How Do I Raise Pontoon Off Trailer For Repairs ??

[timmac]

I need to do some work on my toons and need access to bottom of toons/logs, what is the best and safe way to raise up boat off trailer ??

I need advice for a DIY way, no forklift is available but have plenty of jacks..



My boat is a 18 foot Bass Buggy with a 30HP motor.

[GregF]

Tilt the trailer tongue down to the ground, block up the stern, jack up the tongue as high as you can get it and slide a 10' 4x4 under the bow, block that up on the outside and pull the trailer out.

[timmac]

Tilt the trailer tongue down to the ground, block up the stern, jack up the tongue as high as you can get it and slide a 10' 4x4 under the bow, block that up on the outside and pull the trailer out.

Where should I block the stern at, my logs do not go past the trailer [no over hang ], are the cross members a OK place.

[badmoonrising]

When I paint my Party Cruiser, I place jacks and 4x4s under the deck and raise one side up at a time. Works great. My boay has duradeck (100 percent aluminum) though and not plywood.

[GregF]

When I painted mine I set 2 4x4s in the ground straddling the motor pod, being careful to get the height right and nailed a 2x4 on top of each fore and aft that was long enough to catch 3 stringers. It still had some tilt to it so when I backed the trailer up to it, I got it seated well. When I brought the tongue up, the toon dropped down on the supports.
On my boat I could get between the toons and the deck with the 4x4 in front so when it was blocked up the toons were clear

[MichaelB]

I have a center support trailer. For me, it is putting a bottle jack under the trailer, raising the boat and trailer off of the ground. I then block it up. There's a angle running the length of my pontoons on the bottom, so I have some 2x8's with a cut out down the center so that the angle sits square in the middle and is supported on both sides.

It's plenty stable - I climb on and off and work all around it. Reverse the process to put it back on the boat. Easy peasey.

[curtiscapk]

I have a center support trailer. For me, it is putting a bottle jack under the trailer, raising the boat and trailer off of the ground. I then block it up. There's a angle running the length of my pontoons on the bottom, so I have some 2x8's with a cut out down the center so that the angle sits square in the middle and is supported on both sides.

It's plenty stable - I climb on and off and work all around it. Reverse the process to put it back on the boat. Easy peasey.

That is one big fucking toon!! I like it.

[Leisure Kraft]

Other than the obvious safety concerns, the next big thing is to consider the amount of pressure you're applying to the pontoon surface at any point. Spread the load across the surface as much as you can rather than anything that will lift the pontoon over a small area (like the top of a typical jack). The aluminum can dent easily if that lifting area is too small.

[emerald_coast_tooner]

any other ideas or videos out there?

[rancherlee]

I use 4 pickup camper jacks that I modified with 3' lengths of 3x3x1/8 angle iron to so they each catch a couple of beams, have about 50$ into them and the work great!

[emerald_coast_tooner]

I'm going to try the tilt method today. Will try and get some pics of the process.

[twotoons]

I use 4 pickup camper jacks that I modified with 3' lengths of 3x3x1/8 angle iron to so they each catch a couple of beams, have about 50$ into them and the work great!

Hey rancherlee,that sounds like a great idea.Do you have any picture.

[tuned]

I am also struggling with how to do this. My main goal is to be able to acid wash every couple of years. There is no facility in the area that can do this for me.
Jacks and cribbing underneath probably won't work for me unless I leave the trailer in place underneath the boat. This would hinder my access greatly and mean a tremendous amount of rinsing of the trailer bunks to get all the acid out of the carpet etc.. Cribbing makes me nervous in another way. As mentioned by Leisure Kraft perviously, tubes are not really designed to be support points at the bottom. I would hate to hear that crinkling sound
This leaves me the other option of hoisting from above. This is how the pros do it and most tubes have hoist points built in.
I am dreaming of something along the lines of using a garage door frame (modified) to hoist the rear (and very heavy end) of my boat with three chain falls. That much should be no problem. The bow is another animal tho. I am thinking maybe a 10' beam that hooks to all three front hoist points on the tubes, then some sort of jack system (camper jacks?) to lift at each end of the beam. These jacks would have to be very sturdy in all dimensions. Still haven't worked that out yet. I could then pull the trailer right out and have all kinds of room underneath.
This is a very good discussion here. I hope others chime in with further ideas. I doubt that I will acid wash this year, so I have some time to put mine together. The garage frame will get done shortly so that I can also use it as an engine hoist, so at least that much will be ready to go.

[emerald_coast_tooner]

Didn't get to it yesterday. I will post pics and hopefully. I am bottom painting, so no resting on the logs.

[Silver Eagle]

Last year I needed to replace my boards on my trailer. So I took the boat to my local marina and had them use there boat lift. They lifted the boat off of the trailer and I replaced the boards and they let me do this starting on a Saturday afternoon until Tuesday. I also put on those plastic covers too. I did this on the off season so there was no rush to get the boat lift free. Cost Me $300.00 and They did all the lifting.