The Move

[leighton]

After several years of neglect I finally did it - I moved our Ericson to where I can keep an eye on her - right beside our home. We're moving to Temecula, and we had been keeping our 35-II on a mooring in Newport Beach where it had become an increasingly notorious eyesore after our son was born. He's now old enough to tell me "Dad! Dad! There's a boat in our backyard!" but too young to hold a sander.

San Diego Boat Movers did an awesome job, and I heartily recommend them. I had asked Larry, the driver, about the gate which measured 10 feet. He said he would measure the truck, and the next day reported that "It's 9 feet 8 inches - it shouldn't be a problem." He and Reuel put the boat right where I wanted it without a scratch or a busted gate post.

I'm back to prowling the list, looking for ideas and answers to problems, and have a punchlist that's growing daily. A big relief to have the boat on the hard; I'd been waiting for that call from the yacht club about submergence, and that special Newport Beach problem of sea lion infestation. Now I can easily work on those parts of the mast & hull that had required swimming or dangling, and get her sailing again.

It is a bit imposing up on the cradle beside the house. I was walking underneath her as they slowly unloaded her from the truck, and I said "My wife thinks I'm crazy, and I'm starting to think she's right" to which Larry replied without looking up "And now your neighbors think you're crazy too."

 

[WBurgner]

The rest of the story

That is a great setup you have, Tom.

I have to ask. How did the boat and cradle get from the flatbed to the ground? I did not notice a lift or even room for one to get in behind the truck?

All the best in your refit and I hope you and your son are on the water soon.

 

[leighton]

Offloading

Bill,
They used jacks to shift her cradle up and down, resting them on "mice" that were roller-bearing blocks atop the trailer. Then they slid it off the back onto wooden pallets using a winch, and drove the trailer out from underneath. After that they lowered the cradle on jacks one end at a time until she rested on the ground.

Offloading took a couple of hours of slow, deliberate work. 'Hand unloading' raises the price of the move quite a bit - it's cheaper when it's done yard to yard with hoists at both end. But when one lacks a 20 ton Travelift, one must make do.

I had planned on doing lots of other things around the yard but wound up watching the whole process & taking a hundred pictures [thank goodness for digital cameras], restating the truth of the proverb "There are three things a man can watch forever: fire burning, water moving and other men working".

 

[WBurgner]

There is a fourth

The Zamboni, New Englanders and Canadians will agree, is the fourth thing people can't help starring at. Of course that might also fall under the category of other men working ;o)

Thanks for sharing the photos. I found them interesting.