moving my 35' 1958 roamer myself

wrenches74 · 11-01-2009, 09:34 AM

Hello, all...i'm new to the forum and have just recently gotten a 1958 Roamer 35

.....been sitting in a barn for YEARS!!!....i am going to move this boat myself, roughly about 300 miles, as i have a 53' flatbed lowboy trailer...there is no chance of crane service as this boat is sitting in a barn perched on 6 R/R ties driven 3' into the ground......weight has been spread out well and the hull checks out fine...my question is how do i go about supporting it on the trailer ?...i have thought about some dock foam cut to fit tightly around the boat as i have seen this done many times...there are no engines, ect in the boat currently and i have gotten all the oversize permits i need...any help would be great!!! thanks...Tim

SeaEric · 11-01-2009, 11:16 AM

This sounds like it may be an interesting transport. I'm curious to know how you intend to move the boat from it's current "perch" to the trailer?

Capt J · 11-01-2009, 08:49 PM

Getting it onto the trailer is going to be the toughest part. If you get plenty of round poles laid flat on the trailer for it to roll on. Remember to get it balanced on the trailer so you have a little tongue weight. I would support the hull with stands like they would at a boat yard when they store the boat out of the water and it should be fine. Not having the engines in it, works out much better because there is less weight in the hull.

artwork · 11-02-2009, 07:58 AM

I highly recommend that you NOT roll it onto the trailer. A couple tons of steel riding precariously on its keel or it's keel and one chine sounds like leaving a lot to chance. I owned a marina a while back and did a lot of boat moving in and out of buildings without the aid of our travel-lift.

The styrofoam idea will work for short distances and is pretty safe if you make each block out on one piece. If you have to stack blocks, the vibration of travel and wind may jar some of it loose. The boatstand idea will work but you have to fix them to the trailer so they won't move.

IMHO 300 miles is quite a haul, so you need a decent cradle. You can make one out of 6x6's. First place at least two crosswise under the boat - they should be at least a couple feet wider than the trailer, then cut uprights just like the posts in the barn. Nail a 12"x 12" pad (cut a 2x12) flat on top of each upright before positioning the upright. Now cut plywood gussets to secure the uprights to the crossmembers. Lastly, connect diagonal braces from the bottom of the crossmember to the top of the next upright. If you plan on keeping the boat on the cradle, be sure one of the 'cribs' is under the engine mounts.

If the trailer fits between the RR tie pilars, you've got half the project solved. If not, you still have the problem of raising the boat, if you've got that figured out, stop here - and go for it. If you would like a suggestion on raising the boat- read on. . .

If you have a 53' flat bed, you probably have some hydraulic jacks - build at least 4 wood columns (stacked wood or concrete blocks) place hyd jack on top of the column and the cradle on top of the jack (I didn't say this was easy, did I) Now raise the cradle under the boat, then raise the boat to a few inches above the trailer height. This may take several 'lifts' - meaning raise it the limit of the jack then build another column next to the jack; lower to the 'axilary column', put another block in the jacking column, repeat. If this were a boat hauling trailer, that would only be 14 inches off the ground (maybe two 'lifts'). If the boat is in really good condition and there are no engines in it, it should handle this for a short time (without jacking at the keel). If you have to raise it a number of feet, support the cradle under the keel during this process (or if you leave the project overnight, support the keel). When you have it high enough, remove the forward keel suport and start backing the trailer under it, removing the other keel blocks as you go. When you have it in position, lower it onto the trailer.

If you have some other questions, email me direct.

wrenches74 · 11-02-2009, 10:52 AM

thanks for all the good info as it sits, the trailer is about 8.5' wide and as you all know the rear is about 10' wide (total beam measures 11'9")..the "perches are wide enough to allow the trailer to go right under the boat....i am going to make some "Perches" out of 8x8 box steel with plates on either end...weld them to the trailer and strap the whole thing down...i will fab this stuff at the load point (not at home) so we're going to take a bandsaw, welder, steel, wood cribbing and 4 "I" beam posts i made to put the bottle jacks on (About 30" high)...i will try to post some pics of how the boat is currently stting on 6 R/R ties (think...drove 2' into the ground 3 on each side)...what are the opinions on my plan?

