Support for swing keel in drydock

I bought a Chrysler 26 swing keel and want to transport it to my backyard for painting and a bottom job. I also want to service the swing keel. My fin keel boats had the keel resting on a solid surface with supports for the hull. How do I support the boat 3 feet off the ground with the keel able to swing free.

Don K.

[Lew Morris]

Hi Don,

I just dropped the keel out of an old MacGregor 22. We simply lifted the boat with slings and placed it on five tripod-type boat stands. Four of the stands had flat, carpeted, pads and the fifth had a V for the stem. They were safety chained together.

We had a full five feet under the keel before we lowered it, and it was steady as a rock... which isn't to say we loitered underneath it... but it worked well.

Most yards rent them if you are on their hard. I sail with two other guys and we decided to buy a set and share them. I think they were about $100 each.

To ease handling woes, we built a plywood and timber holding fixture to capture the keel. It proved to be even more useful when it came time to re-install the keel... three guys aren't much of a match for a six hundred pound hunk of steel...

[Lew Morris]

http://www.boatstands.com/index2.htm

[Lew Morris]

don't read the "do's & don'ts" section...

the first thing Brownell Boat Stands, Inc. tells you NOT to do is suspend the vessel in mid-air.

where's my sword...?