How do I leveling a boat on the hard

[David]

Can anyone offer a method of leveling as she is being blocked on the hard? Do you use the cabin sole as the determiner of what is "level" on the boat?

Thanks in advance,

D

[Peter]

David:
I place a long 2x4 across the cockpit, perpendicular to the center line of the hull, and put a carpenters level on it.

Fore and aft I level by measuring from the painted waterline to the ground, bow and stern, as long as the ground is fairly level.

[Tim]

The cabin sole might be level, but you can't necessarily count on it; it might be pitched to promote drainage. The 2x4 is a simple solution to obtain transverse leveling, or you could use a water level. You can even run a level across between the cockpit seats, which is likely level enough.

Making and Using a Water Level

The true waterline could be level, but be sure to confirm there is no sheer to the waterline before measuring or using a water level; usually, it's only the boottop that might have sheer, but you never know what might be the situation. On a Triton, the lower scribe mark is actually parallel to the ground when the boat is leveled. I suspect this would be the case for most waterline scribes (not boot scribes, though).

A water level will help you level the boat even if the ground is uneven fore and aft.