Can I build my own 'Poppits'?

[catbldr46]

I'm in the last stages of patching, fairing and soon painting my little plywood Catboat. She's 15' loa and very beamy as I'm sure you know. She's lived on a trailer for the past couple years and for the painting down low has to come off the trailer onto poppits. I may be able to borrow some, but I figure I could pretty easily build the few I need, but that may be easier said than done. Anybody done any or seen any homemade ones? (oh... important; no welding required please.) Also, ps: they can be pretty short I think height would be about 30 inches or less.

[JimConlin]

For a small boat like that, I'd be thinking of a couple of beefy 4' sawhorses and some wedge shaped built-up blocks angled to the deadrise. With a rig like that, it's easy to lean the boat over for a better look at the side being painted.

[CJ]

Try making a set of these, or I can fabricate a set for you; at, let's say, half the cost of a set Brownell boat stands...

[catbldr46]

Impressive. Any more ideas? Love to see a photo or sketch how the saw horses might look. Mine has a very tall keel in the aft of the boat extending down almost a couple feet I think.

Thanks!

[waltwood]

Catbldr46- For every small boat I have owned I have built a single sawhorse that fits the stern shape of the boat. In the bow I have blocked under the keel in one place only. It is not necessary to have more than one of these sawhorses. The ground needs to be stable under it and it should keep the boat from moving from side to side. It is fairly easy to pull a boat off the trailer on such a cradle or sawhorse, whatever you want to call it. The openess of the area under the boat allows for easy painting and other work. Here is one I made recently- it is a little beefy but the boat weighs 2600 pounds dry.

[Ryden]

How about a pair of these? I think a pic of your boat would let us give better advice.

[Ryden]

What about jack stands? Make a wooden "head" with a suitable angle to fit the hull and put a ratchet strap between them if they want to slide away.
I don't know how high your poppits needs to be but for a 15' boat it couldn't be very high.

Edit:
Doh! 30" or less. Read before reply... Jack stands would work.






Edit2:
Is this the boat, the Corvus?
Then a pair of vedges and a jack stand on either side of the keel would be perfect.

[Gib Etheridge]

http://www.boathauling.ca/blocking.htm

I've used this cribbing system a lot. It works just fine.

[Figment]

Waltwood,
I've been thinking of something REALLY similar to that for an upcoming trailer-transfer. Eerily similar, actually.
Thanks for helping me complete the mental image!

[waltwood]

It really does work good. I make the sawhorse an inch or two higher than the trailer. They can be built much lighter than the one in my picture but I had a LVL left over from a job. You should put diagonal bracing on it in the athwartship direction. I tie the stern of the boat to a tree, tractor or whatever when pulling it off the trailer so it doesn't roll the sawhorse over when pulling the trailer out. I don't think the auto jackstand idea is good of instability in all directions.

[Ryden]

Bolt the jackstands to a board with a small keel pad in the middle and all stability problems solved

[catbldr46]

Can't thank you all enuf!!! Gentlemen AND scholars, and some part mind-readers. Yes, it is the Corvus!!! All great ideas. I'll let you know what we end up doing to take it off and prop it up. The club I just joined has a lift for the Flying Scots they sail, but word is out on borrowing the straps. I think I'd rather have it setting in the driveway to work at my leisure though. And yes, I'll have to work on posting a photo.