AntonRx Posted September 26, 2020 Report Share Posted September 26, 2020 Hey all. Went to the keys and had the boat in the water for 6 days. Was awesome! While it was there, i took the time to swim underneath and check out the "cheese grater" (sea chest cover) and found that 1 screw head was broken off and the other 2 were simply out, leaving only 3 screws holding it in! I've seen some threads talking about how to replace it. I don't need it replaced, I just need to know how the heck to lift the boat off the trailer bunk, so I have enough room to work on it. My regular 3ton floor jack just isn't tall enough to lift it high enough to get in with a screwdriver (the cheese grater sits exactly ontop of the bunk) and remove/replace the broken screw. Any ideas other than teatering with stacked 2x4s on the jack? Though about going to the ramp and letting the boat float back enough to clear the bunker and pulling it back out to work on at the ramp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Jazzy Posted September 26, 2020 Report Share Posted September 26, 2020 There use to be thread on here how to take your boat off the trailer. You tied the rear of the boat to a tree and pulled the boat off and blocked it up. I’m sure somebody will remember and chime in on exactly how it’s done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonRx Posted September 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2020 Another thing, should my bunks be widened? Some on here say they can access the sea chest while its on the trailer. I have a feeling, the screws broke/came out due to the bunk being right on the sea chest. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Jazzy Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 16 hours ago, AntonRx said: Another thing, should my bunks be widened? Some on here say they can access the sea chest while its on the trailer. I have a feeling, the screws broke/came out due to the bunk being right on the sea chest. Thoughts? Every Pathfinder I’ve owned (3) the bunks were under the grate but never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFD rtrd. Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 Your trailer bunks should be directly under the stringers or as close as you can get them. To lift your boat off the bunk; first you have to secure the trailer by chalking the tires or attach the trailer to your truck or both. Get yourself a good 2x6 or 2x8 and lay it flat against the hull. Place your bottle jack about 1/3 from either end, and lift with your jack about 1/4", then secure with a jack stand. Then move to the other end of the temporary bunk and do the same. Only lift the hull about 1/4" at a time, then adjust the jack stand to support the temporary bunk. Once the hull clears the permanent bunk, you can remove the bunk and do the repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernWake Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 If you are just looking to raise the boat off the trailer more so than pull the trailer out from under here is an easier way to make it happen... Secure the trailer Crank the jack all the way down, place jack stands under the rear of the boat crank the jack up all the way, put a stand/block under the bow of the boat, crank the jack down Your boat should now be suspended above the trailer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplec Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 Good suggestions offered but I when I re-did my bunks with boat on it I used a block cut from a 6x6 that I cut on angle to match the hull degrees and that fit on my floor jack then chocked with stands. I would not recommend stacking 2 bys rather use thicker stock...and a stubby screwdriver... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redrum Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 Wannaflatsfish is the one that tied it to tree and placed hay bales to prop it up. Might PM him to get all the facts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawg Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 If your trailer has 4 bunks (2 on each side) you might be able to lower the bunk blocking access to your cheese grater long enough to replace the screws. I did this on my 23 Pathfinder recently and it worked fine. In my case the single bunk supported the weight of the boat just fine. The keel rollers also chipped in. Assess your particular situation before trying this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh141 Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 21 hours ago, AntonRx said: Hey all. Went to the keys and had the boat in the water for 6 days. Was awesome! While it was there, i took the time to swim underneath and check out the "cheese grater" (sea chest cover) and found that 1 screw head was broken off and the other 2 were simply out, leaving only 3 screws holding it in! I've seen some threads talking about how to replace it. I don't need it replaced, I just need to know how the heck to lift the boat off the trailer bunk, so I have enough room to work on it. My regular 3ton floor jack just isn't tall enough to lift it high enough to get in with a screwdriver (the cheese grater sits exactly ontop of the bunk) and remove/replace the broken screw. Any ideas other than teatering with stacked 2x4s on the jack? Though about going to the ramp and letting the boat float back enough to clear the bunker and pulling it back out to work on at the ramp. To check my sea chest grate I measure how far up it is on the bunk. Mine is about two feet. I release two feet of which strap and make sure the the winch is locked. I have a large tree that I strap the back of the boat to. I pull forward slowly and pull the boat off the trailer just enough to revel the Grate. There should be plenty of boat left on the trailer to support it. There is on mine. When done I winch the boat back on the trailer. Silicone Spray on the bunks make winching easier. Even Lifting the boat up you likely will not have enough room to fix the sea chest. "Though about going to the ramp and letting the boat float back enough to clear the bunker and pulling it back out to work on at the ramp" This works also. If you feel like the boat is sea sawing when far enough back to give you access then use a strap to hold the bow DOWN onto the trailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 5 hours ago, Miss Jazzy said: Every Pathfinder I’ve owned (3) the bunks were under the grate but never had a problem. I’ve also owned 3 Pathfinders and on all 3, the cheese grater was directly over the bunk. I had to go to a marina during the week and paid them $20 to lift boat off trailer to give me enough room to replace grater with a stainless one and fix the screws correctly....it was worth the 20 rather than suspending it from a tree....which was plan B if plan A didn’t work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jh141 Posted September 27, 2020 Report Share Posted September 27, 2020 1 hour ago, fishmanjj said: I’ve also owned 3 Pathfinders and on all 3, the cheese grater was directly over the bunk. I had to go to a marina during the week and paid them $20 to lift boat off trailer to give me enough room to replace grater with a stainless one and fix the screws correctly....it was worth the 20 rather than suspending it from a tree....which was plan B if plan A didn’t work out. To be clear.....not suspending from a tree. Pulling the boat off the trailer just enough to get access to the sea chest. Very easy if using common sense and the winch strap to stop the boat from coming to far off the trailer. Every boat I done this to easily winches back up on the trailer after the work is done. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang190 Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 My trailer bunk shows on the carpet exactly where the cheese grater sits by the outline. With the boat off the trailer I removed the carpet and took a planner and took down the wood about a half inch. replaced the carpet. the cheese grater now does not sit on the bunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewesYourDaddy Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 11 hours ago, mustang190 said: My trailer bunk shows on the carpet exactly where the cheese grater sits by the outline. With the boat off the trailer I removed the carpet and took a planner and took down the wood about a half inch. replaced the carpet. the cheese grater now does not sit on the bunk. This is a "grate" idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanaflatsfish Posted October 18, 2020 Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 On 9/26/2020 at 4:59 PM, Miss Jazzy said: There use to be thread on here how to take your boat off the trailer. You tied the rear of the boat to a tree and pulled the boat off and blocked it up. I’m sure somebody will remember and chime in on exactly how it’s done. that was me I recently did the same exercise with my MA 17 from Ameritrail as the skiff was slightly short on the boards. It works easier with two people...one to look at how it's coming off and the other driving. Just pull forward very very slowly and as mentioned above, un-wrap about 2 feet at a time of the winch strap. dc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotthereelworld Posted October 19, 2020 Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 I hooked my RF18 to a fence post and slowly pulled forward about 3 feet. It worked like a charm. Was able to lay underneath and work on that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.