How can I lift 1 side of boat off of trailer bunks in garage?

[alalor1]

The times I had to do that, I would head out to the lake, put the boat in the water, and work on the trailer in the parking lot. The first time I took a generator to power up my compressor for the pneumatic stapler I had. THen i saw a plug nearby so the following times I just plugged the compressor and the circular saw there. Of course, a manual staple gun works fine too. My boat waited patiently tied to the dock, just like a horse would tied to the tie post.
But to answer your question, I would take advantage of the lift rings, lift the boat with two engine hoists, move the trailer out and replace the bunks and settle the boat back in, that would be the safest way. If you're in central Texas I will be happy to loan you one. Also, many car parts stores rent out tools, maybe they rent out engine hoists. Harbor freight sells them for about $100 after coupons some days.
I would not lift just one side, I considered it more than once and the chances of something going wrong were too high. Not only the slipping off the temporary bunk that I would use to jack it up, but also the chances of it slipping off the other bunk, the trailer moving because of the lateral force, etc. I don't think it's worth the risk.

[Cpan13]

It's no wonder these dealers can charge so much for service with so many boat owners scared to do a little work on their own.

This is neither a hard job nor a scary job. Jack up the back, support it, jack up the front, support it, do your work, lower back onto trailer, done. These boats are not that fragile, if they can handle whitecaps on a lake they can handle being jacked up a few inches.

[ally505]

I agree with CPan. If it were me, a trolley jack, piece of 4x2 and jack away.

[Fgroce]

Personally I would take to a dealer and let then set the boat on a spare cradle for 100. If you do not have the proper equipment, and try to rig it, then it falls on you, It could put an end to your boating days. I have read on one forum were a guy was working on his boat jacked up and it fell on him and broke his back. He has been recovering for over a year. Stay safe.

[DW SD]

The transom is strong. So is the Vee. If I were forced to do this in my garage... I would probably make a padded cradle for the Vee to lift the front with a jack and have some way to set the cradle on a jack stand.

An engine hoist (cherry picker) might do the front lifting ring. I'd have to look at the weight rating of my hoist. (I think at the shortest setting it is 1500 lbs) which work for a lighter weight boat.

Definitely do it thoughtfully so you aren't hurt and the boat isn't damaged.

Then again, making a custom cradle to fit the Vee probably isn't worth $100 paid to the dealer.

Good luck!

[Joshua J Rowe]

To be so cheap as to not spend less than $100 to do it right..... Just make sure you get it on video. I guess someone's gotta be the one to fill the blooper reels. The methods described above will work, but they require tools and/or materials and possibly rental equipment. All you gotta do is drive to a dealer, they pick your boat up, you swap your bunks with new ones that you've built, drop the boat back down and Bob's yer uncle. Down the road you go. One hour max.

I fixed it myself for about $0.10 and in 10 minutes. The nearest dealer with a lift is 45 minutes away and have a reputation for treating their customers in a manner less than professional. Plus I enjoy fixing things myself.

[Joshua J Rowe]

The times I had to do that, I would head out to the lake, put the boat in the water, and work on the trailer in the parking lot. The first time I took a generator to power up my compressor for the pneumatic stapler I had. THen i saw a plug nearby so the following times I just plugged the compressor and the circular saw there. Of course, a manual staple gun works fine too. My boat waited patiently tied to the dock, just like a horse would tied to the tie post.
But to answer your question, I would take advantage of the lift rings, lift the boat with two engine hoists, move the trailer out and replace the bunks and settle the boat back in, that would be the safest way. If you're in central Texas I will be happy to loan you one. Also, many car parts stores rent out tools, maybe they rent out engine hoists. Harbor freight sells them for about $100 after coupons some days.
I would not lift just one side, I considered it more than once and the chances of something going wrong were too high. Not only the slipping off the temporary bunk that I would use to jack it up, but also the chances of it slipping off the other bunk, the trailer moving because of the lateral force, etc. I don't think it's worth the risk.

I looked for two engine hoists to do just that but only knew 1 person who had one. I appreciate your can do attitude. The repair has been made, all is well.

[markj]

Nice! Glad you got it fixed. I don't remember you mentioning the bad reputation of the dealer earlier. Is there only one dealer near you? Hope you took pics of how you did it so you can help others in the future. How did you lift it?

[markj]

What was it that cost .10? I didn't know you could buy anything for .10

[Joshua J Rowe]

I appreciate the multitude of perspectives and advice folks.

I am a do-it-myself kind of guy and I realize $100 is not much, but this repair cost me 2 bolts worth maybe 10 cents total. I also just didn't want to waste the time taking it somewhere just to do the repair. The repair ended up taking 5-10 minutes.

Based on the information given here, and taking into account the ever growing arsenal of tools and equipment I do have, I did not have what I felt was needed to do this at home safely. Fortunately this Ohio spring has been quite warm and I took some friends out for a cruise on the lake this past weekend. Prior to loading the boat back onto the trailer I ran 2 new bolts through the bunk where it had sheared off the old bolt. The rest of the bunk looked good and felt solid.

Thanks again

[Joshua J Rowe]

What was it that cost .10? I didn't know you could buy anything for .10

I have loads of hardware in my garage, including 2 bolts that worked for this. Buy in bulk and life is cheap.

[Joshua J Rowe]

Nice! Glad you got it fixed. I don't remember you mentioning the bad reputation of the dealer earlier. Is there only one dealer near you? Hope you took pics of how you did it so you can help others in the future. How did you lift it?

I have pictures of the bunk prior to the repair, but did not document the repair itself. My girlfriend found out last minute she had to be at work and we were in a rush so I was going as fast as I could.

I took a cordless drill, some metal work drill bits, and wood work drill bits. I Drilled a pilot hole through the frame, then did a counter bore through the wood so I could use a hex head bolt. Only issue is the carpet now has 2 small cuts in it, but I am planning to replace the carpet this season anyways so I was not concerned about that. Docks should be in may 1st and the local wakeboarding spot is 5 minutes from the house so future trailer work will be easy.

[jjackkrash]

We just use my dad's forklift and some straps. Lift her up, set her on Brownell boat stands. Make sure to block the trailer. Easy peasy. .

[koolade9]

It's no wonder these dealers can charge so much for service with so many boat owners scared to do a little work on their own.

This is neither a hard job nor a scary job. Jack up the back, support it, jack up the front, support it, do your work, lower back onto trailer, done. These boats are not that fragile, if they can handle whitecaps on a lake they can handle being jacked up a few inches.

This.

I just replaced all four of my bunks last weekend, doing two at a time. Used an off-road jack with a high reach, block of wood, and a microfiber cloth, lifting at the transom.