Sea Skipper Pictures

S

Sea Skipper

Member
Hi - A number of new photos of both modifications and scenics have been uploaded to the Sea Skipper album. Several additions I'm especially pleased with are shown below:



Dinette_Table_Cockpit_Mounting_1.sized.jpg
Cockpit mounting bracket for the dinette table (no screw holes required) - dinning outside on a nice day in a quiet anchorage is close to Nirvana!



Dingy_Cabin_Top_Mounting_1.sized.jpg
For those of us who carry the dingy on the cabin top. Folding pad eyes mounted inboard of the cabin top handrail used for tying down the dingy. This improves safety as you can slide your hand along the handrail without letting go at each lashing. As a single hander, I give a lot consideration to safety issues.



Trailer_Rear_Centering_Guides.sized.jpg
Rear centering guide for the trailer. No matter how I adjusted the trailer, or retrieved the boat, the boat usually loaded off to one side by several inches. This guide was bandsawn out of a 4x6 piece of pressure treaded fir to fit the side of the hull with a 1/2" clearance. The guides angle outward in the upper half so that the hull can gently settle into the sweet spot. Got the idea from Steve (Dora~Jean).



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Simple steps made from 3x3 angle iron bolted to the trailer winch support for bow access - anchor just clears when launching, watch fingers.
 
There have always been "some things to do " on Clara but now I know where to look for good ideas. The outside table set up is great. VERY
IMPRESSEED.
:smiled john schuler
 
Looks like some very good ideas there, Sea Skipper. While I only have a 16 and don't have the same problems you big boat guys do, I have still gotten many good ideas from you guys. I especially like that rear centering guide. I might just have to steal it.
 
Hank-

Nice ideas and execution! Thanks for sharing them with us!

What's that black adaptor pluged into the trailer tongue and hitch? Some sort of device that attaches to a hand or motorized dolly to guide the trailer around off of the regular tow vehicle?

Joe.
 
Great idea on the rear centering guides Hank. I agree, they are necessary and make loading the boat a snap. I like yours better because mine have occasionally rotated down if the boat is too far off center as it settles. A question on your 4x6 wood, from the angle of the picture it doesn't look possible to cut that much angle from just 6 inches of width? Maybe it's an optical illusion, or did you also cut down the 4" side? Good stuff!
 
Sea Wolf: "What's that black adapter plugged into the trailer tongue?"

The handle is actually the 2" shank of the weight distributing sway control hitch (stinger). I was test fitting the sway control hitch earlier this summer when I took the picture. I have a very heavy duty tow vehicle (Ford F-550 with a 33,000# gross combined weight rating), however, the hitch connection is about 6-1/2' behind the rear axle which makes for a long lever arm. The weight distribution is nice, but the real benefit for me is sway control. Towing now feels like were on rails. I have electric over hydraulic trailer brakes rather than surge brakes and the Equil-i-zer brand hitch works extremely well - not sure how well it will work with surge style brakes.

Dora~Jean: "A question on your 4x6 wood, from the angle of the picture it doesn't look possible to cut that much angle from just 6 inches of width?"

The 4x6 was sawn on the 6" wide dimension trying to orient the grain for maximum strength along the full length. 6" (acturally 5-1/2") is barely enough. First centered the boat on the trailer with hydraulic jacks and then made a cardboard template to fit side of trailer frame and lower portion of hull. The guide is attached to the trailer frame with 4 - 3/8" x 8"+/- Hex bolts and 3 roughly 3/16" x 5" x 7" steel plates. The plates are drilled such that the bolts fit tightly over the frame and along the sides of the guide - this plus the center plate results in a very sturdy connection that does not rock back and forth or side to side. Shims can be inserted between center plate and trailer frame for slight adjusments. The bottom of the guide was cut slightly long for vertical adjustment. There is perhaps 1/2" (1/4" per side) clearance between guides and hull.
 
Hank, kudos on a classy job, as always. Hank's f-boat was the pinnacle of tricked-out, and his CD-25 is well on its way. Always interesting to see what you come up with to make a great boat even better.

And a public thank you... I probably mentioned it on here before, but Hank was kind enough to spend time with me on the phone to tell me what to look for and look out for with our boat prior to the building process. :thup

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
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