Launching with the remodeled trailer

We had a beautiful morning for a launch. Sun was shining but the air was perfect. We live to the L..back behind the boat. Our neighbor is to the R.

This is the drive out.

Before we brought the boat back the last time..Jim limbed the trees and brush hogged the side. We have a good neighbor and we’re both at the end of the road.

 

The launch did not go without a few glitches.  Once the boat started to float a bit..the anchor was in the way for cranking the winch handle. So that had to be put on deck so he had some clearance. Not a big problem but one that will have to be solved. The safety chains were a bit short and Jim had some trouble getting them unhooked…but get it done he did.

We figure it will take a few trips in and out of the water to get the boat to sit where it needs to. Once we have that figured out…Jim can work on the other stuff.

Great day for gator hunting. We saw 3 big ones and several small ones. I have a couple of videos that I will post on www.riverwildlife.blogspot.com , as soon as I get them shortened up a bit for posting. I like this combination….turtle, gator and white heron.

 

All in all…it was not a bad day. We are anchored by Driggers Island at G43. We are just off the river and had trouble finding a spot for Raisin to go ashore. We did find a nice spot on the back side of the island and that is where we will anchor the next time we stop here.

The air is cooling down. We got the enclosure zipped and the ports closed, early, to save what heat we could. I think it’s only supposed to be in the mid to hi 50’s tonight so it will be good sleeping.

We should be in Silver Glen Springs tomorrow. Time for a bit of snorkeling.

Rain Shields

Today was a good day to install the Rain Shields. Jim could use a day off from crawling under the trailer.

During the summer we have afternoon and evening thundershowers. Closing all the ports makes it a bit stuffy if you want to take a nap or read.

We put one over the head port….that stays open all the time for air circulation while on the trailer.

I like the view out of the 3 ports over the galley, and hated to lose any of it,  so we are going to wait till we see how these work.

Now we should be able to leave the sleeper ports open during the rain. We’ll let you know if they were worth the cost.

We’ve walked around and don’t think they will be shin or ankle busters….we’ll find out next time on the water.

Bow centering roller (part 4)

I sure hope Jim gets to spend as much time on the boat as he has under it.

When my sister, JoAnne, moved…she had Jim go over and see if there was anything in the shop he could use. She and her husband had accumulated all kinds of stuff….he found several keel rollers and rollers of different sizes. Most were used on the other trailer,but these two keel rollers were left. Along with all the rollers were the 2 7’ teak handrails that we used on the hardtop. Her little stash has saved us a bunch of money.

The two keel rollers were welded into a frame with a centering roller and welded on the trailer for bow support.

Once they are welded into place….he knocks off all the “slag” and checks his weld.

 

The brackets for the guides have been welded into place.

Each step gets us closer to a test launch…and hopefully….. retrieval.

Of course, I am very understanding…and if, for some reason, it won’t go back on the trailer….….I am willing to stay aboard while he brings the trailer back to the house for repairs…..even if it takes weeks( I should be so lucky)…as long as he brings a few groceries once in awhile. Isn’t it nice to have such an understanding wife?!!

Keel board and bunk adjusters (part 3)

Jim finished the keel supports.

The keel board needed to be raised 2” to allow for axle clearance.

Side adjusters… he made each of the thumbscrew locking sections himself. That’s where the new drill press came in handy. Then the nuts were welded into place.

He is now working on the bow roller winch and safety chains.

It may not be fancy…but a ladder was added so he can step from the trailer to the bow to get on and off during launching and retrieving. It can be removed for long distance hauling, but will remain in place for the short trips from here to the St Johns River.

Like I said…not fancy…but what else would you do with an old ladder?

Here is the latest winch setup…

I know as soon as I post these he will make some changes…oh well…he had to have something to keep him busy.

Putting the boat on the trailer (part 2)

Once Jim had the trailer bunks in place, we made arrangements to have the boat lifted from our (now Larry’s ) trailer

onto the new setup. Pull one trailer out…

 

back the next one in. Steve, at Sanford Boat Works Marina, Sanford, FL is very good to work with. He set the trailer in place ..but kept it suspended until Jim had all the bunks adjusted…then set it down and removed the straps. He helped us with the original trailer also.

Jim had the keel support blocked in place, and the side supports were adjusted for the trip home. Once it is in the yard he’ll be able to  finalize the adjustments on the keel support and build the necessary parts. It is OK for the short trip home..but not for launching and retrieving yet. Once our trailer was empty we took it to the launch ramp where Larry and Diane loaded their boat. Here they are in the yard.

The bow roller was on for transport..Jim removed it before I got the camera.

Larry has towed boats all over the country and done his fair share of backing up…but it isn’t often you back a  boat this big… a quarter mile down a single lane dirt road, with 4 curves, the last one a “blind side”, with the boat brushing some of the trees. OH..you also have to put it between two posts that mark a 2’ drop off, either side of the road,  where the culvert runs under it. And this was the first time he’d backed the boat in here.… So…I guess he can put it any place he wants to.

We are short of turn around space right now. I keep planting trees. I’ll try to remember to get some photos of Jim backing in.

Rebuilding a trailer for an Albin 27 (part 1)

Our friends from OK, Larry & Diane, bought “Rabble” an Albin 27 that was located here in FL. They brought a trailer with them…unfortunately it wasn’t setup for an Albin.

So..Jim offered to trade ours for theirs.  This will give Jim time to figure out how to remodel.

The bunks had to be removed.

The bow roller was reversed so it would reach the bow.

Uprights for the bunks had to be made taller and adjustable.

The keel will sit on one of the bunks…it will have to have risers to fit the shape of the keel.  and the bunks on the side are made so they can follow the shape of the hull.

Jim spends a lot of time cutting…… drilling and welding.

He resto-rodded his ‘67 Chevy Pickup ..a frame up restoration with a ‘58 Chrysler Hemi in it….so he has most of the tools needed to do this. Although…he did buy a neat little drill press. He made all the adjustable brackets and each had to have 2 holes.

Heading home…bummer!

Nice night at anchor in the side channel N of Blue Springs. There is a small boat ramp across the river and we dingy Raisin over there for her walk.

This is the sunrise as we are headed back to the boat.

While Jim did the driving…I removed all the vinyl side panels for the trip home, and stowed everything that might blow out.

When we got to one of our favorite anchorages, Jim asked if I wanted to do a ride through and look for gators. This is usually a pretty good spot and we anchor here a lot for that reason. And look at the one we saw.

This gator is the largest we’ve seen in a long time.

Most of the big ones have been hunted out. I won’t be swimming in this area!

Loading the boat on the trailer went well. The day was sunny but not too hot. I spent the afternoon unloading the food stuffs and dirty laundry…need everything clean and  ready for the next trip.