Cradle

Cradle

When you experience how many boats are placed on the hard, and which means are used to support and "secure" the boat, one must cross oneself. It doesn't matter to others if these boats topple over during a winter storm, if it wasn't for the fact that other boats standing beside, might suffer damage. Below are shown two solutions, which both are tested and stable.

1. The below shown drawing comes from Moonraker Manual 1976. A fixed cradle is, other things being equal, the most safe way of having ones boat on the hard. The disadvantage is, that it might be bulky and heavy.

Drawing might be printed out from this PDF-file.

2. Below are shown my own vessel, standing on two steel supports, shored up by 6 single collapsible supports They are supplied with threaded supports, which makes it possible to "tighten" up, and if necessary to rectify any imbalance. Note that the support plate (photo below left ) is adjacent to a bend on the bottom, by which it can't move, when the wind shakes the boat. Finally the whole arrangement is tied together with ropes.

When time comes and the boat are launched again, the steel supports under the vessel are bolted and can be separated, which together with the collapsible supports can be put into the boot of a Fiat Uno!

12/2005