Broken Jack Wheel dilema, Suggestions?

[boiseidaho]

Does anyone know of a good stand I can buy or make to store my boat outdoors that will keep it drained? I just cracked my 2nd jack wheel in a year and at twenty bucks a wheel this is getting to be ridiculous. Where I live it's pretty windy and it rocks the boat right off the cement blocks I use. I've used boat covers but around here they only last about a season or 2 at $120.00 a pop before fraying and leaking. I have a 16 ft Lund on a single axle trailer. Is it just me or do the jacks never get the trailer high enough to get all the water out of the boat? I'm new to this forum and it looks great.

[paul h]

I'd suggest upsizing the a larger jack, it should cure your ills.

Winter storage is a bugger, my tarps seem to only last a season, and I need to come up with something that will shed the snow vs. having to dig it.

[Bigger Hammer]

Do you need the wheel? I took mine off, replaced it with a metal foot. Helps keep the trailer more stable.

If the jack is not tall enough you could add a support (4x4 or 6x6, for example) underneath it. Iv'e been doing that just to minimize the wear on the jack, and how long it takes to wind the jack to the ground to pick up the tongue.

Bill

[boiseidaho]

Bigger Hammer that totally makes sense. Just take the wheel out of the equation. Does anyone make a jack stand like that, with just a metal plate on the bottom instead of a wheel? I'm working on an idea to just make a stand that is high enough to drain the boat with no wheel, but we will see where that goes.

[4/0]

This might be what you are looking for, not if Northen tools are where you are though.

Butch

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...39+90554+775742

[Bigger Hammer]

This is what I'm using:

http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm?fu...;categoryID=194

Bill

[jigger]

This is very simular to a jack I have on one of my work trailers. All you do is pull a pin nd the leg drops down that has a flat foot.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...55574_200155574

[Kamper]

Put a jack-stand or block at the back end of the trailer too, to stabilise it. That will reduce movement and avoid pitching the boat in case too much weight (kids etc...) somehow get into the stern during storage.

When I first got my boat, my winter cover was planks across the gunnels coverred with tarps. I knew from my neighbor's example that no summer cover could stand up to 2ft of snow. I cleared it off on a regular basis to minimize seepage during the warm snaps but never had a significant amount of water get past this barrier.

The stand you are referring to is used more on camping trailers. Try the "Campers' Inn" website. Another possibility is to make or buy a saw-horse and slide it under the tongue. This is common around here.

I now use a "garage" tent. believe it or not, the directions are correct when they say to leave the cover a little loose. This reduces strain when the cover goes over the arms. I got some free chain link fence and have used it on the sides to give the wals something to blow against and reduce strain on the fastenning points. It also adds lateral stability.

The top is the part that wears the most so I have wood "strapping" at the edges and under the eves and sandwich the cover between them. When the roof gets worn I undo one layer of strapping and replace the worn section or throw another layer over it. You can also increase the height with fence pipes and if you want longer, get a second kit and add in a section. The cover from the second kit makes a good replacement roof.

My structure has evolved over the years as I decided I wanted better than "out of the box" space. My first 'tent' used the 1 inch supports and was supposed to be guaranteed for 2ft of snow. I guess that was dry snow... It had a cascade failure after a wet heavy snow. I was able to repair and reinforce it and used it for another couple years but I always worried it would go again.

Good luck!

(FWIW Starcraft SSC 150 tin, length 15' 5" )