Rolling cradle

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Yesterday dismantled the rolling cradle I built for the Saratogan nine years ago.
Was a bit shocked that I was barely able to lift the double wheel casters into my pickup. They must weigh 65-70 pounds each. I found them at Boeing surplus on one of their 50% off days. Paid $35 for the pair and they were new.....all needle bearings. Such a deal! Now what to do with them?

Guess I'll take them down to my late brother's place in South Bend. Plan to build a boat shop there.....

McSkagit

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Tim -

Do you happen to have a photo of the cradle taken prior to disassembly?

Curious about the design you came up with, since I'm into boat cradles here, too.

(My current 'standard model' is a framework of fir 6x6's over resting on four of those four-wheeled steel boat-moving cradles--with bunks removed--making a total of 16 caster wheels under the bolted-together beast. Seems to work fine, allowing me to push 4,000-pound boats around by myself. I'll be removing a boat from the thing this Friday, and will take photos, just fyi.)

- Marty

[Sammamish1]

Marty are you using something like this? (Rated at 1000 LBs ea) I was thinking of using four of them, once the shop is finished.

[BruceDrake]

Boat cradles for smaller boats

Marty and others:
I am interested in seeing cradle designs for smaller boats as well - like 14' size so I could fit smaller boats in the barn by getting them off trailers that are a tad bit too long. A cradle that would let you move the boat position easily would be ideal if you want to work on the bottom, side, etc.

[FINS]

I have built and used several of these rolling cradles for my boat projects. I have found that if you store the boat on a dolly, you can fit more of them in a covered hiding place! I adjust the size of the upright piece depending on motor or keel.

We even built a small one for Cole's Skeeto. It is amazing how good cheap stain on a Home Depot utility stud can look!

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Boat Dollies

The standard dollies we use are similar to the ones in the first photo below--heavily built of steel, with casters that'll take a lot of weight and adjustable-height padded bunks. You use two of these under a typical boat--one near the stern, one toward the bow. If you link two of the four-wheeled casters together with 8-foot-long padded 2x8 fir planks (bolting the 2x8 on in place of the little shorty pads), making them resemble the caster in the second photo (but with 8 wheels instead of 4), you can easily support most of our 20-foot and under boats.

Brian's design is excellent for smaller boats.

Jack: I've got four of those little wheelies that typically allow you to roll vehicles around inside a shop...by placing them under each wheel. They're pretty handy and occasionally I've used those under boat-trailer wheels (when you want to push a boat around the shop when it's still on its trailer)...but they have somewhat limited uses.

Tomorrow, after I unload the heavy boat that's currently on our home-built 16-wheel dolly, I'll take some photos and share them here.

- Marty

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

16-Wheeled Boat Cradle

This afternoon I removed a sailboat from the 16-caster boat cradle, making it easier to photograph. (See pictures below.)

The 16-wheeler is made up of four of the steel four-wheelers, fastened in position under a 5-1/2' x 8' plywood deck, with fir 6 x 6's across the top. Typically, the keel of the boat is positioned on the centerline, resting on the three 6 x 6's (sometimes blocked up higher under the keel), with adjustable boat stands or 2 x 8 posts screwed into sides of the 6 x 6's to support the hull...with carpet scraps for padding.

The last photo shows one of the typical four-caster boat stands used to make the 16-wheeler (obviously with the vertical support posts removed). Two of these smaller guys are great for moving most boats around--like 20-foot glass cruisers--but the Big Boy comes in handy with heavy, deep-keel sailboats or extra-hefty powerboats.

I used plywood 'car decking,' the 1-1/8"-thick underlayment, for the deck of the 16-wheeler. The stuff is super-strong and doesn't tend to warp like some thinner plywoods.

- Marty

[BruceDrake]

four wheeled boat moving cradle - source

Marty
Where might one obtain a four wheeled boat moving cradle like in your pictures? Or is this part of your ancient and extensive stash of all parts ever made for boats?
Bruce

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Where to Buy Dollies

Bruce -

This is where I ordered most of my boat-moving dollies. A pair of the smallest ones are rated to hold 7,200 pounds, although I've found that the casters don't turn easily if you approach the theoretical limit. (I've replaced some of the casters with higher-capacity wheels, and that's helped with the super-heavy loads.)

http://williamsengineering.net/

- Marty

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Marty, I don't think I have a picture of it without the boat. Cross members are 6X12's, the front about 4.5 feet long and the aft 8 feet. Fore/aft members are 4X12's, 16 feet long. I used jack pads from boat stands to support the hull. Keel on the 6X12's. Rounded over all the edges with a 3/4" bull-nose bit, because I figured rightly that I'd be crawling around them a lot.

Over the years the boat sat on the thing, I added some extra support members plus eight boat stands to even out the support. Added all the jack stands so that in an earthquake, the boat would't take off down the hill on its own.

Prior to launch the boat weighed 12,500 pounds and was easy to move around. I modified the casters a bit so that I could lock them in a slight crab angle for better steerage.

The Saratogan was on the hard for 37 years. It took about a year in the water for the hull to relax and stabilize. Realigned the shafts about six times.
Seem to be holding now....

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Saratogan Support

Tim -

Thanks for the description; good idea about putting a radius on the timbers, since I've already picked up slivers while crawling around under boats. (Next time my 16-wheeler is free (put another boat on it today), I'll get the router out.

Gawd, everytime you talk about the Saratogan project (37 years on the hard, six shaft realignments, 20+ years of restoration), the whole thing becomes more awe-inspiring...and exhausting to contemplate. You deserve some kind of unique medal.

- Marty

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Saratogan-37 years on the hard

When I found the boat it was on two keel blocks and barrels under the chines and had several feet of water on board.

Only reason this boat survived was the 3/4" thick hull (water line down) and the big deep keel. A lesser hull would have been severely damaged from the haphazard blocking and weight of the water.