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Maybe stuck in the lake over winter

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rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/20/2012 : 18:34:09

Even at the high water mark, my trailer wheels rolled off the end of the ramp at launch. Not too bad retrieving an empty trailer with a good yank (damaged a fender). Water levels are dropping further and sailing doesn't really begin until October. Re-anchoring the yacht further from my shrinking shoreline will continue to be a monthly chore, but come winter ice, I'll need something 12V to keep the ice away (if she's still on the lake). Ice gets about 1/4 or less for only a few weeks, if any ice, but wacky world weather is exaggerated and I have no idea what this winter has in store. My on board solar is good for 150 Wh a day in January. Any ideas for a bubbler? Best would be hauling out the yacht. Any ideas on the short ramp?

Molly Brown: 1967 Grand Banks 32-#34. Bronze, mahogany, teak, oak, with 120hp diesel to push all 10 tons. Currently an abuser of the bilge pump. Also... The Tall Rig Spirit: 1978, #973, Cast Fe Fin Keel on a Trailer

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vipermagic
1st Mate

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USA
69 Posts

Response Posted - 08/21/2012 : 07:31:08

Short of finding a lift or a crane, I'm afraid I don't have any good ideas, but I would like to hear more about trailer launching your fin keel

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shnool
Former Capri-25 Tech Editor

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USA
1032 Posts

Response Posted - 08/21/2012 : 07:56:42

Geesh, that's a huge fear of mine. The good news is our launch ramp existed as a road before they filled the lake. The bad news is that was 40+ years ago. I am told the ramp goes really deep in the water.

I don't have any good alternatives for you though, are there any other ramps on the lake?

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 08/21/2012 : 12:26:14

I'm guessing you're not the only one--could a few people get together and buy a small truck-load of gravel to dump over the end of the ramp? Of course, there's still the question of whether you can get the trailer deep enough...

1/4" of ice might scratch away some bottom paint, but it shouldn't be a threat to the hull. If she sails around on the anchor, she might keep her immediate area open. Then again, as you say, you never know...

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CarbonSink62
Navigator

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USA
208 Posts

Response Posted - 08/21/2012 : 14:15:39

I had the same issue in 2009 getting my C18 out of the lake (I found another ramp).

One of the best ideas I heard was to buy many bags of cement and use them to extend the ramp. Keep the cement in the bags and just lay them down one behind the other. You might need a diving mask to place them where they need to be. I didn't try it, but it made sense to me. It would be fairly cheap, especially compared to hiring a crane. This approach assumes you only need 5-6 more feet of ramp.

The main cause of this problem (well aside from dropping water levels) is that many power boaters use their boat engine to load their boats onto the trailer. This severly erodes the base of the ramp and creates a shoal about 20-30 feet behind it. A lot of ramps have signs asking boaters not to do this. The honor system was not working at my lake.

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putzmeister
Navigator

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100 Posts

Response Posted - 08/21/2012 : 18:11:55

12v xmas lights

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rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 08/21/2012 : 21:09:43

Problem with 80# quickrete bags is the paper quickly saturates to a pulpy mess. I've heard the the idea and thought of solutions. Two other keel boats are on this lake: one Catalina 250 one 20' daysailer. And there are two launch ramps: one short and steep and one long and shallow. I used the short and steep to launch.
The photo is a launch on the my old lake to show how rediculously high my trailer keeps the boat. A pull out 10' tongue extension submerges tow vehicles so I'm going to strap launch.

Edited by - rrick on 08/21/2012 21:11:13

Tomas Kruska
Admiral

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Czech Republic
522 Posts

Response Posted - 08/22/2012 : 03:00:35

What a beautiful lake !

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CarbonSink62
Navigator

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USA
208 Posts

Response Posted - 08/22/2012 : 08:30:57

What a sweet trailer!

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rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 08/22/2012 : 23:42:39

I like this trailer some. Powder coated C-channel steel with 4 electric brakes. There is no winch so I need to get that fixed. Also maybe something different than bunk carpet? Launch shallow and slide the boat bow to winch (like roller bunks)?

Lakes around here are huge, very clean, and well respected. Here is the lake I'm on now with the private dock.

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hewebb
Admiral

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USA
761 Posts

Response Posted - 08/23/2012 : 04:46:32

When I bought my boat we had to find a spot of shoreline that would support the trailer to get her loaded. The lake was so far down that all the boat ramps were out of the water. Pushed the trailer in the water with about 20 feet of chain to the truck. Luckily we had a rocky shore to drive on that was easy access. It did require some getting wet.

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 08/23/2012 : 22:04:11

Where are you located RRick?

I have 3 suggestions...

1. Try another trailer. You may be able to borrow a trailer that sits lower. After the boat is out you can move her to your own trailer using a travel lift.

2. Hire in a mobile crane. Splitting the cost you should expect to pay around $400 per hour. In our club thats enough time to pull more than 4 boats out of the lake. I think we did 11 boats in 3 hours last year, including stepping 3 masts.

3. If the boat does stay in all winter, most guys around here have abandoned bubblers in favour of ice eaters; http://automaticrepairco.com/shop/viewitem.php?productid=34

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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 08/24/2012 : 05:34:29

A possibility is to find someone on the lake with a dock and electric power that you might be able rent for a few months then run an ice eater. The ice eaters do a fantastic job in my Marina for those who stay in the water.

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rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 09/08/2012 : 23:16:09

Originally, as noted above, I moored the yacht perpendicular to the shore so she'll ride the summer powerboat activity; seiche gets pretty bad. Surprisingly, a move 8 feet away to the parallel position has gained me 3-4 feet depth. Something about a reverse-sandbar created by the floating dock.

Edited by - rrick on 09/08/2012 23:17:09

PZell
Admiral

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USA
548 Posts

Response Posted - 09/19/2012 : 13:54:01

Sorta late chiming in here. Reading the posts got to thinking. Maybe you could find a trucker that hauls tractors and such on a long flatbed trailor. One might have long steel ramps that are used to get the equipment off his trailor. Maybe those ramps could be extended from end of ramp into water so that your trailor wheels would track up them. Just a thought.

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calden
Navigator

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USA
194 Posts

Response Posted - 09/23/2012 : 08:24:04

Late comment as well. I just saw your post, and see that your old launch site was in Bayview, where my boat is. Are you now on Hayden Lake? Lake CdA? Or are you still in PdO? I have never worried about ice in Pend Oreille because of the depth, but I know that Coeur d'Alene freezes up in the marinas in the cold winters.

As for the quikcrete idea - you could easily slip some jute or hemp bags over the bags and tie it tight while getting them in the water to extend the ramp. that stuff would decompose after a while but hold their integrity while you place them. And... is it a public launch? You'd have to get appropriate permissions to do that, and at the same time they might be happy to fix the ramp. I am sure they deal with this problem a lot.

I would not personally trust a solar charger to keep a bubbler going. I would be a lot happier with an AC connection in the winter. And I would keep snow out of the boat if possible. Boats have sunk due to wet snow weight pushing the boat low enough so that water comes in the scuppers and fills up the cockpit - then BOOM - there goes the whole thing.

Carlos

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