I have a Hobie 21SE that I keep tied up at a 20' dock on a remote island where we have oceanfront property up in Vancouver, Canada. Since its the common dock, I can't really make modifications to the dock itself. Its protected behind a breakwall so there's little wave action at all. I should note that our ramp needs a real high tide to launch which usually happen after midnight so launching can be prohibitve.
The last few years, I've launched in April and hauled in November with good success. I use VC17 antifouling (OMG!!!)to keep the bottom clean and it works well. Still, I want minimize time in the water (and osmosis)and part of me is thinking that there must be an easy way of generating 400 lbs of easily movable buoyancy to get it up and out of the water with a minimum of fuss.
Here's fall project:
Using PVC pipe, create 2 open 12' X 1' X 1' box frame structure with styrofoam blocks secured in the ends where the hulls will rest. I figure that 2 cu/ft of styro at each end will give about 125 lbs of lift per side for a total of 250 lbs per frame. When not lifting the boat, the frames can be tied against the end of the dock.
When I want to put the boat away, the idea would be to position the frame at the bows so that it spans the beam, then straddle the hull and walk the frame back to the lifting points using my body weight. The stern would take some finessing but again, there's a solution out there (i.e. rollers so you could start at the bows and work it all the way aft). End result is that the boat is out of the water, safely tied up to the dock ready for a quick escape.
Our winters are mild here in the 40 - 50's (and really windy) and it seems a shame to not have the option to head out for a rip when the weather Gods cooperate.
Any feedback? Has anyone tried this? Has anyone got as better idea? I'm opento suggestions.
many thanks,
David
H21SE#195
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