Repairing your trailer, where do you put your boat?

[Damned67]

Hi All,
Need to replace a keel roller bracket, which I can't do with the boat on the trailer.
This should only be a 10-15min job, which I'll probably do at a boat ramp mid-week.
However, the trailer needs some more repair in the near future (mostly crappy u-bolts mixed with crappy maintenance), which will take significantly more time. With a blurred "sunday arvo" mind, I can't think of where I could put my tinnie for a weekend.

How have you guys done this in the past?

Cheers!

[softplasticsdude79]

on rubber tyres in the back yard,or just jack and stand the trailer up in the yard with boat still on it.

done both of these ways with a 15ft tinny with no major drama

[PinHead]

put the boat on a couple of tyres on the ground

[Linedropper]

Front lawn works for me. To get it back on treat it like a beach retrieve.

[Damned67]

Thanks for that... No suitable lawn, so it'll be tires for me.
Next (stupid?) question, how do I safely get the boat on/off the trailer onto the tires? Seems to me that there'd be a good chance of the boat dropping off the back of the trailer (with the trailer hooked to the car), for the trailer hitch flying up in the air if the trailer is unhooked.
I'm assuming it's a job that requires a few mates to do it safely?

Cheers!

[snodger77]

yep definately get some mates to hold it while you take it off by driving forward with the car

[GBC]

It's a one or two person job. Any more than that and confusion will reign. There's nothing to it. Put the trailer about 6 foot in front of where you want the boat to be, put a tyre under where the keel will be, keep the winch engaged but let out about a foot at a time, push boat back gently until rear sits on tyre. Place second tyre 4 foot up from first tyre, take car out of gear and let the boat down on the winch slowly. Assuming your boat it big enough it will push the trailer and vehicle out from under it while you control it all by using the winch. Otherwise, just drive a bit, winch out a bit if on your own.
Your boat will want a couple of chocks either side of the keel tyres to stop it rolling onto one side.nextra tyres will work.

[fat-buoy]

Just don't let your offsider do the winching exercise if they are not familiar with boat winches as such... ex father in law let the winch get away from him somehow (I should have been watching) end result was the handle turned into a blur and he is trying to stick his hand in there to stop it.... a few solid smacks from the handle and he decided that was not the best option haha..

End result was the boat was off safe and sound though lol

[PinHead]

remember when putting the boat back on..do not winch the boat onto the trailer..winch the trailer back under the boat..leave the car in neutral and let it and the trailer come backwards under the boat as you winch it..that way you do not drag the hull across the ground.