How to get your Nautique off the ground?

[Wakebrad]

In the next month I am going to resurface the bottom of the hull on my '92 Sport (previous owner had anti-fowling paint on it). I've been researching this for over a year and have decided on rolling on new gel. It will be a painstaking process but the most durable one.

My only standing problem right now is how to get the boat in the air to work where the bunks hit. I have considered:

1. Putting car jack stands under it (use a piece of carpet covered wood to protect the boat). Using 3 stands 2 in the rear and one at the v. This seems difficult and risky.

2. Trying to lift the boat by the engine mount and the nose ring. This is by far the better solution because I can do all the work without obstruction. Problem is where do I find a place that can balance a 3500 lb boat?

Does anyone have any experience with this and could provide some advice? Would an auto-mechanic shop let me do it? Boat dealership or marina maybe? What's my best bet?

[darrel409]

RE: How to get your Nautique off the ground?

Lifting rings are easiest if you have someting to lift with. The lifting rings front and rear are bulit to lift and hang the boat (not engine mount). Jacks and wood blocks will also work, there will be a lot of shifting from blocks to jacks...to remove the trailer. Wood blocks are better than jackstands.

[SGY]

RE: How to get your Nautique off the ground?

darrel409 is correct. The best way is to use the lifting rings fore and aft. They're designed to lift and hold the boat indefinitely. Have an engineer do a load analysis on your rafters in your garage to see if they can hold the load. If so, get two hoists, tie them to the rafters and you are golden.

[Wakebrad]

I wondered about using the rafters in the garage but assumed it wouldn't support that. My dad has a PE in mechanical. Maybe he can do some analysis. CE would probably be better..

I don't know where the aft lifting ring is. Here's a picture of the boat. I thought it was supposed to be lifted by something in the engine compartment and by the front ring.

[Flux]

I am gonna say that I really don't think the rafters in your garage is a good idea. Even if you tie them all together with a cross beam to distribute the load it still seems risky. I know for a fact that houses were not built to hang boats from the structure.

My $0.02, would hate to see an accident happen.

[SGY]

Isn't that it right above the two caution decals above the platform?

[jhiestand]

I'm 90% sure the two 'tie-down' rings you're using on the rear are your transom lift rings. I don't know what caused them to switch but many of their boats changed from a single rear ring to two.

[darrel409]

concur, you're using them as tie down rings too. Garage may not work unless you remove your tower or have a very tall garage. I've pulled the motor w/ a come-along in my garage but i used a 6X6 overhead above the rafters and 4X4's for support on the sides. That was just to support the 700 lb 351 and trans combo, not the whole boat. Blocks may be your best bet.

[Wakebrad]

The tower folds down. But I am still concerned about using the rafters. Even if I got it fully approved by an engineer my wife probably wouldn't let me do it. I'm sure it's not worth the risk to her.

I might have a hook up on a hoist but I won't find out till next week. Makes sense that those rings are my transom lift rings. I am going to confirm that with the dealer also. Wouldn't want to rip through my transom by mistake. The thing above the caution decals is a spot to pull a skier from.

Thanks for the advice guys it's been very helpful.

[Quinner]

Hanging from the garage using wood, the longer the span the larger the member you will need. I have microlams in my Garage spanning 16' it required (2) 10" deep x 1.75" members at each lifting point to carry the load, you also need to be sure the lift is exactly vertical or straight up and down. I only lift mine for waxing hull and the trailer is still mostly underneath the boat. I don't know what an engine hoist is rated at but maybe a couple of those could also do the trick. One other thing to consider is using foam blocks like you see used at marinas to set the boat on.

[AirNautique211]

How about a basement garage. Most have floor joists and beams that are more than strong enough to hold the weight of the boat. The same can be true of a 2 story house, only the walls are most likely 2x4.

I would look into having some junk yard steel posts being welded. Most weld shops have a good amount of used or scrap steel and would help you build the structure and tear it down following the project. The steel posts and beams can be reused with little loss of material.

Another option is an overhead boat lift. Most on our lake with decks above would work with a platform below. Material would have to be kept out of the lake.

Just a few "out of the box" ideas. Good luck.

[ScrewPusher]

I removed my 95 SN several times to work on the trailer. I lowered the front trailer tongue jack all the way down, blocked up the stern, both sides and secured the blocking so they would not seperate, then raised trailer back up horizontal. So much for the back. I have tried 3 diffeternt methods on the front. I tried to use the front lift eye, first time I used the Header at the garage door and a come-a-long (4-2X12 joined together, no concern about weight) only drawback was the door had to remain open. Next time I decided to use the engine hoist on the front lift eye, best idea overall (lifted off trailer, rolled trailer out till I could place blocking behing axle, lowered on blocks, moved hoist, removed trailer). Loaned out engine hoist, so next time I used a floor jack to the bow area (raised off trailer, pulled trailer forward till it contacted jack, lowered boat on trailer or blocking, moved jack behind interference, and repeated process, very slow!)

Oh yea, are you aware that 3M or some big company like them makes a paint removal paste/gel specifically designed for fiberglass. I have used it before and had good results. Don't remember if I got it @ Dupont automotive paint dealer or West marine (20 or so years ago)

[ag4ever]

Two options as I see it.

1. fabricat a beam with two coulmns that you can attach hoists to. Kinda spendy.

2. Use an engine lift at front and rear. My lift is rated at 2 tons max capacity with the boom in it's shortest position. 2 lifts = 8,000 pounds. What does a sport weigh? 3,000 pounds? The only problem is the rear, you need a spreader bar so you are appling a vertical load to the lifting rings, and not appling horisontal stress to the hull at the rings. This should be fabricated out of steel, and you see then all the time on boat lifts. Even with this approach, I would leave the trailer under the boat for safety, and just lift one end at a time.

[Hollywood]

Those U-bolts are your lifting rings.

http://www.planetnautique.com/index....ight=boat+hang