short to be practical. My tounge extension amounts to 20 feet of chain connecting the safety chains on the trailer to the frame of the truck. The plan worked perfectly at first; at high tide I backed the trailer, on the end of its chain, under the boat and positioned everything just so. Once the boat was lined up with the cradle I had the truck pull forward a few feet so the boat was resting on the trailer with about 6" of bottom paint showing. The plan was to chock the wheels of the trailer and truck, wait for the tide to go out, and then back down to attach the truck and trailer and drive off $120 richer for having saved hauling fees at a local yard.
I must say that the boat looked pretty smart there on the trailer, with the tide going out beneath her. The plan was going perfectly and I felt pretty smug about the money I saved. My crew and I were enjoying a beer on the dock while waiting for the tide when we heard a *SNAP* then a wrenching sound. I looked over to see the boat sliding sideways off the trailer and splashing into the water. It turns out that the cradle had broken leaving the boat unsupported on the starboard side. One of the diagonal supports snapped and twisted out of the frame like kindling. Once it was free of the splintered cradle and the keel had cleared the trailer, the boat started to drift (in a good 10 kt breeze) toward a nearby breakwater. A short swim saved the boat, but it'll take a few trips to Home Depot Marina to get the trailer back in functioning shape.
In the end no harm was done, but I'm sure glad the cradle broke when it did rather than when I was doing 50mph on route 77.
The moral of the story: 1, check your wooden cradle carefully before hauling out this year. These Cape Dorys are getting on in the years and those of us that still use the original wooden cradles have to watch for rot especially if it is ever stored outside. They are easily reinforced by bolting PT planks to the existing parts. 2, Don't be such a cheapskate. Pay the professionals to do their job.
I have learned my lesson. The yard will be pulling my typhoon on Thursday.
-Mitch
Galatea
Ty #1453
Disaster strikes (almost)
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Olli Wendelin
Re: Disaster strikes (almost)
Mitch,
Using the boat ramp is reasonable. The problem was the rotted cradle, not the method. How would using a yard or crane have prevented this, unless you are relying on their inspection of your trailer. Maybe you should upgrade your trailer. This spring a buddy of mine hauled his CD28 up a local boat ramp, saving several hundred in yard fees.
Olli Wendelin
BLUE MOON
Charleston, SC
wendelin@spawar.navy.mil
Using the boat ramp is reasonable. The problem was the rotted cradle, not the method. How would using a yard or crane have prevented this, unless you are relying on their inspection of your trailer. Maybe you should upgrade your trailer. This spring a buddy of mine hauled his CD28 up a local boat ramp, saving several hundred in yard fees.
Olli Wendelin
BLUE MOON
Charleston, SC
wendelin@spawar.navy.mil
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Don Sargeant
Re: Disaster strikes (almost)
Mitch,
One can't be too careful when working with wooden cradles. I built a cradle out of 8"x8" pressure treated beams held together with 3/4" x6" galvanized lag screws and 1/4" plate. The wood, the plates and the screw heads were perfect after 20 years. Our yard started using stands instead of cradles and when we demolished my cradle there was NO metal left on the shafts of any of the screws. The thing would have simply fallen apart had I tried it one more time.
I guess I was luckier than you.
Don Sargeant
~~COQUINA~~
CD25D #189
Happy to pay to be hauled in Greenwich Cove
One can't be too careful when working with wooden cradles. I built a cradle out of 8"x8" pressure treated beams held together with 3/4" x6" galvanized lag screws and 1/4" plate. The wood, the plates and the screw heads were perfect after 20 years. Our yard started using stands instead of cradles and when we demolished my cradle there was NO metal left on the shafts of any of the screws. The thing would have simply fallen apart had I tried it one more time.
I guess I was luckier than you.
Don Sargeant
~~COQUINA~~
CD25D #189
Happy to pay to be hauled in Greenwich Cove
Mitch wrote: This past Sunday was to be the haulout day for my typhoon. This is her first year in salt water. In years past I had always launched and hauled her using a hoist and the lifting ring in the bilge, but here in Portland Maine there are no hoists that can be used for free. Launching her at the beginning of the season was no problem. She floated right off the trailer. Hauling her out proved to be more problematic.
The trailer, once used for salvaging crashed airplanes, is a flatbed affair with the wooden cradle bolted on. The tounge is way too short to be practical. My tounge extension amounts to 20 feet of chain connecting the safety chains on the trailer to the frame of the truck. The plan worked perfectly at first; at high tide I backed the trailer, on the end of its chain, under the boat and positioned everything just so. Once the boat was lined up with the cradle I had the truck pull forward a few feet so the boat was resting on the trailer with about 6" of bottom paint showing. The plan was to chock the wheels of the trailer and truck, wait for the tide to go out, and then back down to attach the truck and trailer and drive off $120 richer for having saved hauling fees at a local yard.
I must say that the boat looked pretty smart there on the trailer, with the tide going out beneath her. The plan was going perfectly and I felt pretty smug about the money I saved. My crew and I were enjoying a beer on the dock while waiting for the tide when we heard a *SNAP* then a wrenching sound. I looked over to see the boat sliding sideways off the trailer and splashing into the water. It turns out that the cradle had broken leaving the boat unsupported on the starboard side. One of the diagonal supports snapped and twisted out of the frame like kindling. Once it was free of the splintered cradle and the keel had cleared the trailer, the boat started to drift (in a good 10 kt breeze) toward a nearby breakwater. A short swim saved the boat, but it'll take a few trips to Home Depot Marina to get the trailer back in functioning shape.
