Boat storage- need to find a way to move 12000 lbs sideways - not solved

[NCC]

Originally Posted by coreya3212

Is the floor smooth concrete? if so, pour a jug of liquid dish soap on the floor and tires and give it a shove...

X2. Put some channel iron under each set of wheels, a castor wheel under the hitch, lubricate the floor, and push it into place with a skid steer.

[KinAlberta]

If the floor is fairly smooth, I'd be temped to just create a slide for it. (They do it with appliance sliders).

Please tell me if it was hairbrained or if it actually worked. :-)

So go buy heavy nylon sheet and cut it into maybe a 1' wide strip to run the 20 or so feet needed. Maybe laminate 1' wide strips to a couple 1' x8' wide plywood laminated to build the ~20' continuous bottom slide surface.

Then take another couple pieces of the nylon (so it will be nylon sliding on nylon), one for under each centre tire. Smooth off the edges. Make sure that the surfaces will be extra clean and then spray the length of the slide with a light oil. Then laminate each it to a plate of steel (or heavy plywood) to spread the load evenly. Pull the trailer up on to it and pull sideways.

Or put grease between two 2x12x18's (making a U-channel out of the bottom one) and try to pull it. :-)

[silver]

Don't know if you solved your problem yet but Princess Auto has a sale starting tuesday. On page 13 of their flyer they list 2 piece 3,000 lb vehicle dollies for $60. I don't know if that is 3000 lbs for each dolly or if that is for the pair.

[hilt134]

Would renting a fork lift be an option or a skid steer?

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by hilt134

Would renting a fork lift be an option or a skid steer?

I have a forklift, but it's not doable in the garage. I have enough UHMW PE I am going to try to slide it sideways on them when I get the boat in the garage. I am going to sandwich dish soap between them. I should be able to go close to 4' before I have to reposition

[brendan's dad]

You are getting a lot of suggestions without providing very much detail.....

Picture of current shop and doors?
Picture of boat and trailer?
Budget?
Your mechanical abilities?
Your construction knowledge?

Fairly difficult to suggest moving the door or raising the building if your budget is $1000 and you have no construction knowledge. Also I would not lift the roof and add on, I would lift the entire building and add a "pony wall"

Is there an option to add an additional overhead door to the rear of the shop?

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by brendan's dad

You are getting a lot of suggestions without providing very much detail.....

Picture of current shop and doors?
Picture of boat and trailer?
Budget?
Your mechanical abilities?
Your construction knowledge?

Fairly difficult to suggest moving the door or raising the building if your budget is $1000 and you have no construction knowledge. Also I would not lift the roof and add on, I would lift the entire building and add a "pony wall"

Is there an option to add an additional overhead door to the rear of the shop?

Budget- I am not going to pay for a crane to come lift the roof off, that would be ridiculous. I would rather just build another building. People have mentioned renting skates or a forklift, it is a 70 mile drive to rent anything, I prefer a more permanent solution.
Mechanical abilities - high.
Construction knowledge- built my own house and shop. When I say I built it, I do not mean I was the gen-con standing there watching workers; I surveyed the site, levelled the ground, did the foundation, concrete, framing, wiring, vapor barrier, insulation, plumbing, heating, gasfitting, drywall, sheathing, roofing, painting and finishing. I also built my own shop.
Lifting the entire building and adding a pony wall does not work unless the pony wall is concrete, and even then it can give a weak point on an already completed building, I am not going to do that.
Rear door is pointless, the ceiling height is only 10'.
For this year, I am going to take off the hard top again, and put the boat in through the 10x10. Next year I will either cut out 12'x20' of the roof and ceiling above the 10' door, which I will box in and then make 15' high to accommodate a 14' door, or just build another building just for the boat. I guess I will pay some more tax, but it will make the property that much more valuable if and when we sell.
I am waiting for the shop equipment to sell, once it does I can move the boat into the empty bay, right of the 10x10 door behind the man door. If it does not go, the boat will sit in the middle bay for the winter.
The equipment sale will greatly help the budget, selling a 10' Chicago Dreis break, mig, tig, plasma, lathe, welding table, 2 bandsaws, Cat forklift; if most of that goes I will just put up a new building to the right of the current one.

