SantaCruzin
Member
- May 4, 2020
- 47
- Boat Info
- 1989 180 Bow Rider
- Engines
- 4.3 Mercruiser
Howdy all!
While my '89 180BR will be a 95% freshwater boat for me, the previous owner had it mostly in salt water and the 1989 Shoreland'r trailer is a bit worse for the wear because of it. Come fall, I would like to do some repair work and preventative maintenance on the trailer in an effort to ensure it has many years of life left in it.
I am slowly accumulating the parts I will need (adding surge brakes, new rollers, bunks, etc.) but the big piece of the puzzle that's missing is what to do with the boat. I have seen some things online about putting boats on boat stands or building custom cradles from wood to support the boat at the back and the front. If I can avoid spending $200 for each stand I'd prefer it, but...
I have a front-loader tractor which could easily lift the boat (at least one end at a time) and I'm handy with wood...would I be insane to plan to lift the boat with some (properly rated) straps and set it down on some wooden cradles? I have read that holding the boat closer to the rear is best, but any ideas where I should look to support the boat?
I'm hoping it would not be off the trailer for more than a week but with two little kids...who knows how long it will take.
While my '89 180BR will be a 95% freshwater boat for me, the previous owner had it mostly in salt water and the 1989 Shoreland'r trailer is a bit worse for the wear because of it. Come fall, I would like to do some repair work and preventative maintenance on the trailer in an effort to ensure it has many years of life left in it.
I am slowly accumulating the parts I will need (adding surge brakes, new rollers, bunks, etc.) but the big piece of the puzzle that's missing is what to do with the boat. I have seen some things online about putting boats on boat stands or building custom cradles from wood to support the boat at the back and the front. If I can avoid spending $200 for each stand I'd prefer it, but...
I have a front-loader tractor which could easily lift the boat (at least one end at a time) and I'm handy with wood...would I be insane to plan to lift the boat with some (properly rated) straps and set it down on some wooden cradles? I have read that holding the boat closer to the rear is best, but any ideas where I should look to support the boat?
I'm hoping it would not be off the trailer for more than a week but with two little kids...who knows how long it will take.