Boat Forum / Building / May 2007

  55 gal drums

On Craigslist, Ebay or similar, it is often easy to find a set of real poppit
stands for about $100.

CWM

Peter,

Fiberglass boats are really pretty strong and have a significant sense
of humor.  If all you are going to do in put it down while you work on
the trailer, just put it down on some carpet scraps.

You want it movable and you are a capable wood worker, get get 4 nice
casters, a collection of 2* and a pocketful of 3" drywall screws and
build a large dolly so the boat fits between the fore-aft stringers of
the dolly.  If you are worried, throw the carpet scraps on the dolly.

If you are going to try to work inside the boat while it is not that
dolly, we now have to be careful.  Your moving weight inside the boat
could cause a high local load to the hull if it is not effectively
supported.  I always build a working cradle for boats in the shop.  I
cut 2 -2* beam long and 2 1/2 boat long.  Put casters on the ends of the
the two beam long and block them so they stand up at roughly 1/4 and 3/4
length.  Put a piece of 2* in the middle of each (you will see why in
moment). Let the hull down on these and make sure the long 2* can get
between the pieces with caster.  If you can not, raise it until you can.
  If you might want to work on the hull sides raise the hull enough to
have working room.  Then transfer the thwartships form at both edges of
the caster planks to a couple of pieces of 1/2 ply or osb.  The ply gets
screwed to the fore and aft edges of the caster planks, and you fill the
space between the (half-filled works fine) with short pieces of 2* to
make a form fitting cradle.  Before you put the carpet on this, put good
block of 2* in both outer ends of the box that you just made to attach
the long pieces.  Now, staple on the carpet and screw the long pieces
into those end block and let the boat down on a strong and stable
movable cradle.

When you are all done (the boat is on the trailer or in the pond) and
plan to never use this cradle again, unscrew the long pieces and the
casters, MEASURE the long side pieces and write on the cradle ends =
American 16 - use 102" long side pieces and stack them out of the way.
you will repurpose the casters and put the long boards in the stock rack.

I fixed up a Rebel (16' 700#) sailed it a couple of years moved to a new
house then it got damaged.  It still had the working cradle ends
(actually I still had the other parts too, but I was not about to take
them out of where they were), so I just put the cradle together again.

I have done this same operation a couple more times since then.

Matt Colie
Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner and Perpetual Sailor