Moving my boat

[Noah]

Yeah, though it is old news, I moved my Folkboat to it's barn a week or two ago. It was a long trip using my Jeep J10 pickup. I couldn't get the jeep going in anything but 4WD low, which limited my speed to about 30 mph. Damm the traffic, especially on a Friday evening...consider me a farm vehicle. Anyway, the 35 mile drive took a bit over 2 hours...

My boat is on a 16 ft wooden cradle, and if I was to guess, I would say that the total weight of everything is around 6000lbs. I had her loaded onto a 16ft flatbed trailer, but getting her off was a bit of a challenge.

I have a 4 ton come-along (a really big steel one that you use a 5ft crow bar to ratchet) but I couldn't get her to budge off the trailer.

After scaring myself for a few minutes fearing busted cables and scars on my head, I took a different approach. I went and got a 18 pack of beer that the nearest store... (who cares that it was 9:00 in the morning [img]smile.gif[/img]

Anyway, as I was paying for my beer I saw a big can of crisco sitting on the shelf. Two dollars later, I had the cradle jacked up, and completely greased.

It worked like a Charm and I pulled the boat off the trailer without a problem.

It is amazing just what a bit of lard can do when moving a bit boat...

Noah

[ 12-02-2002, 10:50 PM: Message edited by: Noah ]

[Gary Bergman]

We many times turn heavy equipment 90-180 degrees with grease between two sheets of ply. Dry skidding is the technic!

[Dave Fleming]

Shoot, in the days of yore, every boatyard had a big drum of TALLOW ready for such an occassion.
Get 50 lbs of beef fat from the butcher, put in empty fairly clean barrel, suspend over fire and add a bit of H2O. Let melt and when all melted, let cool. The water will have evaporated and done its job of preventing the melting beef fat from burning and when cool scoop out the top layer in the barrel. Down at the bottom will be the bits of gristle,bone,gleck and dross left over and that you make into little balls and use for bait when fishing for Ling Cod or whatever.

That Tallow will last for 'donkeys years' and is the ticket for greasing ways, moving boat sleds, whatever. No smell, no fuss, no muss.
Cures baldness, genital herpes, athletes foot, halitosis, almost as good as Bag Balm for keeping hands from chapping in cold weather.



[ 12-03-2002, 12:44 AM: Message edited by: Dave Fleming ]

[Pete Dorr]

Noah

18 pack of beer & can of crisco ?

I wonder if the store clerk was wondering what you were up to.

Pete

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Good one Pete No pictures Noah?
Are you still thinking about taking the I-14?
Let me know. I'm still hoping to make it to Mystic this weekend.
Steven

[Noah]

Steven, I'm still very interested in getting the I14. I have been very busy lately, and just haven't had the time to get over to Maine. I will give you a call later in the week and we can figure out when I can come get the boat.

Yeah Pete, they might have been wondering, but at that point I didn't give a dang...

Noah