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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Cradle Pads

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existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/23/2005 : 16:52:42

After this spring's experience with sheet rock screws in my hull from the old cradle pads (no, I don't know who put them in), I thought I would see how these work:

I like the idea of no carpet to catch water against the hull. The top layer of the pad is rubberized and is softer than it looks in the picture.

Rick

Edited by - existentialsailor on 10/23/2005 16:53:48

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 10/23/2005 : 18:27:56

Nice pads!

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by existentialsailor
 I like the idea of no carpet to catch water against the hull.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

What do you do about water touching the hull after you launch?

Edited by - on

existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2005 : 05:57:29

Don,
So far, I haven't had to worry about the water freezing when the boat is launched so I'm not concerned about THAT water touching the hull. Mostly though, I wanted to get rid of the rotted wood and sheet rock screws.

Edited by - existentialsailor on 10/24/2005 08:58:01

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2005 : 07:30:27

You have seen the trailer pads mod I did. I like yours a lot as long as they won't rub the paint off as the boat settles on. What are you using? Where did you get them? I felt that getting the carpet up off the wood would allow it to dry and still have the sliding function that carpet provides. It is not unusual to need to yank a wet hoist strap out from between a pad and the hull when retrieving. Do you think a strap will slide out of those? Speaking of that, When I had a Merit 25 I did what most J-24's do, I used a lifting eye on the keel bolt at the fore/aft CG, no straps ever touched the hull. Do you have a lifting eye?

Edited by - on

existentialsailor
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1180 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2005 : 09:07:23

Frank,
The Capri 25 comes with the same set up for a lifting eye in the keel as the J24's you mentioned. However, due to some past repairs on mine, the hole in the keel is no longer available for that.
At my boat yard they do not use straps, they use a fork lift type boat lift which has very long arms on it. They drive in at the front of the cradle/boat and lift it off the pads and keel and then put it in the "well" as it is called here.
The pads I show are made by Atlas Boat Pads, a company in Massachusetts. It's a family owned manufacturing company and the guy who designed them also owns sail boats. That's where he got the idea. The two hole patterns you see are placed so that it will line up with the 2 most common trailer companies out there. I don't think it will rub the paint off as the ribbed material is very pliable, but we'll see next year.

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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2005 : 11:07:38

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dlucier
 Nice pads!

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by existentialsailor
 I like the idea of no carpet to catch water against the hull.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

What do you do about water touching the hull after you launch?

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thats a whole different story Don

Once the boat is launched it is mobile, therefore the water really doesn’t get trapped against the hull, its different water all the time

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2005 : 16:58:04

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Duane Wolff
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dlucier
 Nice pads!

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by existentialsailor
 I like the idea of no carpet to catch water against the hull.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

What do you do about water touching the hull after you launch?

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Good point, Duane!

I covered my cradle pads with some leftover kanga backed Olefin berber carpet. Olefin fibers are mildew/moisture resistant and the 3/8" closed cell foam backing provides additional cushioning and doesn't absorb moisture.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2005 : 11:37:10

I covered mine with some piece of carpet the yard manager found on the side of the road on the way into work. He figured some morons would have carpet on the jackstands that needed replacing and said morons wouldn't remember to get any until the last minute.

Said moron found six square feet without cat urine stains and used them

Edited by - on

Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1773 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2005 : 11:42:16

...Said moron found six square feet without cat urine stains and used them ... Duane

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5913 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2005 : 16:24:49

I saw about a 2-3 year old C30 that had blisters all over the bottom, but they were worse, by far, where it sat on carpeted cradle pads while it was on the hard. It had been sailed 2-3 summers, but the pads, which stayed wet most of the winter, made a bad problem worse. I'm guessing that they made those spots so much worse because they held moisture against the fiberglass, which permeated the fiberglass and then repeatedly froze and thawed during the winter. Many of our older boats still haven't been barrier coated and are still vulnerable to blistering, but it hasn't happened for some reason.

This is just a personal theory. I suspect that many layers of old bottom paint might provide some barrier against blistering, and when we strip it all off, we renew the possibility of blistering. When I stripped mine to the bare fiberglass, I barrier coated it. Who knows why one boat blisters and another doesn't, but I think, as a general principle, it's a good idea to eliminate anything that holds moisture against the hull.

Edited by - on

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