# Home made jack stands



## moonie5961 (Oct 23, 2008)

x


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## jimmyb514 (Sep 9, 2007)

*Nice idea*

Those look to be a pretty nifty idea.

I saved your images, (I hope that's ok). I have a Cal21 that I wanted to put up and I also have had trouble locating stands that are sutiable. Granted the 1,500 pounds I am planning to support doesn't compare to your needs, but if properly executed, 
you should be ok. If you need to you can always make more. Noah's boat was held up with wood, no? Good luck and work with many hands. Jim B.


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## jimmyb514 (Sep 9, 2007)

*One more thing*

I can't see in the pictures but you might want to put squares of 3/4" plywood under the main load bearing timbers (maybe doubled up), to spread the load to help keep it from settling too much. Again, the best too you. 
Jim B.


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## merc2dogs (Jun 5, 2004)

Wood is amazingly strong in compression, and those are built to take advantage of the strength. So I wouldn't worry about them failing. Being made of wolmanized wood, they could conceivably outlast metal ones

Depending on what the cost is, If you are any good with tools, it would be a simple thing to make up some custom stands using the threaded adjusters and plates on them, or buy your own:

Scaffold Swivel Jack - Scaffold, Scaffolding from ScaffoldMart
At six inch extension there's something like a 10,00lbs safe working load on them.

Ken.


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## xsboats (Oct 2, 2007)

The stands look like they will work fine. I would be concerned about one detail that can easily be dealt with. The poppets[swivel pads] appear to be mounted into the vertical standards by drilling a hole in the end of the p.t. 4x4. If this union were to be side-loaded, it could split through the side of the 4x4 due to the allignment with the grain pattern in the wood. I would wrap the end with epoxy and glass tape, hose clamps, or even a whipping with parachute cord to prevent this. The poppets appear to be from Brownell or Hostar stands. Being the most expensive part of commercial stands, you could easily duplicate the lower halves with pipe and angle economically at a local welding shop if you wanted all metal stands. Metal stands are available through West Marine.[I buy them on my Port Supply account regularly.] They can also be ordered from the Hostar website.[they build hydraulic boat trailers similar to Brownell's]


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Defender sells Brownell jack stands. They also sell the screw swivel tops if you want to make the bottoms of wood.


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## k1vsk (Jul 16, 2001)

Your insurance company would likely laugh at your claim if/when these failed.
I know us boaters can be cheap but, given the price of proper stands, some things are just not worth doing on the cheap.


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## tager (Nov 21, 2008)

Why live by the insurance company? The insurance industry is a bunch of extortive bullshite anyway!


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## MarioG (Sep 6, 2009)

I don't see any thing wrong with that, my boat sat on a wood cradle for 15 yrs and not much more then those. I built the trailer with that very method and it works great. the sides seem to be more for stablelizing then to hold the weight

Heres Cradle P1010306 pictures from friends & fun photos on webshots

heres trailer P1010034 pictures from friends & fun photos on webshots


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## nereussailor (Nov 3, 2007)

*Stands*



xsboats said:


> The stands look like they will work fine. I would be concerned about one detail that can easily be dealt with. The poppets[swivel pads] appear to be mounted into the vertical standards by drilling a hole in the end of the p.t. 4x4. If this union were to be side-loaded, it could split through the side of the 4x4 due to the allignment with the grain pattern in the wood. I would wrap the end with epoxy and glass tape, hose clamps, or even a whipping with parachute cord to prevent this. The poppets appear to be from Brownell or Hostar stands. Being the most expensive part of commercial stands, you could easily duplicate the lower halves with pipe and angle economically at a local welding shop if you wanted all metal stands. Metal stands are available through West Marine.[I buy them on my Port Supply account regularly.] They can also be ordered from the Hostar website.[they build hydraulic boat trailers similar to Brownell's]


I'm not sure that you're looking at thesame stands that I am, but the main supports that I see are more like 6x6's or even bigger. I don't see them breaking out. Stands are for side support, they keep the boat upright. They really don't hold the weight of the boat.

Dave


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## k1vsk (Jul 16, 2001)

tager said:


> Why live by the insurance company? The insurance industry is a bunch of extortive bullshite anyway!


A common refrain - right up to the minute you have an accident and guess where you'll turn for financial help.


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## tager (Nov 21, 2008)

Not my insurance company! I only have the absolute minimum insurance possible, a requirement by my marina. And, as we all know, the absolute minimum insurance is only insurance by name, but will do nearly nothing to help with financial help. 

The industry of insurance only exists because it is the status quo. It does not provide any real service to most, and is only purchased because it is a legal requirement. It is only a legal requirement because of the powerful lobbies of the insurance industry. Hence, I see it as extortion.


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## k1vsk (Jul 16, 2001)

tager said:


> Not my insurance company! I only have the absolute minimum insurance possible, a requirement by my marina. And, as we all know, the absolute minimum insurance is only insurance by name, but will do nearly nothing to help with financial help.
> 
> The industry of insurance only exists because it is the status quo. It does not provide any real service to most, and is only purchased because it is a legal requirement. It is only a legal requirement because of the powerful lobbies of the insurance industry. Hence, I see it as extortion.


That a very cavalier attitude. I don't want this to revert to some philosophical issue you have with the concept of insurance but suffice it to say we had a fire on our (new) boat 7 years ago which totally destroyed it. Had the same thing happened to you and you were out $400,000, you'd sing a different tune.

I care nothing if you or someone else has insurance; just stay away from the rest of us.


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## bubb2 (Nov 9, 2002)

tager said:


> Not my insurance company! I only have the absolute minimum insurance possible, a requirement by my marina. And, as we all know, the absolute minimum insurance is only insurance by name, but will do nearly nothing to help with financial help.
> 
> The industry of insurance only exists because it is the status quo. It does not provide any real service to most, and is only purchased because it is a legal requirement. It is only a legal requirement because of the powerful lobbies of the insurance industry. Hence, I see it as extortion.


