too tall for my garage door

C

ChaplainTim

New member
Thrilled to be a 22 Ft C Dory owner. Picking her up either Saturday or Monday. 1987 but always been stored inside....super clean. I want to keep her that way.

My garage door is 8 feet and she is 8'4" tall on trailer. I was thinking of lowering her for winter storage with those donut fake car spare tires. Has anyone else tried that? Or has a better idea? Thanks.
 
Congrats on your new C-Dory, and welcome!

I've seen a few methods used on fiberglass trailers (because they are often juuuuust a bit too tall).

1) Take a bit of air out of the regular tires. Obviously the easiest if it is enough.

2) Have a set of smaller wheels/tires (say 8") that are put on just for going into garage.

3) Homemade hard wheels out of plywood or etc. (obviously they need to be strong enough - fiberglass trailers are light).

One other caveat that you may have thought of already: If there is any change in grade as you approach the garage, you may need more room than "just the measurement" due to the angles involved.

A friend helped me to get my boat under a "low entry" (the rest of the space was higher) by using a tractor with a hitch ball that could be raised and lowered. He lifted the hitch to "duck" the back of the boat under the low spot (I was watching the engine legs and back of trailer), then lowered it to get the rest of the boat in. Slick!
 
The rims might give you the 4" you need. Depending on how far you have to travel from being in the water, and some trailers, your boat may sit a bit lower if you don't snug it up to the winch post. That usually raises the bow, so depending on if you have anything on the cabin roof, and if it is forward or aft, that might help too.

Your doughnut tires are a good idea if they will give you the space you need.

Welcome to CBRATS and congrats on the new to you boat. It is a really good idea to keep it inside. This is a really great family. Enjoy, and let us know how it works.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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You could do like someone else did--- shave a few inches off the header over the garage door opening to allow the boat to fit. :shock: :lol:
 
I agree with Roger, and would calculate the cost to modify the door opening. I know it will be expensive and considering the safety aspect on routinely swapping out wheels (I would use 4 jack stands, don't know the weight of boat and trailer, I have a 3 ton floor jack, pneumatic impact gun - vintage CP740 maybe from 1966), time involved to it safely and to maximize boating time along with the convenience factor. The boat could shift while being lifted or on stands are my concerns and frankly I am not interested in swapping tires twice to go boating. Maybe another option, is user smaller size tires and taking boat to a good trailer shop for a curb side consult

m2cw
 
Just put the tomcat away for storage last weekend. I deflate the tires to gain the last 3-4 inches clearance of a loft over my stern rails. Once they clear I inflate them again for storage.
 
Go to Harbor Freight and buy 8 of the heaviest duty shop roller wheels they have. Fabricate two little wooden 12X12 pads similar to what a mechanic lays on to roll under a car, but reinforce it strong enough to support the weight. Take the entire rim and tire off and lower the wheel hub down onto these wooden pads. Keep the tongue jack on the front and lower it as low as it will go. Bring three friends to help you push her in.
 
capt. meares":1hdflcny said:
Go to Harbor Freight and buy 8 of the heaviest duty shop roller wheels they have. Fabricate two little wooden 12X12 pads similar to what a mechanic lays on to roll under a car, but reinforce it strong enough to support the weight. Take the entire rim and tire off and lower the wheel hub down onto these wooden pads. Keep the tongue jack on the front and lower it as low as it will go. Bring three friends to help you push her in.
Click to expand...

OR, search the internets for "auto garage dolly" for something like this
auto-dolly-products-available-from-attitude-garage.png


dave
 
Guess your concrete slab is poured already? If not maybe you have room to drop entry area regrade so it works. Might work in some situations ,if you have gravel base not concrete or old garage needing new slab,just a thought.
 
Wish I had a better idea than those already tendered. If shaving a header were all that that phrase implies, it would be a good permanent fix. Howsomever, likely the rollup door is already at max height, and the roof trusses actually limit the door opening height.

Not to mention the resale value of a structure having the major door opening no longer conforming to code is in the toilet.
 
Let me clarify-- I do NOT recommend cutting into the header over the door. The header is a major structural component and the size is regulated by the Building Code.
Did this actually happen? Yes!
Would I do it? No.
What do I do for work? I'm a Construction Inspector.
 
Actually replacing the header might work. Probably have to be engineered but a steel header might work. An I-beam with the trusses resting on the lower lip of the I ? I can envision it being done as a long term solution and still be "legal". My neighbor did this with his garage. He was a builder so the cost was considerably less.
For the immediate, I like the dolly idea. Could it be done by removing one wheel on each side and dolly on the remaining wheels ( let air out to lower rig) or replace the remaining 2 wheels with some old rims. If it's a tandem trailer is there any reason just one axle should be OK for the short distance ??? If it's a single axle trailer it would be even easier.
 
Thanks All for the great ideas. Previous owner put C-dory rocket launcher bar and radar on with rubber gaskets vs 5200 etc so it could be removed in winter. Later on he moved and everyman's envy for a shop with 2 12 ft doors. Raining like crazy now and got a few drips off a couple of the bolts. Tightened them and it seemed to stop. We will see. Garage header mod is not in the cards here but lots of the other ideas are definite prospects for research. I had a boat cover on my last rig but this one appears to have been always inside as claimed....I'd love to get her inside for 4-5 months of the year. Your ideas are appreciated. I have six lug wheels so I'm thinking my idea of small donut spares from a car is a no go. Thanks Tim
 
ChaplainTim":10j0c421 said:
Previous owner put C-dory rocket launcher bar and radar on with rubber gaskets vs 5200 etc so it could be removed in winter. ..... Raining like crazy now and got a few drips off a couple of the bolts. Tightened them and it seemed to stop. Thanks Tim
Click to expand...

If it is dripping inside, this means that you are potentially getting water into the top core. You don't want this (assuming that this part of the top is cored--if it is more than about 1/4" thick, it is cored).

You can still use the car dolly that I suggested--it makes no difference of what the bolt pattern is.
 
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