I've done this with both a 18" Hydra sport and a 20" Procraft. I built an A-frame and placed it about 3/4 from the back of the boat that held the boat with a heavy nylon strap. This way I was able to simply pull the trailer out from under the boat. You just need to make sure you build your A frame wide enough to pull the trailer out.
I had to do this same thing this spring- with an 18 foot Wellcraft. The trailer for my boat was rusty old, the rear perpendicular frame rail broke shortly after landing the boat one day. We made it home, but elected not to push our luck by driving the boat to a nearby body of water, or our local boat dealer. Our local boat dealer kindly gifted us a trailer that he had laying around, and told us how to switch them out with the same process you showed. We blocked up the transom on both sides rather than in the middle, and used two jacks to walk the trailer out from under the boat and switch in the replacement. Luckily the replacement fit OK, and the process went smoothly for me and my brother.
Excellent and genius for sure. I took the lazy man’s approach and launched my boat at the marina and I simply told the parks rangers that I left the keys home and would have to go back home with the car and trailer. I then worked on the trailer in my driveway and completed all the work in a few hours and went back to the Marina to get my boat. Woo hoo!
I’ve done this too but told them what I was doing and worked on replacing my bunks in the parking lot. It was midday during the week so they didn’t mind.
Another way is to use tyres, by keeping the trailer hooked up to the vehicle slowly back the boat off the trailer onto tyres. Once the transom is sitting on the tyres you can go along and drive the trailer out slowly adding more tyres as you go. I did this when I built a new trailer and it worked well.
Gonna have to put on bottom paint on mine too soon .. and re carpet the bunks... maybe replace the bunks entirely. I'm not sure yet.. I have an uneven ground surface I'm dealing with aswell. Little nervous to try this on my boat ... but I think it will work. It's a white water center console .. 17ft. . Big and wide for a 17ft
@@ExtremeDIYGuy wrong, you crawl under the trailer, remove the top layer of gel coats, apply your bottom paint everywhere but where the bunks are, and once the new bottom paint you put on has cured, you put the boat back on the trailer 1 foot off center, and then put the bottom paint on the areas where the bunks were. Just have to think a little bit.
A very good friend of mine was crushed to death a few weeks ago in Ohio working under his vehicle when a jack stand failed. Boats, in this manner, won't have any mercy, either, should "something" go amiss. BE VERY CAREFUL, y'all.
Did something very similar to get mine up off the trailer so I could redo the bunks. Only significant difference is I cut a "V" into the top block to cradle the hull and a "V" block to go on my floor jack to do the lifting. Was nervous about it when I did it but went very well. Thanks for the video.
Hi.. I have a 25 foot Tahiti day cruise and wanted to get it off the trailer for bottom paint in my work yard. Will a V block in the front with padding be safe to lift without going through the hull? The weight is my worry because I’ve never done it. (3000 pound weight)
Next time, put the front blocks as far forward of any crossmembers as possible. Then scoot the trailer as far forward, and jack the boat up behind the crossmember. Remove the blocking, and scoot the trailer as far forward again and put the blocking back in. That way, you can get the trailer out so you can work on it easily. Another way to do this is to tie the boat to a tree or other solid point. Block up the back of the boat as you did and then slowly pull the trailer forward. Once you get it as far forward as comfortable, jack up the front of the boat and block it up and pull the trailer out. Either way, good job on the video!
It's amazing what you can do with your boat trailer when it comes to moving things around on your rig that's how I adjusted the transom height of my new in repowered motor on my 21c hunt was by using the trailer jack etc slide the motor up a notch or two on the transom
I built a scaffold and hung my boat with a comalong front and chain block stern as I needed to get the trailer out to swap the side support rollers I had for skids. Can't put up pics but it worked a treat.
