Ready to flip

Another bad thing about getting old is that your friends are also old, and can't be counted on any longer to help with things like flipping boats over.  Fortunately, there is a corrollary to that cynical old saw "Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill," that allows us oldsters to continue to function in a young person's world even after strength and flexibility have waned:  "Never lift anything with your body if you can use a machine to do it."  Of necessity, when the one's body (and one's friends' bodies) begin to fail, one needs to use one's brain more, and that is how I intend to get Lagniappe right side up. 


I completed my rolling cradle, built entirely from 2" x 4" construction lumber, scrap 3/4" plywood, and a couple of boxes of drywall screws.  I tied to the outer keel using short lengths of 2x4 screwed to the sides of the keel directly above the remaining molds at stations 3 and 7.  Then, I attached a doubled 2x4, 4 feet long with screws into the bottom edge of the keel, and with plywood gussets to tie to the short lengths on the side.  I fastened a doubled 9 foot long 2x4 across the hull to each of the two molds, another doubled 2x4 (3 feet long) perpendicular to the 9 foot pieces, and connected  the top and bottom with a diagonal doubled length of 2x4.  All joints were secured with plywood gussets, for and aft, using a LOT of drywall screws.

Rolling cradle fully constructed

The resulting product was tied together at three points with single 10 foot 2x4s for added rigidity.  All in all, the cradle is a surprisingly rigid setup, built for about $50, in total.

Closer view of the setup around the keel at station 7

Seen from the bow. Note hull is still on strongback.

 The next step was to move the hull off the strongback by jacking up the 4 ends of the cross supports, and rolling the strongback out from the stern.  The stem extends too low to allow it to come out forward.

The hull blocked up at stations 3 and 7, strongback removed

 In the photo above, you can see my old guy lifting solution -- 2 sets of block and tackle, with 4 sheaves per block.  One is attached to the end of the cross member at station 3 and the other at station 7.  At the top, they are hooked to a strap that loops around our old Norway Spruce about 15 feet up.  Although it requires a LOT of rope, I get a mechanical advantage of 6 from each set, and with 2 sets I should be able to lift the hull with no more effort than it takes to get a glass of bourbon from the table to my mouth.

Top blocks are hooked to a strap around the tree

The idea will be to raise the hull half way, so the keel is parallel to the ground, and resting  on the cradle.  Then, we'll slip the rolling strongback alongside the hull, and lower the hull onto the strongback, right side up.  At least that is the theory.  Reality testing will happen soon -- next weekend I hope.