Dry dock ideas

Anyone have dry dock ideas for a H16? The boat is at a lake with a very small beach, but 30 yards from the shore the depth is only 3 or 4 feet. My father-in-law and I have an idea to build a dry dock to keep the boat out of the water instead of mooring (which we know is bad) or putting on the trailer. The trees on the shoreline won't let us haul it ashore so we need something to keep it above the water. The dock is intended as a temporary structure to be used only one month per year.

Thanks.

what kind of ideas have you had? are you planning on building a completely new dock or using something that is already built? i think there is another thread in which someone suggested using ratchet straps strung between the two sides of a boat slip and simply ratcheting the boat up out of the water, but maybe we can come up with something better/faster/stronger/easier than that.

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The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails.

I know this sounds kind of wierd, but there's somebody in Newport Beach, CA, right off Balboa Island who has an old Hobie 17, complete with wings (at least I think it's a 17 ... ) and that person just hauls it up onto a big piece of closed cell foam tied to a mooring off the beach and the foam has grooves cut in the top for the hulls . I can't even remember how it's tied on. Think small sofa-sized piece of foam and you'll get the idea. In all of the years I've been sailing around there and walkin around the island for exercise, I've never seen it the cat move around on the foam, ('course, I've never seen it sailed, either ) , so, apparently this idea works .

You might want to improve on what seems to be a good idea with marginal execution by rigging two smaller blocks with, maybe PVC tubing as a spanner between them, or something like that. Hey, cheap (in the Balboa case, probably REALLY cheap [off the side of the road cheap]), effective and temporary. Let us know what you come up with

Our idea is to have carpetted 2x4's bolted to aluminum supports, with rollers on one end. Jaime's idea of 2x4's across an existing dock is similar to what I'm thinking. We have a seasonal dock for walking out on the water and the dry dock design in my head is built on the same idea. I'm not really interested in a floating dock since wave action may affect the standing rigging. Any tips?

I just finished mine today. I have a jet ski raft that washed up about 6 years ago. I got metal rods to attack from the jet ski raft to my floating dock on the river. Same idea as the slips in between the drydock. I also have carpet covered pvc over the metal so it rolls right up.

Just remember when you use a floating drydock to tighten the standing rigging so it doesn't bang around. You could use and extra long job sheet for an H16 or for the H18 & 20 tighten one of the stays. Just make sure teh rig is tight so there are no shock loads. These are what damage the rigging.

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

I was thinking about this last year and was going to try the following....

Assemble 4 of those plastic 44 gallon drums into a raft to fit under your boat.

Interconnect the 4 drums so they cn be flooded with water and then filled with air from a single point at lowest point.

Just open a tap to flood and sink the drums and slide under your boat.

Use a marine bilge pump to pump the water out and let air in, the the drums will start to float and raise your boat out of water.

You wouldn't need a big 12v battery as bilg pumps are high volume with low pressure, so the drums will empty quickly.

Also if you leave some water in the drums, it will act like ballast to reduce the effects of wind nd waves.

My parents built a nice cedar dock for their lakefront place last summer, and we're planning on a separate matching platform for the H18. Picture 2 regular dock sections, except 10 feet long and 1.5 - 2 feet wide. Space them 7 - 8 feet apart and mount on a pressure-treated and/or cedar frame and place in shallow water (actually, I think one end of ours will rest on the shore and the other will be supported by legs). My original thought was an aluminum pipe frame as well, but we used an aluminum pipe frame for the dock and it cost a bloody fortune. I can always replace the platform legs every year or two if necessary. The boat pulls up onto the platform with one pontoon resting on each "dock section." I'm thinking the space between them will be handy for pulling the boat on and off of the platform. We may add some carpetting to protect the hulls more, and maybe a mechanism to adjust the height of the whole thing, as the lake's water level tends to drop as the summer goes on. I'll use some bungees/tiedowns/etc. to secure the boat to the platform, and will anchor the platform with a few cinder blocks. If it works well, I might make one for the H14 I keep at my in-laws place as well. Anyone see any problems with this approach?

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-Bill

Conesus Lake, NY
1976 Hobie 14

We've got about 25 hobies on drydocks on our lake in Minnesota. Basic design is four galvanized steel dock posts, four dock corners (yes, find someplace to buy dock hardware). I used the more expensive dock corners that a 2x6 can sit in on edge, and bolt to the corner bracket. I built a 2x6 frame (treated lumber), for the H20 10' wide by 8' long and for the H16 9' wide by 6' long. The 2x6 are bolted to the dock corners only, not to each other (for quick assembly/disassembly - the water is cold in spring and fall). On the side rails I ran a 2x6 flat on top of the side 2x6 that is on edge (so I have something to stand on if I'm working on the boat). On the front and rear cross pieces I screwed a 2x4 on the inside of the 2x6, flush with the top side (to add stiffness and to make a wider "land" for the hull). I carpeted the front and rear cross piece wheres the hulls would sit. On the rear I put trailer rollers for ease of rolling the boat on and off. They are adjusted low enough so the hulls only sit on the rollers if I lift the front a little, otherwise the hulls sit on the flat top of the 2x6 / 2x4 top. My lake has a soft mud bottom, so I put "feet" pads on the dock posts about 18" up from the bottom of the post. I drive the posts in until the feet are against the bottom. I cover the posts with foam padding above the frame. The bottom of the frame is a little above the water level, and the corner brackets each have one bolt to tighten against the posts, so I can adjust up and down with the water level. I tie the dolphin striker and rear crossbar to the wood frame for between use boat storage. For the H16, that is it. It sits in about knee deep water and it is easy to get on and off the lift. For the H20, I ran a carpeted 2x8 flat under each hull for added support (the hulls aren't as tough as the 16) and an 8' dock section down the middle of the box, and out the front of the box, so I have something to stand on for putting up the jib, and for dragging the boat in/out of the water (heavy sucker). I rig the boats for sailing on the rack, including walking on the boats. (may have to turn the boat around depending on the wind, or pull off to raise the sails)
The boats sit there all summer with the rig up, and have survived thunderstorms with no problem. If you have a sand bottom, or big waves, you might need to consider better anchors and raising the frame out of the water a ways.
I've seen variations that are simpler (just a 2x4 frame like I've described) but work fine, and more elaborate ones that must take half a day to assemble/disassemble. All seem to work. Mine was designed with the idea I'd be standing in 40 deg water to assemble and disassemble so mine goes very quick, is very stable, and has been in use for 9 seasons now.

Thanks for the advice, gentlemen. I'll take it.