In the end no harm was done, but I'm sure glad the cradle broke when it did rather than when I was doing 50mph on route 77.
The moral of the story: 1, check your wooden cradle carefully before hauling out this year. These Cape Dorys are getting on in the years and those of us that still use the original wooden cradles have to watch for rot especially if it is ever stored outside. They are easily reinforced by bolting PT planks to the existing parts. 2, Don't be such a cheapskate. Pay the professionals to do their job.
I have learned my lesson. The yard will be pulling my typhoon on Thursday.
-Mitch
Galatea
Ty #1453
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Joel
Re: Disaster strikes (almost)
When I bought my '73 Ty in '88, she came with a cradle. I don't know if it was original or not, but I used the cradle every year until this last. I didn't have a trailer, so I paid a local yard to float her onto the cradle on one of their trailers. They'd move her around with equipment back in the warehouse. Anyway, one year they added a $150 carpenter's fee to my storage bill to cover the reconstruction of the cradle. When I saw the result that Spring, it looked like the lateral forces of hauling her up the incline of the ramp were too much for a structure I assume was built to just sit on even, level ground - there was much splintered wood now held together by pieces of plywood screwed to any solid part of the original wood. There were no signs of damage to Pokey, but I'm kind of glad I didn't see what happened! The jerry-rebuilt cradle worked well for many more years, but I bet indoor storage contributed alot to that.
Joel Bondy
S/Y Pokey II
Ty #549
bondy_joel@hotmail.com
Joel Bondy
S/Y Pokey II
Ty #549
bondy_joel@hotmail.com
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M. R. Bober
Re: Disaster strikes (almost)
Many (many,many) years ago when I was very young and inexperienced AND IT WAS LARRY'S FAULT, ANYWAY...
The trailer I used for my Catalina 22 had one of those tongues that extended about 8 feet for launching. I was driving, and Larry (it was really was his fault, but it was my boat) pulled the pin to allow the tongue to be extended and gave me the OK to start the launch. I slowly backed down the ramp only to watch the boat--still strapped to the trailer--slowly float towards the channel.
Did I mention that it was Larry's fault? He neglected to replace the pin in the tongue. The Dock Committee loved it. I think we received "10" from the judges.
Fortunately it was only a Catalina. Be careful with those Cape Dory boats.
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
The trailer I used for my Catalina 22 had one of those tongues that extended about 8 feet for launching. I was driving, and Larry (it was really was his fault, but it was my boat) pulled the pin to allow the tongue to be extended and gave me the OK to start the launch. I slowly backed down the ramp only to watch the boat--still strapped to the trailer--slowly float towards the channel.
Did I mention that it was Larry's fault? He neglected to replace the pin in the tongue. The Dock Committee loved it. I think we received "10" from the judges.
Fortunately it was only a Catalina. Be careful with those Cape Dory boats.
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
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John Lesage
One more Disaster is awaiting!!
You keep hauling that Ty by that ring and you'll eventually have 900#s of lead lifting through the decks+:
This past Sunday was to be the haulout day for my typhoon. This is her first year in salt water. In years past I had always launched and hauled her using a hoist and the lifting ring in the bilge, but here in Portland Maine there are no hoists that can be used for free.
cdtyphoon@snet.net
This past Sunday was to be the haulout day for my typhoon. This is her first year in salt water. In years past I had always launched and hauled her using a hoist and the lifting ring in the bilge, but here in Portland Maine there are no hoists that can be used for free.
cdtyphoon@snet.net
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Will W.
Re: One more Disaster is awaiting!!
He's Right! In my owners manual section 4.1 "Blocking The Hull" near the end of the second paragraph. "Typhoons and CD 25's are NOT (NOT is underlined and in bold in my manual)to be lifted by the eyebolt in the ballast. These were used at the factory to place the ballast in position in the hull during the boat's constuction."
Just thought you should know.
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
willwheatley@starpower.net
Just thought you should know.
Will Wheatley
Suzi Q
CD25
John Lesage wrote: You keep hauling that Ty by that ring and you'll eventually have 900#s of lead lifting through the decks+:
This past Sunday was to be the haulout day for my typhoon. This is her first year in salt water. In years past I had always launched and hauled her using a hoist and the lifting ring in the bilge, but here in Portland Maine there are no hoists that can be used for free.
willwheatley@starpower.net
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Mitch F.
Success at last...
Your story reminds me of my dad and his new roller trailer for the small motorboat he keeps on a lake in NH. While waiting for his turn at the launch ramp he walked around his brand new trailer releasing all the tiedowns and preparing for launch. The guy ahead of him finished and dad backed the trailer down the ramp. As soon as he was on the incline the slick new rollers did their job and the boat shot off the trailer and landed squarely on the pavement with its stern about 6 feet on the dry side of the waters edge. Dad hopped out of the car, looked at the boat, and calmly inquired of the gathered onlookers what time the tide came in.
Last night I shured up the Ty cradle with a trees worth of PT lumber. While unstepping the mast this morning I figured what the heck, I'll just pull her out myself. I repeated the operation discussed in the last post, this time successfully. The Galatea is now quietly waiting for spring behind the garage. Its been a great season but now its time to take out the DN iceboat and sharpen the blades in preparation for some hard water sailing!
Last night I shured up the Ty cradle with a trees worth of PT lumber. While unstepping the mast this morning I figured what the heck, I'll just pull her out myself. I repeated the operation discussed in the last post, this time successfully. The Galatea is now quietly waiting for spring behind the garage. Its been a great season but now its time to take out the DN iceboat and sharpen the blades in preparation for some hard water sailing!