Protecting a glass boat on concrete ramps

[krazyfisher]

How do you protect a fibreglass boat if you have to rest it on a concrete ramp???
so a couple of details.

5mtr boat
no sand near by
can't use keel guard or keel shield due to the trailer


thanks in advance

[deckie]

Why cant you adapt the trailer ? Usually pretty easy.

[krazyfisher]

the cross members are too far apart

[Jabba_]

Why can't you use a keel guard. How does the trailer prevent you from using the guard. Would it be possible for a stainless steel keel to work,,, that Sikaflexed into position. Not a cheap option but it will work and be a nice piece off bling for the boat.

You could also through down a tyre to rest between the ramp and hull

[krazyfisher]

if you use keel rollers to support the weight of the boat than the keel guard/shield will come off not designed to have weight on them.

Stainless would work just got to work out how to get the double bend in it, curved around the "V" and curved down the keel.

yes I have thought of a tyre or a thick rubber mat, the thick door mats with the holes so it would sink.


I do like the stainless I had that on my last little boat and it worked well and it was only 10mm wide.

[Jabba_]

John Shipps from Shipps stainless steel make them. I'll be getting one for my rig once I paint the hull. John Shipps did all the stainless for Lyndsay Fry when he owned Seafarer..

Call John for a quote, 0407 169 751..

[MyWay]

trow some of this at ramp

[kizza1]

linex the hull like they do to the surf club and hire jetskis

[Roughasguts]

I would float a crappy old life jacket under the bow! maybe even a pool noodle!
Of course you will need a rope or elastic strap tied off in at least 3 places to hold it in position.

Hmmm actually 3, 1 foot pieces of pool noodle strapped together to make a mat! a rope off the rear of the side noodles tie that off on the bow rail each side and a rope through the center noodle tied off on the bow. Shove it under the bow with your foot or practice driving over it before you dock.....easy.

Cheers

[nautimax]

Stainless would work just got to work out how to get the double bend in it, curved around the "V" and curved down the keel.



...form the "V" first then roll the keel curve after...

[deckie]

the cross members are too far apart


if you use keel rollers to support the weight of the boat than the keel guard/shield will come off not designed to have weight on them.

Stainless would work just got to work out how to get the double bend in it, curved around the "V" and curved down the keel.

yes I have thought of a tyre or a thick rubber mat, the thick door mats with the holes so it would sink.

I do like the stainless I had that on my last little boat and it worked well and it was only 10mm wide.

You would obviously know your rig better than us, but can you explain this "x member too far apart" situation ? Got a photo you can pop up showing the current setup ?
Generally any front keel roller will/should be set to take no more than about 1/3 weight...dont quote me but i believe the back half of most trailers take a far greater majority of weight...on a 5m glass rig thats probably less than maybe 130kg and perhaps a little less by proportion when fully loaded. Is it a half cabin/cuddy/runabout style ? How many keel rollers do you have at the moment ? It isnt usually difficult to arrange sets of dual wobble rollers or even skids tight under the front which will spread a load equally. You're right about not letting the boat sit on a keelguard but it would be an extraordinary trailer that couldnt be safely adapted to fit one i would've thought.
Have you been professionally advised by a good trailerguy that you cant alter the front roller setup ? That would be fair enough but plenty (especially in the states) even use a simple front v type bunk arrangement to replace a front keel roller on glass rigs.
A pic would be good.

[deckie]

Here's an example of one to compare with your trailer...there's another set of rollers not far behind the front one in pic but you can see the front keel roller only gone. For reference this roughly 5m rig sits on keel rollers plus a total of 16 wobble rollers. Would be nice to get them further fwd but you're at the mercy of strakes/bow design and how they go an and off. Easy to add small parallel or perpendicular skids/brackets fwd of those rollers too...to share load even more. V easy on/off setup and only going on/off weight onto the keelguard as recommended (and necessary). Rig is far more stable on the trailer than once was as well. There's brackets/skids/rollers stock at places like Whitworths/Bias that u may be able to whack straight onto a front x member in prefernce to this.

