Boat stands?

S

streetglider

Member
Aug 14, 2017
46
Ohio
Boat Info
1994 Sea Ray 330 Express Cruiser
Engines
5.7L
I just purchased a 1994 330 Express Cruiser. The former owner had it on a trailer. In the past, I had a cradle for every boat I purchased. I searched to see if a cradle was available but couldn't find one. Do I just get boat stands? How many, 4 or 6? How do I know what size I need? Thanks for the help. I will have to have something in place to store it in about 6 weeks.
 
I don't know the answer but you might seek the answer from a local boat yard that normally takes boats that size and pulls them out of the water for work or storage. They would know....

Shawn
 
4 stands will do. You can usually rent them from the company that hauls and launches your boat or buy them from a place like Brownells.
 
Sea Ray dies offer cradles as an option, but I doubt you could get one from them now since they long ago destroyed the '94 molds. You could probably get a boat yard to make one. THe problem with cradles for larger boats is where and how do you store them when the boat is in the water.

I would use a minimum of 6 stands unless the boat is going to be stored on a concrete surface. With 4, if you happen to place one of the 4 on a soft spot in the yard, even if it is gravel, when one stand sinks, you risk the boat falling or over the winter.
 
Our boat is about the same size as yours. Its keel is supported in three different locations from front to back and four stands keep it from tipping over. It is stored inside on a clean, concrete floor. This is the norm for boats our size at this marina. Works very well.
 
When on the hard the boat's weight is supported by the blocking under the the keel. As a result the stands are only to keep it from toppling over. The size and placement of the stands depends on the boatyard and its equipment. For example a trailer will dictate how high the boat has to be off of the ground.

Either rent them from the boatyard, or get their input on what they need space wise. Besides Brownell there is also Hostar if decide to buy. Both are located in Massachusetts. I actually have some of each and both are equally well made made. Mine are about 15 years old. As long as you keep the screw post greased about the only maintenance is making sure the plywood pads don't rot

To follow up on what FrankW said. If the boat will be on anything that is NOT pavement, place a wood pad under the stands. This will prevent the stand from "heating" up in the winter sunlight and melting the frozen ground, that in turn gets soft and allows the leg to sink in.

On blocking the best material is wood. Some places use hollow concrete blocks. They will support the weight but they are tricky to use safely. A concrete block's strength is asymmetrical. They are meant to support compressive loads in line with with the hollow channels. The other issue is that all concrete products are inherently brittle. A point load can destroy them in a flash

Henry
 
Thanks for all of the information. I am going to go to the boatyard and see what they recommend. The boat is stored on pavement. I don't think they rent the stands so I may be purchasing them. I looked for some used ones but there was nothing available in my area.
 
Spoke with the boatyard and they can give me inside storage but I have to have a cradle. I found a wooden cradle for a 1989 or so 30' Sea Ray. Would anyone know if this would fit my 330 Express?
 
I'm confused, are you storing this on a trailer? Are you taking it off a trailer and storing it at a boat yard? If a yard, why not just let them block the boat. When I stored mine in a yard, the yard had a computer program to determine the number and size of block piles, and the number and size of stands needed to support the boat. These were included in the winter storage contract price and remained the property of the yard. They did not want stands used other than those they furnished due to liability issues.
I bought stands from Defender for my boat now that I have a trailer for it and need to remove it to paint the bottom.
 
The boat yard I have been at for several years will not use boat stands for indoor storage. They require a cradle. They do not rent stands either, you must purchase them yourself. The previous owner had it on a trailer but I did not buy the trailer. I have never used boat stands and was just trying to determine how many I would need and if there were different sizes of stands.
 
There are different size stands. I'd use a total of six stands. Call some other yards and see what sizes they would recommend. I doubt that 300 cradle would work with your hull.
 
Why would a boatyard require a cradle? Never heard of such a thing. Three keel blocks with stands is more than adequate. I can only guess that requiring a cradle would make it less likely you would store somewhere else because you'd have to relocate the cradle.
 
I think the boatyard feels it is easier to move the boats in and out of the building using a cradle . It may have something to do with their equipment. It has been a requirement for indoor storage since the 90s.
 
My marina used to be run by people that rented stands. $40 x 6 every year was getting ridiculous, so I purchased 6 and stored and dragged them back and forth until new ownership just lent them as part of the package.

I sold them mine since they never seem to have enough anyway.

Indoor storage requiring a cradle is news to me. I think there’s only one cradle here in fact and it’s for a funky old tri hull Chis Craft Catalina.
 
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