Support your local Boat,,,,,,,

[Ian G Wright]

Last Monday was hauling out day at Heybridge Basin. Crane arrived at 0730, by 1600 the last boat, mine, was out and propped up.
Heybridge you may know is not famous for rushing to accept new ideas and neither am I, so I was taken aback to find that Patience is now the only boat at Heybridge to use the old pit-prop and wedge system to maintain her in an upright position. Most have very expensive steel cradles.
Why?
Cost? Can't be that. I used new timber this year and it cost £12:34.
Ease of stowage after use? Clearly not. Unused cradles clutter the place up all summer.
Speed? Probably,,,,,,, "Time you got a cradle" Colin said, "save crane time" etc.
So , to save a theoretical ten min of crane time I'm having legs fitted, not to me, I was done years ago, but to Patience. At least I might get some use out of them during the sailing season.
Damn! I dislike change for changes sake.
IanW.

[Bruce Hooke]

Interesting...It's the rare boat over here that doesn't use adjustable steel stands known as 'poppit stands', at least in yards that use a TraveLift or a crane to pull the boats. Most yards use TraveLifts these days. Cranes are quite rare in my experience.

In the few old yards that still use a marine railway wooden cradles seem to be the standard, as they have been for years. There's something I like about marine railways and cradles but I suppose progress has to happen...

This is what poppit stands look like:
http://www.sailnet.com/images/content/authors/jsmith/100600_JS_poppits.jpg