[farmerbrown]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Budget- I am not going to pay for a crane to come lift the roof off, that would be ridiculous. I would rather just build another building. People have mentioned renting skates or a forklift, it is a 70 mile drive to rent anything, I prefer a more permanent solution.
Mechanical abilities - high.
Construction knowledge- built my own house and shop. When I say I built it, I do not mean I was the gen-con standing there watching workers; I surveyed the site, levelled the ground, did the foundation, concrete, framing, wiring, vapor barrier, insulation, plumbing, heating, gasfitting, drywall, sheathing, roofing, painting and finishing. I also built my own shop.
Lifting the entire building and adding a pony wall does not work unless the pony wall is concrete, and even then it can give a weak point on an already completed building, I am not going to do that.
Rear door is pointless, the ceiling height is only 10'.
For this year, I am going to take off the hard top again, and put the boat in through the 10x10. Next year I will either cut out 12'x20' of the roof and ceiling above the 10' door, which I will box in and then make 15' high to accommodate a 14' door, or just build another building just for the boat. I guess I will pay some more tax, but it will make the property that much more valuable if and when we sell.
I am waiting for the shop equipment to sell, once it does I can move the boat into the empty bay, right of the 10x10 door behind the man door. If it does not go, the boat will sit in the middle bay for the winter.
The equipment sale will greatly help the budget, selling a 10' Chicago Dreis break, mig, tig, plasma, lathe, welding table, 2 bandsaws, Cat forklift; if most of that goes I will just put up a new building to the right of the current one.

Ken if possible with your area bylaws etc. I would put an extension on the man door side (meaning the end of the building) high enough to accommodate your boat. That would save you a bit of wall construction at least.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by farmerbrown

Ken if possible with your area bylaws etc. I would put an extension on the man door side (meaning the end of the building) high enough to accommodate your boat. That would save you a bit of wall construction at least.

I am thinking of that, trouble is I really do not want to spend that much on concrete. The boat is going to be in heat all winter, I want to keep it in the best shape I can for as long as I can. Further to the right there is a ashphalt pad big enough for the boat plus more, I was thinking of building there with a wooden floor.

[Arty]

Ocean-going boats, dollys, building renovations, permits, aircraft, flying lessons, moorage, engine overhauls, propeller maintenance, submerged deadheads, new roofs, insurance...

Wouldn't it be less trouble just to go for some nice little rainbow trout?

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Arty

Ocean-going boats, dollys, building renovations, permits, aircraft, flying lessons, moorage, engine overhauls, propeller maintenance, submerged deadheads, new roofs, insurance...

Wouldn't it be less trouble just to go for some nice little rainbow trout?

I sold my rainbow trout boat
I am hooked on ocean fishing, sometimes easy isn't an option.

[Ken07AOVette]

Solved!!!

Today I moved out a 25,000 lb break out of my shop with a come-along and UHMW PE strips. I set one on the floor, slathered it with dish soap, another on top and it moved like nothing. Moving a boat half the weight or less will be super easy compared to the job today. Plus, with the break gone I have ample room.

I as well as the crane operators are amazed at how well the strips worked. Perfect and far safer than skates, being only 1.2" in the air as opposed to 4-6 inches up.

Thanks everyone, especially Mario for the offer of help

[EZM]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Solved!!!

Today I moved out a 25,000 lb break out of my shop with a come-along and UHMW PE strips. I set one on the floor, slathered it with dish soap, another on top and it moved like nothing. Moving a boat half the weight or less will be super easy compared to the job today. Plus, with the break gone I have ample room.

I as well as the crane operators are amazed at how well the strips worked. Perfect and far safer than skates, being only 1.2" in the air as opposed to 4-6 inches up.

Thanks everyone, especially Mario for the offer of help

No problem Ken, glad it worked out for you. I'm sure you will have your hands full when moving the boat over but it would make a cool video - probably go viral - I'm sure there are thousands of guys out there looking to solve similar issues.

[Norwest Alta]

Glad you're problem is solved Ken. If you get a minute investigate some things called cam followers. Motion Canada has them. Might have to speacial order the size you need but I think they'll work for your application.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Woohoo! Glad you found a good solution, Ken.

And now your shop floor is squeaky clean to boot.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Solved!!!

Today I moved out a 25,000 lb break out of my shop with a come-along and UHMW PE strips. I set one on the floor, slathered it with dish soap, another on top and it moved like nothing. Moving a boat half the weight or less will be super easy compared to the job today. Plus, with the break gone I have ample room.

I as well as the crane operators are amazed at how well the strips worked. Perfect and far safer than skates, being only 1.2" in the air as opposed to 4-6 inches up.

Thanks everyone, especially Mario for the offer of help

Nice job Ken.. (Nice Boat as well).

One question, is your garage/shop floor sloped? Might make it harder getting it back over. I guess nothing a winch or come-along couldn't solve.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

Nice job Ken.. (Nice Boat as well).