[krazyfisher]

I could set it up something like the above (deckie)....

now cost.

the above would be $200-250 for keel shield/guard plus trailer hardware $100-150 price depends on site so total of $300-400 and I have to fit it and make sure it wont fall off!!!!


or

hooker boats make a fibreglass guard for $537

or

check the stainless option

I must say I like the option of glass or stainless

[deckie]

Check all options mate. The way its set up above is just one way.
In the states there are much much more skid/bunk style trailers for glass rigs, here we tend to use wobble rollers a lot. No reason you couldnt utilise skids at the front or even a single Y shaped wobble bracket..check out BIAS coz i think they have one tho no idea if it will fit. I beach a lot and sandbars/beaches are like having Arni Schwarzenewgger with some 60 grit working away on the keel. That rig had the front part of keel line reshaped to new by a pro glasser before the keelguard went on. Wasnt too bad but when u get up close you dont want to be able to see any actual glass or bones.
Before applying a fix how badly effected is it now ? Another option might be to discuss with a pro glasser and investigate what he could do. He might be able to pass on some experience as well. Depending on state it might be worth getting some shape back into it first and fixing any deep notches/gouges.
Ig u go down that route the keelguards themselves are about $US100-120 with about $40 deleivery from sites like Cabelas. You;d prob want a 6 or 7ft from memory. Easy DIY job but MUST follow detailed directions (not difficult 2hr job) explicitly. Was a time you;d get no change from $500 just for fitting a keelguard here. Its just a solid slab of heavy duty urethane and a 3M glue that sticks like unowot. I'd guess trailer mods might run to about $150 DIY tops. Can always drop it in afterwards to a pro trailerguy and ask him to balance it perfectly.

Maybe you could also try a chunky bit of med-high density eva foam to sit the keel on whilst u go grab the trailer. Not hard to lift bow when floating at the ramp and maybe get something under there. Clark rubber have all sorts of perforated matting/eva mats that might be just the ticket.

[krazyfisher]

Deckie.. it is in good condition now but want it to stay that way. the reason I want to do this is when I have non boaties or my wife holding the boat it either try's to float away or they let it hit the ramp so I want to be able to pull it up on the ramp and than they just hold the back.

I have just spoken to a local fab shop that will make a keel guard out of aluminum 50mm x 1500mm shaped to fit for $80. I think I will go this way.

[krazyfisher]

ok an update.....

I had the keel guard made 1500mm x 50mm x 4mm ali.
a lot of banging and bending to make it just right, about an hours play in the shed....
loaded it with stikaflex and fitted and braced, 3 days latter tested it.

it made no difference to the boat in performance, it looks good (not that you can see it really) and yes it works on the ramp.

so all in all it was the best way for me to go and under $100 including stickaflex.

[Nathan Tuskes]

nice work!! i take it you did the whole job yourself? (didn't need a shop to bend it)

ill be doing this when i flip mine over for the underside of the hull respray. 3mm and 100mm wide i think will be easier to shape and have the same keel protection at the ramp :S

Any pictures of the job process or finished product Krazyfisher?

[krazyfisher]

I got a shop to do the bending (double bend as such) off a cut out.
I than made final adjustments.

I will try to get some pics

[FishHunter]

which shop did it for you? I am interested in something like that myself

[LittleSkipper]

Thats an easy question to answer krazyfisher? Sell the glass boat and buy a Polycraft, then you wont have to worry about damaging the ass of the boat...;D
How do you protect a fibreglass boat if you have to rest it on a concrete ramp???
so a couple of details.

5mtr boat
no sand near by
can't use keel guard or keel shield due to the trailer


thanks in advance

[krazyfisher]

littleskipper..... I had a poly boat and it was great on a ramp but that was were it ended:P I will stick with a glass boat I like a smooth dry ride..


Fishhunter.... Mackay aluminum industries, they didn't rush it took two weeks for them to get to it, which did not worry me and they only charged $80. I just cut out the V in cardboard and the shape in another piece considering how bad my cut out was they did a really good job.

[FishHunter]

littleskipper..... I had a poly boat and it was great on a ramp but that was were it ended:P I will stick with a glass boat I like a smooth dry ride..


Fishhunter.... Mackay aluminum industries, they didn't rush it took two weeks for them to get to it, which did not worry me and they only charged $80. I just cut out the V in cardboard and the shape in another piece considering how bad my cut out was they did a really good job.

Thanks I will look them up

[krazyfisher]

here are the photo's of it dont worry about the mess I ran out of time on clean up.....

[Nathan Tuskes]

nice job...well part from the sika flex everywhere...:P:P
cheers thanks for posting the pics