Tim

artwork · 11-03-2009, 07:18 AM

Sounds like you have a plan. I assume you have the steel lying around. If you're going out to buy it, 8 x 8 is a bit over kill. But with you welding it to the trailer it will be good and sturdy. How are you going to block it at home?

Looking forward to the pictures.

wrenches74 · 11-03-2009, 03:15 PM

well, i didn't have it laying around, but i did get 2 10' sticks of it for free.......i'm just hoping the DOT doesn't decide to give me a whole lot of grief........aside from that, i plan on blocking it up at the house in a similar fashon, although, i'd like to have some weight on the keel.....i almost got sick when i saw this boat sitting on just 6 R/R ties with just a few beer kegs under the keel loosely..... BTW...a few pics that i had promised....

wrenches74 · 11-10-2009, 06:10 PM

Well, Moving day is this Friday, the 13th!!!!...after my day-long go around with the Ga. DOT, and them telling me i had to register as a federal motor carrier, they made me get a USDOT #

, fax all sorts of insurance info, thank God i have a Commercial driver's license...the last time i pooped...lol...ect....i finally got my oversize permit......

my advice to anyone thinking of doing this type of thing themselves....DON'T DO IT!!!!!...if i wasn't on such a time constraint to get the boat moved from where it is at (it has to be out of there this weekend ... I called several boat movers and no luck on such short notice)..i would hire someone to do it.....in hindsight, i wish i had hired a boat mover.......but, i didn't so now i'm forced to do this myself....Wish me luck........Tim

NYCAP123 · 11-10-2009, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrenches74

Well, Moving day is this Friday, the 13th!!!!...after my day-long go around with the Ga. DOT, and them telling me i had to register as a federal motor carrier, they made me get a USDOT #

, fax all sorts of insurance info, thank God i have a Commercial driver's license...the last time i pooped...lol...ect....i finally got my oversize permit......

my advice to anyone thinking of doing this type of thing themselves....DON'T DO IT!!!!!...if i wasn't on such a time constraint to get the boat moved from where it is at (it has to be out of there this weekend ... I called several boat movers and no luck on such short notice)..i would hire someone to do it.....in hindsight, i wish i had hired a boat mover.......but, i didn't so now i'm forced to do this myself....Wish me luck........Tim

I questioned a guy on another thread who was planning something similar a while back whether it seemed wise. DK if we ever heard from him after he did it. Hopefully your words resonate. Good luck Tim. Let us know how it turns out. This is educational. BTW: Friday the 13th

You Roamer guys are an inspiration. The words 'It's too much work' have no place in your vocabulary.

Henning · 11-11-2009, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYCAP123

I questioned a guy on another thread who was planning something similar a while back whether it seemed wise. DK if we ever heard from him after he did it. Hopefully your words resonate. Good luck Tim. Let us know how it turns out. This is educational. BTW: Friday the 13th

You Roamer guys are an inspiration. The words 'It's too much work' have no place in your vocabulary.

No kidding huh? Someone would have to pay me $30k to get it out of there and take over the liability.

NYCAP123 · 11-11-2009, 07:42 AM

Don't forget to have somebody following with a video camera. At the very least you might make some money from AFW or one of those shows and at worse it might be easier to just show a video that explain what happened.

wrenches74 · 11-11-2009, 09:34 AM

no vid camera but will have digital camera.....my blood pressure is through the roof.....but, at least my Roamer will be home safe by Sat. night.....why anyone would want to give this beautiful vessel away is beyond me, but at least i'm the one getting it......to quote a very wise man...." If God had intended us to have fiberglass boats he would have made fiberglass trees and fiberglass ore"......Tim

wrenches74 · 11-11-2009, 09:36 AM

AFW???? i was thinking "Destroyed in seconds" or "1000 ways to die".....LOL
Tim

wrenches74 · 11-12-2009, 01:53 PM

ok, Y'all wish me luck.......

NYCAP123 · 11-12-2009, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrenches74

ok, Y'all wish me luck.......

Looks like the weather will be mostly north of you. I suspect the move will be entertaining. Hopefully successful. Then the real work can begin. Stay safe and Good luck. Don't forget to take pics.