I use a metal A-frame to lift the front of the boat up (with a come-a-long) and Jack the back up and use blocks....that way I can pull the trailer out from under the boat...easy as pie. If you don't have a metal A-frame you can make one out of 4x4's and use two 2x12's as the cross beam. (Two A-frames on each side with a beam across the top). The front of most lake boats don't weigh as much as the back and doesn't take much to lift one. But I like (haha) the guy (G M) who left a comment who took the lazy mans approach....but I'd probably have someone take my boat out and go fishing etc. while I was home working on the trailer...but that's if one had a lake near-by. :) For long-term trailer repairs, lower the boat onto a V-shaped box for the front and blocks on each side in the back...yu can also repaint/clean-up the boat bottom too...then just move the V-box and blocks to finish paint. Not rocket science. But there are some stupid people out there who let their boats drop because they didn't HAVE PATIENCE.
I like this idea. Being able to remove the trailer is ideal. My old 16 footer isn’t that heavy, but being able to repaint or clean up the bottom isn’t possible with the trailer there. This guy has a Boston Whaler though…awesome fiberglass boat, so not to much bottom maintenance.
Luckily, I was able to do the bottom paint and trailer bunks without pulling the trailer out. If I needed too, I would have walked the trailer out by lifting the front like you did. You are absolutely correct in that you have to have patience when doing something like this!
An easier way. Tie back of boat to something solid. Car, Tree etc. Unwind winch and pull ahead a couple feet. Block stearn, pull ahead until bow is about off. Block bow and drive away. To put back on trailer wet bunks back trailer under bow hook up winch and put vehicle in neutral. Winch trailer under boat.
What would I do different: two stacks of cribbing on opisite corners of transom to give it a safer tripod stance. Also block the boat as cl9se to the side to side level of trailer to help make adjustments of the bunks as acurate as possible.
I want to use the boat-clubs trailer, thus returning it. The trailer seams stuck after this. The style and tone of this video is very good. Nice to listen to.
Dug me some 3 to 4 ft holes on both sides of the front of my boat, put some old power poles in the holes, rigged up a strap, and come along , to lift the boat in the strap cradle. Jacked the back up, with a floor jack, put cribbing on both sides of the boat. Trailer needed a complete rebuild.
Add some sheet foam to your lifting point when using the jack.. It takes the sharp edge away and lessens the likely hood of a dent/crack also keeps the boat from sliding on the wood.
I would suggest a fitted cradle made out of wood. It would take a bit longer to build, but would provide more lateral stability. I don't like the idea of a V shaped hull on flat keel blocks. On the other hand we hoisted the Potomac and placed it on keel blocks after the Navy divers raised her when she sunk off of Treasure Island (FDR's "floating white house at the Port of Oakland). The wood keel blocks and wedges worked great but note that the vessel was restrained from tipping with engineered bracing placed at about 45 degree angle (my recollection).
That's good advice and something I gave some thought too as well. I had initially planned on shaping the wood blocks to do that but ended up relying on the two flat spots at the end of the innermost strakes to provide lateral stability. You can see it here at 5:13.
I'll tell you a much easier way. I'd get someone else to do it 😂. It was during the off season the last time I had to swap bunks on a pontoon trailer. We launched it , tied it up. I brought a Genset with a full set of tools, vynal fence post already covering the bunks. Just had to cut to fit , and install. The ranger stopped by , n drank coffee with us while we worked. He loved the ingenuity. Tho the next ranger could have written us a ticket. Just luck of the draw , I wrecken.
What I did with mine was to block the stern much like you did, but for the bow I used and A Frame chain fall. With that set up I just rolled the trailer completely out from under the boat. Then after trailer was gone I lowered the bow one front cribbing. Made getting to the bottom so much easier to paint.
@@liviofazi4017 Sorry I should have said "A" frame and a chain fall, or chain hoist. Kind of the same set up you would use to pull an engine out of a car. The reason I supported the bow with the A frame and hoist was so there was nothing in the way so you can just pull the trailer out. After that I just lowed the bow on to cribbing. The stern was alread supported.
