Arnold, I did not know that a standard forklift had long enough forks (and heavy enough counterweights)to lift a boat this size, but I don't have one in any case. What sort of machine was it? In about 2002 Tom Howe wrote a note (now in the MSOG Archives) describing similar resting of the boat fore and aft of the keel on "sawmooses", but he did not describe the latter. Since they were long enough to clear the trailer wheels (almost 8'), they must have been pretty hefty like yours. I would indeed appreciate a drawing or verbal description of your sawhorses and how you braced the boat. Incidently, the aforementioned posting by Tom Howe described how he jacked up the whole trailer and boat, inserted the horses, and lowered the the trailer back down for removal. Inelegant, I guess, but it apparently worked. Thanks for your help. Tom Jenkins Scintilla ----- Original Message ----- From: "Arnold Sharpe" <afsharpe@mac.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2007 5:48 PM Subject: Re: M_Boats: beaching m17s
Tom, I can't answer the first 2 questions but I can say that I built 2 "husky" saw horses and lifted my boat (M-17) with a fork lift, removed the trailer, positioned the horses just in front and astern of the keel and left her there for a couple of weeks while I worked on the centerboard. I did not think to take pictures but would be happy to provide you a sketch. All in all it worked just fine. I did however have side supports to keep her upright and when leaving her for long periods on the hard, I blocked the keel. On Jul 7, 2007, at 2:50 PM, Tom Jenkins wrote:
Hi all, I am wondering if anyone could share experiences with the latest-generation M17 keel. Will it snap off if I ground my boat in sand or mud for a picnic or an overnight stay in calm lake weather (you know, as with one of those unmentionable P-boats)? Will sand tend to jam the centerboard? Pushing the envelope further, has anyone supported a boat on its keel without disaster? I read a posting from the archives indicating that a 17 can be supported on custom sawhorses just fore and aft of the keel (so the trailer can be slipped out), but that is another matter.
Thanks, Tom Jenkins Scintilla _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
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