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Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active. Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too! New! The Hideaways take to the road! Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway. The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Single Axle Trailer or Teeter-Totter?

One of the cool things about being a member of a sailing club is the sailboats and owners of same spending weekends together working on their boats.  After HideAway acquired her trailer, her capt, that would be me, has a fine view of such endeavors from her deck.  

A yell followed by loud crash brought me up the forward hatch to see a Catalina 22 bow reaching high into the air as her owner hung from her transom in an unsuccessful attempt to slow the boats' return to sea level. The single axle trailer usually had concrete blocks to prevent the teeter totter effect but something went awry.  Neither the capt nor the equipment suffered any injury more serious than embarrassment.


AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN

 Concrete blocks are made to support things that cannot move, like house foundations, the blocks are not the best choice for things that often do, such as single axle boat trailers.    Concrete blocks are strongest when the two holes vertically support the load on its exterior walls, rather than horizontal as above. Not to mention their weight.  Using concrete blocks is an accident waiting to happen.
 Other than finding a double axle trailer, that doubles the fun, auto jack stands are popular.  I often use jack stands when working on my trailer.  While they don’t move easily with a load on them, I would hesitate to employ them to steady the trailer while I’m on the boat for fear that my movements may knock them over.


I'm much too old to be  riding a nautical teeter-totter

 
Auto Jack Stands Help

Today I noticed that I have a new slip neighbor. A 22 Capri sitting on a single axle trailer.  I haven’t met the owner yet, but he has come up with a interesting solution to the teeter totter problem. 
 
Folding Trailer Tongue Jack 


Folding Trailer Tongue Jack

Since the tongue jacks stay attached to the trailer you don’t have to be concerned knocking one over as you move about the boat.  The jack stand features a swivel to allow trailering. It might be better to have a jack with a flat foot rather than the wheel since you really can't move boats of this weight around much.
Looks like a winner and it's less costly than a second axle.  Such a deal!
Your results may vary.  

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

 
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