One question, is your garage/shop floor sloped? Might make it harder getting it back over. I guess nothing a winch or come-along couldn't solve.

Thanks!
It's not sloped.
It will be Easier to bring back, just chain in front of and behind the wheels on the frame and pull. I think pushing it over will be worse. I know it actually. I may drill in holes for mounting an eye to connect a come along. I wanted to do that for a winch in front of my hoist too.

I still want to revisit raising the roof and ceiling so I can leave the hard too on the boat though.

I had the crane guys thinking yesterday they figured they could lift the entire roof for me then I would build a 4-foot pony wall and have a 16 foot ceiling easy! Lol

[dodgeboy1979]

Just put in a dormer on the roof where your boat roof will fit in. The added window will be good light in the shop as well.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by dodgeboy1979

Just put in a dormer on the roof where your boat roof will fit in. The added window will be good light in the shop as well.

Have to go up at least 4 if not 5 feet, won't be room for a window. Plus I have to redesign the beam over the now bigger door.

Help. I need an adult

[Stinky Buffalo]

If put a new door on one of the end walls, would that buy you the clearance you need?

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

If put a new door on one of the end walls, would that buy you the clearance you need?

No the ceiling is only 12 feet. I see I out 10 above.
I need 14'+

[Ken07AOVette]

I finally (few weeks ago) was able to clean out the garage and tried the plastic slides gooped with soap. It worked, but the boat kept rolling off the slides. I jacked the trailer up each wheel at a time, slid them under and lowered. I moved it a little with the forklift, and the boat rolled off. I then hooked the truck to the boat anchoring the front, pulled the boat back onto the slides and pushed, easily got 8". But then the angle was getting bad, and not a lot of room to maneuver the truck, so I had to stop.
It wasn't until I had everything back in place and the boat sitting in the bay that I figured out how to solve it rolling off, use a ratchet strap the tie the rear wheel to the middle, another middle to front. There is no way it would roll off.
Next year I will try again.

[coreya3212]

I remember this thread. Tell me again why wheel dollies won’t work?

[Ken07AOVette]

The boat on trailer weighs around 13,000 lbs.
The rear axle carries 4800lbs, middle about 3500, front 2800 iirc.
Most dollys are rated about 1250 lbs, would need 6 of them rated twice what the lights ones carry.
The last time I looked into heavy dollys there were about $600 per set or more, so $1800- $3000 for weight rated units.

Too damn expensive and most are too light.

[coreya3212]

Ya that’s getting pricey.

[Ken07AOVette]

Getting to be that time of year again, I am trying to decide if I should remove the hard top again, and keep it in the heated garage or winterize and tarp it. It is a love/hate deal, love having it warm and secure, protected, able to work on it if I want, but man it takes up a lot of room.

I had planned on adding 18'wx40'lx16'h to the garage this year, but lost a huge commission deal I worked on for too long. Maybe next year.

[Bigwoodsman]

Take a good hard look at her and if you even find one thing you might want to do on her this winter then garage it. If you can’t see your self doing anything then pull the batteries and winterize her tarp her up completely and store her outside.

BW

[Jayhad]

Ken,
Thank you for your story, I'm not sure how I missed it. These pages have given me great optimism. This fall I need to move my jet boat hull from my boat garage to my heated garage for the winter... I'm talking a distance of 60' and a weight of only 300lbs.
I don't have a skid steer or forklift, but reading this; dang it's going to be a piece of cake.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Bigwoodsman

Take a good hard look at her and if you even find one thing you might want to do on her this winter then garage it. If you can’t see your self doing anything then pull the batteries and winterize her tarp her up completely and store her outside.

BW

Likely will end up that way, I love my garage as much as the boat, and don't have any projects for the boat this winter. I have left the batteries in because they are very hard to swap out, just leave the boat plugged in to cycle them. I also put a dlink wifi camera under the tarp with a battery backup to keep an eye on things. Winterizing this boat makes me nervous though.

[Zip-in-Z]

Ken … since you have the necessary skills & equipment for your consideration if your still looking for a low cost solution. If you’re garage pad is fairly smooth concrete, mfg a ½” or ¾” thick - 12”x12” or similar square steel plate & weld 4 pieces steel angle on the sides so you end up with a steel box, get a bunch of loose steel ball bearings (scrounge or Amazon) put them underneath the steel plate/box & you have a low-boy ball bearing dolly, make one for each tire & they should hold the weight and capable of rolling your boat/trailer into place (similar concept to building the pyramids).

D.