If you need to get the trailer out you would slide it out until the cross piece is close to the blocks, jack the front up and move the blocks behind the cross piece. Depending on the trailer, you may have to do this more than once.
Hey Joe, how’s it going thanks for the video I have a 18 foot deep the aluminum tracker and it has several long cracks on the starboard hull. I was going to use some no flux needed low working temperature aluminum brazing rods to fix the cracks but I’m having a hard time because some of the cracks right where the bunk is. With the procedure that you used in that video work just as well for a v hull? Also, I’m wondering is there foam on the other side of the hull or is it open. I don’t want to burn anything. Thanks thanks, Chris
I don't see why it wouldn't, this procedure is used by a lot of folks in boating across many different craft, I am not sure about the tracker so cant really say
I noticed you have a garden hose flushing port on your outboard, with what looks to be a quick connector. I'd be very interested in what you did there. Does it have some sort of back-flow preventing valve? Maybe do a video on it. Thanks.
Just seeing this video. Thank you for this. Never had a reason to lift my boat off my trailer but this would be how I'd do it. Very well thought out. Good Job Sir.
Most boats don't have that flat area at the transom, that made this one easier than most. The worst one I did was my flybridge cruiser, de-trailering 10,000 pounds of boat is a challenge and scary.
I was unsure how I was going to paint bottom of my boat so had marina lift it and block it up for me while I worked on it. Took me a week. Now I need to do the trailer bunks hence why I’m here, but I am liking the other commenters ideas and either gonna take back down to visitors dock and work on it in lot and pay the fee.
I'd measure the existing bunks and build the new ones in advance and cover them in marine carpet or perhaps not if using plastic ones. Then taking all necessary tools to the boat ramp, then just have a friend drive the boat around while you replace the bunks in the lot.
I left the trailer under it to do the rest of the work but you can always pull it forward until the cross member almost touches the front blocks, jack it up a bit and move the blocks behind it. Then repeat for each cross member.
Okay but how do you keep from hitting the blocks when you move the trailer out from underneath the boat won’t you hit the blocks because of the trailer shafts
Do you use a lot of duct tape too? You over engineered your “cribs” with way too much wood instead of building a frame stand that would be more stable, require less wood, provide more height, and allow simpler adjustment to uneven ground. Just completed the same process with only two 10”X2”X10’ and one 2”x4”x8’ to build the cradle.
I figured the similar system with a small boat. I used auto jack stands with wood on top and rubber mat for the aft part of the boat. When I lift the boat up in. the front the boat comes completely off the bunks. So no need for support in the front. I just use a rope to hold the up the front part of boat with the rope tied to the trailer. This allows me to clean the hull were the bunks touch the hull and adjust the bunks if need be.
Genius?!‼️⁉️ I love Boston whalers, providing your motor cranks up....wouldn't it have been easier to drop it in a Lake boat ramp somewhere close by?! That looks Extremely Dangerous ‼️
Why not gather the materials for the build and take everything to a launch, launch the boat, tie it up, park the trailer and fix everything in the parking lot, then load the boat back on?
So you are not moving the trailer as much as you are working on it in place, is that correct because I need to get boat up and put the whole roller assembly in place from front to back, trailer has none, as well I have to rebuild the running boards any suggestions?
I tied mine to a tree and slowly pulled the trailer from under it. MY trailer looks like yours but no bunks has rollers just used blocks and it sat on blocks Needed trailer to pick up another boat
@@ExtremeDIYGuy He probably meant the metal ramp for lifting cars, like Pittsburgh ramp set and such. They don't come with variable height, so your method is valid, I think.
I had no idea this was possible without special equipment. We have the same size boat and the bunk boards stick out an inch too far. enough that one time I damaged a sounder sensor when pulling out a boat. Now I know how to replace the carpeting on the bunks and possibly shorten it by 1/2 inch. Thank you
Why mess with the pavers? Just jack up the axle on one side. If you want to make it perfectly level measure the distance needed to raise the axle then jack it up that high. If you want blocks under the tire you can add them after you jack it up. BTW, a set of ramps are handy to have around.
