That bittersweet time is here again when many of us will haul our boats and store them on the hard for the winter. Most boaters just call the yard, schedule the lift and leave the rest to the yard gang. By and large, these crews do a good job, and mistakes and accidents are not widespread.

Still, understanding a little more about the process and what constitutes a good job of lifting and blocking the boat for the winter is a good idea. The American Boat and Yacht Council has a standard that covers lifting and storage (TY–28), but few boaters know this.

PAUL ESTERLEA TraveLift hoists from the side, eliminating any tendency to crush the hull.

Having your boat hauled has inherent risks, especially if the yard crew isn't familiar with the boat's design. Props, rudders, shafts, knotmeter thru–hulls and other underwater equipment are at risk. Balance is another critical component because an out of balance boat can slip out of the slings or off of the forks.

FIRST THE LIFT

Before you can block, you must lift. The TraveLift is the de facto standard in most marinas. A few boatyards rely on cranes for larger boats and fork lifts for smaller boats, mainly in facilities considered "high and dry."

I've worked with crews that used both a 35–ton and a 45–ton crane to launch and retrieve a 35–foot boat at a lake with no TraveLift. In both cases, the riggers and crane operators knew their job, even though they had never launched a boat before, especially a big sailboat. They brought spreader bars along to keep the ends of the slings apart. The spreader bars were roughly the width of the boat's beam and kept the slings from crushing the hull. Each sling and spreader bar was linked to the other so the slings couldn't move and drop the boat.

PAUL ESTERLEA properly blocked keel. Notice the shims on the blocks to accommodate the slight curve in the keel.

The crane operator lifted the boat about six inches and assessed the balance. He then dropped the boat back and moved the slings a total of eight inches, then picked the boat up and launched it.

TraveLifts are a bit more boat-friendly in that the ends of each sling are attached to a cross bar that prevents the slings from sliding fore or aft. In addition, the lifting is done from the sides of the TraveLift, reducing any crushing force on the hull. Make sure that the bilges are checked prior to lifting. Any substantial weight of water in the bilge can upset the boat's balance or overstress the lift points on the hull.

PITCH IN

You can do a great deal to help these guys out, especially if they have never launched your boat or one like it. Bring side-view pictures or a line drawing of your boat so that the yard crew can visualize where the important underwater bits are.

ABYC Standard TY–28 recommends that boat manufacturers label lift points on the hull to avoid any missteps in placing the slings or forklift forks. I've never seen these on a factory-fresh boat, but many owners take the precaution of placing their own labels or markers at those lift points.

PAUL ESTERLEOpposing boat stands should be chained together to keep them from "walking" out from under the vessel.

Some yards will use their TraveLift to place the boat in position for blocking. Others use a manual or hydraulic trailer to move the boat to its winter location. For the yard, using a trailer allows them to place the boats closer together because they don't need to space the boats far enough apart to allow the TraveLift to straddle the boat.

BLOCK PARTY

Once the boat is out of the water, it's time to block it. Boats should be supported on substantial keel blocks. TY–28 suggests a range of block widths and lengths depending on the size of the boat. The smallest recommended keel block is 18 inches long and 4 inches square. Even better are 12–by–12–inch timbers. Use multiple keel blocks placed crosswise to the length of the boat. Assuming the keel is straight, arrange the keel blocks at the same height to evenly support the boat. Stacking more than two keel blocks is not recommended for keel blocking because they can shatter and drop the boat. Block the boat so any water on the decks or in the cockpit will drain out.