Well said by a college student who owns a 1968 24 foot Inlander. You were not a member of Sailnet when I was run down from behind by a power boat. He to only had minimum Insurance coverage. Unfortunate for both him and my wife, she not injured minimally. The jury verdict was 3 times his insurance limits. He was personally responsible for the difference after his insurance payed. So our attorney wanting to get paid, filed with the court to enforce the verdict. That meant seize his house and sell it at a public action and attach his earnings to help pay my wifes medical costs and losses.

He was called back into court to explain to the judge if could afford to pay the verdict or if the court should seize the property. He said to the judge that he would burn down his house before he would see sold at auction. The judge slapped a body attachment on him which meant he stayed in jail until the verdict was satisfied to protect the assets.

!0 days later, A certified check was at the court house. It's our understanding that he had to cash in investments, retirement accounts and re mortgage his house.

But think of what he saved not buying those higher insurance limits.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

Well










The skinny piece is the outer skin of a 500,000 dollar J-160 that did NOT have enough stands last winter and i dug it out of ONE of the many UNUSED stands it fell on to


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## nereussailor (Nov 3, 2007)

tommays said:


> Well
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What does this have to do with the strength of the wooden stands? What you're talking about has to do with the stupidity of the yard that put the boat on the stands. Sounds like a new boat to me!

Dave


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## k1vsk (Jul 16, 2001)

I think the point is there are two lessons to be learned - that people who try to save a few dollars on the wrong things usually end up learning a very expensive lesson. The second lesson we learn here is those same people don't like to hear the first lesson.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

well

It has to do with stands failing ,these folded in a 60 knot storm BUT the boat was on the hard masr-up

AND he already bought the tops of the stands which is 2/3 of the total cost anyway ?


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## peptobysmol (Apr 30, 2009)

tager said:


> Why live by the insurance company? The insurance industry is a bunch of extortive bullshite anyway!


I agree 100%. If the ins. co. wants, they'll find a reason to deny your claim. Regardless if you have made routine and on-time payments for years. It wouldn't suprise me that certain accounts are randomized to be denied to maintain profitability


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## casioqv (Jun 15, 2009)

peptobysmol said:


> I agree 100%. If the ins. co. wants, they'll find a reason to deny your claim. Regardless if you have made routine and on-time payments for years. It wouldn't suprise me that certain accounts are randomized to be denied to maintain profitability


Randomized? I thought ALL insurance companies denied all claims until you took them to court... That's basically my experience anyways.

I agree with Tager about legally required private insurance amounting to extortion. It gives them a captive audience- they can literally charge as much as you can possibly afford to pay, and pay out only when ordered to do so by a judge but you'll keep buying it!


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## Ken05 (Aug 9, 2009)

I worked for a 80,000+ employee Insurance Co. for a while. I can attest that the devil himself is a fat, new jersey insurance co. attorney.
The Board of Directors could easily step in for the cast of the "Sopranos" and no one would know the difference.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

To get back to the stands themselves...
Some have suggested the good idea of putting pads underneath the feet, to help them avoid sinking into the ground. If they sink or heave with a frost...oops. Our yard does this with their stands even on a paved surface. Another important safety feature is to chain the pairs of stands together so they can't slip out and have the boat fall over that way.


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## grandview846 (Sep 21, 2009)

The pic's in the original post are really helpful... thanks a lot. I'm in a predicament where the person I bought the boat from informed me after the sale, one season later, that the jack stands were actually his and are not available for my use this winter. So looks like I'll be building some stands to brace a 23 foot Grampian.... really appeciate the pic's.


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## grandview846 (Sep 21, 2009)

*Wood jack stands*

The pic's in the original post are really helpful... thanks a lot. I'm in a predicament where the person I bought the boat from informed me after the sale, one season later, that the jack stands were actually his and are not available for my use this winter. So looks like I'll be building some stands to brace a 23 foot Grampian.... really appecriate the pic's.


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## i_amcdn (Jul 4, 2012)

I have a proper metal cradle for my Edel 22'. The problem I have is that the 2 front pads rest against the topside paint instead of the bottom anti-fouling paint. 

Come next April I want to paint the topside including the 8" squares now covered by these 2 pads.

QUESTION:
Can I use 6x6's jammed underneath the deck to act as temporary front stands and then loosen the 2 front pads enough to roll & tip under them? 

The 6x6's would only be in place long enough for the paint to be applied and dry and then I would crank the pads back into place.

My boat has been on the hard for 2 years and is at the very back of the yard, blocked in securely by all the other boats over wintering. There is no way that they yard crew can get near my boat to re-position it properly on the cradle.

Thanks for your feedback


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## i_amcdn (Jul 4, 2012)

BUMP.....
And one of the pads spans topside, boot stripe and anti-fouling paints so if I can just use a couple of temporary 4X4 to support the deck I can get this lady back in the water.
Thanks.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

Maybe you could just rent, or borrow a couple of metal jack stands from a boat yard.


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## gjk50003 (Aug 13, 2017)

Ive just recently purchased a 1984 Starwind 22 and upon pulling it home and beginning cleaning 5 years of neglect off the hull have discovered several spots of needed gelcoat repair, and bottom paint. I can repair the gelcoat on the trailer, but the bottom paint is another matter! Im wondering if I can paint the exposed stern and bow bottoms, then after those areas dry move the boat to stands to finish the center section and keel? 
As I see it the trailer supports the keel, and has two 10' bunkers supporting either side of the hull. So if I cradle the stern and bow, and provide blocking under the keel would that be sufficient to remove the trailer for painting?
Thanks!


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