You could have secured the rear of boat pull it far forward then block up the bow and pull the trailer all the way out but rear would need corners blocked up then paint bottom and redo trailer JT
You could tie rope on the rear of boats eye hooks then tie other end to a tree unhook all straps and winch drive boat fwd until its halfway off trailer do what needs to be done then winch back boat to its correct resting spot..can paint bottom n repair or reinstall rollers
Good idea, last time I did trailer work I just drop boat at the lake let my family played in water few hours while I fixed trailer and came picked them up later
How do pull you the trailer out . The front part we need figure a new way so we can work on both. But I like the back part blocking . Didn’t think about the center.
I left the trailer under it to do the rest of the work but you can always pull it forward until the cross member almost touches the front blocks, jack it up a bit and move the blocks behind it. Then repeat for each cross member.
I didn't like my trailer so I took the whole rig to Ameritrail and they built me a brand new custom welded aluminum trailer to fit the boat , works great
Great Video. Thanks !! I've been pondering the use of old but good inner tubes Four to six and air lift in addition to what you have going. Not sure they can handle the weight.
I admire your ability to do things such as lifting your boat and I like to share some of my ways to remove the boat and set it on blocks. Here we go, leave the trailer on the truck, determine where you have the room to take your boat off , you need a anchor such as a lite pole or another vehicle strap the boat to the anchor using the tow islets to hold the boat from moving, gather the blocking make your crib at the back below the transom as you did, you can use a hydraulic jack to lift the boat under the transom taking some ot weight off the bunkes using good blocking between the jack and boat as long as you go from starboard to Port, starting from the keel to each side make it wide and it will be stable. Remove the bow strap so the boat is unhooked, making sure you anchor straps are tight gentle pull the trailer out from under the boat if you want you can also take a little weight off the front, you will be surprised how easy it will come off , when you have the back of the trailer about halfway or more make your crib under the middle of the boat again if you need lift the boat higher use your hydraulic jack making sure you have sufficient blocking to support the hull and the weight it doesn't need to be over done, the boat will not tip because it's supported at the transom it will be stable enough to crawl inside of it if need too. Blocking the front you can block under the center keel and not damage the boat the keel can take a lot More weight than you think. I've done this for sixteen years owning my resort in Canada and never had problems removing a boat from a trailer. I did this a hundred times and always had success. Remember the More surface you support the better it is for removing the boat. Happy sailing good luck and God's speed.
That's why I was watching.you need to leave a bit of room so you can pull the trailer forward, then jack up the front again, and keep moving the trailer as you disassemble and reassemble two sets of cribbing.
It is, that is why I don't recommend anyone do it this way. However, if you have to re -do the bottom paint, there's not a lot of other options without heavy equipment. I will say that I took all the necessary precautions and never took it off the trailer, just lifted it enough to redo the bottom paint.
What a hassel that is. I have got plenty of boats off the trailer just lift the front of the trailer up & let the boat slide back (onto lawn not driveway) let it go back slowly on winch & use car to pull the trailer out from under the boat with a piece of rope tied to safety chain (don't have rope too short else when it gets to the end of the boat the trailer will come forward & hit your car. a second person can slowly let out the winch rope if you are scared it will come off too fast. to get boat back on just winch it back. I have done boats up to 24 feet long like this.
@@mikereimer5419 I am usually getting it off to do something to the trailer, but when I paint under I use my forklift to tip the boat on its side then I can paint standing up. I guess you could still put it on four bales of hay as you got it off the trailer if you want it up a bit. Sometimes if the trailer rollers are rusty I tie the stern of the boat to a tree before towing the trailer from under.
great i dea, i like the fact you didnt have to nail all the wood together just to use only for a short while...i'll do the same thankyou for the vid...from new zealand