On Saturday, I did some modifications to the Pretty Gee’s trailer. I moved the wheels back about four-and-a-half inches, in the hopes that it would help balance the trailer out better. I moved the winch post back about seven inches as well. This should allow me to extend the amas while the boat is on the trailer.
I also spoke with Arion, one of the marina owners, about our game plan for de-trailering the boat for the upcoming soda blasting. He built two ten-foot long 4″ x 6″ beams that have been reinforced with a 3/4″ platform on top as well as had 3/4″ plywood sistered to both sides of the beam. The two beams will be used to support the boat, so we can de-trailer it.
The platforms will be in approximately the same locations that the manufacturer of the boat recommends for lifting the boat off the trailer for bottom painting. The original plan was to use the forklift to lift the boat free of the trailer, but due to the length of the boat, a different plan had to be devised.
The current plan is to use the large forklift to lift the bow of the boat, using the beam and then to block the beam at a fixed height, and then to do the same with the stern of the boat. Once the weight of the boat is on the trailer, the idea is to pull the trailer out from underneath the boat. The rear support rack from the trailer was removed, to allow the trailer to clear the boat while it is up on the beams and blocks.
On Sunday, we hauled the Pretty Gee out of the water again. Once the boat was on the trailer, I lowered the mast partially, so the boat could be moved around to the front of the building without hitting the telephone lines coming into the building. The modifications to the trailer seem to have worked fairly well. The trailer seems to be much more well-balanced. I will have to re-mount the hydraulic brake line bracket next time I’m down at the marina.
Once the boat was moved around to the front of the building, I was able to extend the port-side ama and work on the broken cable. At first glance I thought it was the ama extension cable, but it turns out that it was the ama cross-tension cable instead. I hope to have the broken cable replaced on my next visit to the boat. I am also adding two short bungie cord segments to help keep the cables from snagging again in the future or drooping in the water.
Arion and I hope to have the boat up on blocks by this weekend. The amas will be extended and supported using regular boat stands. I plan on using three sets of blocks to support the beams. The first two sets of blocks will be placed to allow the trailer to be removed. The third set will be added after the trailer is removed, directly under the main hull. This third set will probably be just a standard boat stand.
We will have to lay the plastic out beneath the area the boat will be de-trailered in. Greg, from South Coast Soda Blasting, provided the plastic sheeting roll for us to use as a ground tarp for the soda blasting process. He was recommended to me by another sailor I know through one of the internet sailing forums.
There are a dozen other small maintenance projects that I have to do, including finishing up the bridge deck. I also have to clean and polish much of the metal on the boat.