Moving jackstands

[Jeremy]

My 25' Rhodes Meridian is in the driveway, on keel blocks and jackstands (two on each side, one at the bow). The blocks bear the weight and the stands keep the boat balanced.

My problem is that my aft jackstands are too tall, so that the pads reach the topsides. Since I'd like to paint the topsides, I have to do something about the height of the existing jackstands. It's an easy fix to shorten them (just saw off part of the tube into which the threaded bolt goes) but it would require removing them. This would be fairly simple if I had another set of jackstands, but I don't.

I figure my options are: rent/buy another set of jackstands; build temporary wooden supports (any thoughts on design?) Trust temporarily in the forward stands' ability to provide the needed lateral support (I don't like this idea at all, but when the hauler parked the vessel, she stood for a while only on blocks and one set of the trailer's pads).

Thoughts?

[jlroberts280]

I move one at a time briefly each year to do bottom maintenance. The first time I did it I was really nervous. If it makes you nervous you can rig a temporary support or even better try to find used stands that are the right size and sell or trade yours.

[Hirilondë]

I would recommend getting the right size jack stands. Not just for your present project, but for the long haul. Even though opposing stands are chained together support lower down is more secure as the loads are carried more by the stand than the chains. The reverse is likely is in your case. Any minor shifting over the winter or such can scratch topsides with the pads overlapping them. Maybe you can cut yours down, but I don't see any pictures, so I can't even comment on that. Wooden bracing can certainly be constructed. A well built cradle like opposing pair of braces can be very secure. I don't trust a boat on 3 stands (I don't count the bow stand) for longer than it takes to move one, and even then it scares me too. I have watched it done hundreds of times, done it quite a few myself, but this hasn't helped me feel good about the process much.

[catamount]

You only need one prop or substitute jackstand, because you only need to remove one at a time to cut them down to size. Take one out, put in a prop or substitute, cut the tube down on the one, put it back in, then take out the other and do the same thing. I'm assuming you can bring a sawzall or similar to the site, and can make the necessary cut pretty quickly.

Or just buy a new pair of jackstands that are the right size. You can then swap out the too-tall ones lickety split, and either sell them to someone else with a deeper draft, or cut them down for a spare set (more jackstands is not necessarily a bad thing).

Speaking of Jackstands, I passed by Newport Shipyard in Rhode Island this past weekend, and they've got a bunch of jackstands in the 10 to 20 foot range! Cripes, those were some tall stands!

[Rachel]

I've seen yard crew pull out a pair (or more!) of stands many times, but I still don't do it because it just makes me too nervous.

As for temporary support... some yards just block boats like this all the time, so here is an idea:

on hard port quarter.jpg (10.26 KiB) Viewed 2302 times

[Tim]

Remember: there's a lot of ballast down there that really really wants to keep the boat upright, particularly with boats that have long, wide keels like yours. The center of gravity of your boat is very low to the ground. This makes it surprisingly resistant to tipping even with minimal support.

I'm not suggesting throwing caution to the winds, mind you, so be smart about the process. It's not a big problem to temporarily remove a stand, assuming that the two forward stands plus the centerline bow stand are tight and secure. When the time comes, release the stand you're planning to remove slowly while paying attention to be sure nothing slips or tilts while you unscrew the thing. You'll quickly know if anything's fishy. Assuming your other stands are secure, there's no reason you can't take several minutes to cut the stand as need be with no additional support. (Be sure not to cut off too much of the top, to leave plenty of room for the handle to operate and bear against.)

Of course, this is all null and void if your boat is on uneven ground, poorly blocked and placed, or any of 100 other reasons that no one else here can possibly see or know about.

The golden rule is not to do anything you're uncomfortable with. If you'd rather find or buy an extra stand, by all means do so.

[Jeremy]

Thanks, everybody! Very helpful. When I get around to doing this, I'll let you know how it goes.

[Vark]

I remove jack stands from under my Swiftsure 33 ( which is the big sister to your Meridian ) all the time. I simply wedge a couple of 4x4s in near the stand I'm going to move then crank it down slowly keeping a sharp lookout for movement. Obviously, make sure no one is on board..............
You can wedge a 4x4 in on both sides if you're worried about the opposing stand "walking" after you release the safety chains .
It's a bit scary at first but you soon realize there is this huge chunk of lead sitting way down low keeping the boat stable.

Vark

[The Froon]

Moving stands around is a lot easier than it first would appear...I have a Sea Sprite 23 that I regularly am adjusting stands on - due to the oversize stands I have. I have had to block the keel up a bit to accommodate the oversize stands, but this also puts me in a more comfortable working position. I will use a 4x4 post cut to size and wedge it for temporary support while I tinker with the stand. It's a nonissue; but, as Tim L states, make sure your other stands are set against the hull firmly.
I too am having the issue of the stand pads overlapping onto the topsides. What I am doing (just for the aft stands) is removing the pad and wedging a length of 2x4 between the tube of the stand and the hull - works perfectly. I wouldn't suggest applying this to all stands at once however.

Brian

[Jeremy]

Thanks all, that gives me a lot more confidence in the maneuver. I suppose it's obvious, but I hadn't thought how the keel's ballast plays into the equation. I don't have to do the move yet - just planning ahead - but some anxiety is lifted.