Land Locked Boat

[Skipper of the Sea Que]

Originally Posted by dmjr

What if a boat becomes land locked? How can it be moved with out causing damage? Currently I have a customer whos lower unit is hitting bottom with it all the way up.

Trying to think outside the box.

What about lifting it a few inches and floating it by AIR. That is, helium filled balloon(s). the location of the balloons depends on the type of boat.

A balloon in the engine compartment and another in the cabin? Or, attaching the balloons to the boat lift rings. Or maybe fashioning sling(s) under the boat tied to the the helium balloon(s). The idea would be to lift the boat an inch or two rather than using air bags to float the boat higher.

Maybe Mac can do the math and let us know if a few weather balloons and a tank of helium could lift the boat an inch or two. Wonder if the upper decks could support the lift of helium balloons if they were in a cabin or engine compartment...

I reason that a few extra people on board lowers your boat a few inches. Removing those few people lets the boat rise a few inches. The helium balloon (at the Weirs last season) is large and lifted several people at a time up over 100 feet. So, a floating balloon much smaller than the one pictured, may provide adequate lift to get your still floating boat up an inch or three.



Just a thought. Good luck and let us know how you solve the problem.