Getting boats down off high racks
Henry Law
We use steps to get the top boats down - four sets of steps each with a
rower on them. (Eights aren't stored on those racks, at least not when
joined and rigged).
It's not ideal. The possibility of someone overbalancing with a boat
held at arms' length is far from negligible, and the result could be
injury both to boat and rowers.
Apart from block and tackle (roof beams too weak) and ignoring various
expensive options like fork-lifts and cherry-pickers, does anyone have
any ideas for solving the problem? I've heard tell of clubs where they
use specially-designed lifting poles, which fit somehow into the guts of
the boat on the top rack and enable it to be lifted down at least some
of the way, but I can't find details and can't see in my own mind how it
works.
--
Henry Law Manchester, England
Carl Douglas
Library steps?
http://tinyurl.com/nma9lg
Cheers -
Carl
--
Carl Douglas Racing Shells -
Fine Small-Boats/AeRoWing Low-drag Riggers/Advanced Accessories
Write: Harris Boatyard, Laleham Reach, Chertsey KT16 8RP, UK
Find: http://tinyurl.com/2tqujf
Email: ca...@carldouglas.co.uk Tel: +44(0)1932-570946 Fax: -563682
URLs: www.carldouglas.co.uk (boats) & www.aerowing.co.uk (riggers)
ATP*
"Henry Law" <ne...@lawshouse.org> wrote in message
news:8pudnQD3kPCiK_DX...@giganews.com...
This is a roof designed for snow load? How could it be too weak to support a
block and tackle lowering or raising a shell? You could distribute the load
over more joists if necessary.
David McC
> URLs: www.carldouglas.co.uk(boats) &www.aerowing.co.uk(riggers)
We store fours four high and doubles five high. To get up there we
made steps that are made from seven ply (marine ply). Each is three
feet high and have a footprint one metre square. The sides (except for
hand holes), back, risers and steps are solid ply. Each step is 10
inches deep and the top is about 20 inches deep and one metre wide.
Two people can stand on each without any fear of tipping. The top and
steps are wide enough to allow a person to turn with plenty of foot
room.
Cost about GBP100 for four and took an hour to build each at the most.
We were going to put castors out the back so they could be tipped and
wheeled around but in the end we didn't bother.
Taniwha
Mike Sullivan
"David McC" <mccowa...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:8725e168-a884-40e4...@u16g2000pru.googlegroups.com...
snip
> We were going to put castors out the back so they could be tipped and
> wheeled around but in the end we didn't bother.
The nice thing about Carl's library steps solution is that the casters are
spring mounted,
when you step on the steps, the spring compresses and you make firm contact
with the
floor, thus it's easy to roll around, step up and get the boat.
BIAC has the hand crank cherry pickers. Pretty effective, and probably
safer, but
has some limitations, difficult if other boats on ceiling, etc.
Mike
Richard
wrote:
> "David McC" <mccowan.da...@gmail.com> wrote in message
We have all of the above, but I use something similar to the library
steps (where with weight on them the castors recess) to get my single
off the top rack every morning - and I have to go up 4 steps to it and
reach up. So far so good, but with the darn fluid design below me and
another wing rigger above me, and a quad on rollers behind me, it is a
juggling act at times.
Carl - the new single is going in that spot. thankfully I have gotten
better at the balancing act, but I hope you never get a call because I
misstepped backwards!
A3aan
just eat more weetabix, you would probably be able to pick it up
without need for library steps, just like me. :-p
A3aan - demigod of rowing (*cough*)
David McC
I've been on those things in filing rooms. Leant so far sideways the
weight came off and the castors worked!
> Carl - the new single is going in that spot. thankfully I have gotten
> better at the balancing act, but I hope you never get a call because I
> misstepped backwards!
That's why the area of the steps are bigger than the area of a rowers
feet taking three steps to turn. Once that requirement is satisfied
there is no more chance of a mis-step than if they were standing on
the floor.
Taniwha
Henry Law
> hand holes), back, risers and steps are solid ply. Each step is 10
> inches deep and the top is about 20 inches deep and one metre wide.
> Two people can stand on each without any fear of tipping. The top and
> steps are wide enough to allow a person to turn with plenty of foot
> room.
Interesting; that sounds rather like the steps we currently have, but
more durable (the treads of ours are starting to look dicey - perhaps
the plywood wasn't stout enough or the design poor). We're going for
these now, at about UKP200 each (watch for folding of URL)
What attracts me about your design, as described, is that you can get
two people on them, and that there's foot-room to turn round. That's
lacking in our current design.
James Elder
I've heard tell of clubs where they
> use specially-designed lifting poles, which fit somehow into the guts of
> the boat on the top rack and enable it to be lifted down at least some
> of the way, but I can't find details and can't see in my own mind how it
> works.
The Great Britain Under 23 squad appeared to be using a pair of these
lifting poles at Met to get the top boats off their very tall trailer.
Essentially looked a bit like a broom, except the "broomhead" was a
broad crescent of metal covered with foam or pvc or something similar.
I didn't see them use it but I got the impression that two people
would use them, one at each end of the boat positioning the poles
inside the hull, then lifting and lowering the boat until it was
within reach of the rest of the crew. Or possibly, if the crescent
was the other way up (my memory is hazy on this) they position them on
the bow and stern canvas.
I guess someone at the International Office could put you in touch
with the squad boatman if you wanted to follow that up.
Henry Law
> The Great Britain Under 23 squad appeared to be using a pair of these
> lifting poles at Met to get the top boats off their very tall trailer.
This sounds like another sighting of this rare animal; I'm beginning to
think it does exist, like the Yeti. Or not.
> I guess someone at the International Office could put you in touch
> with the squad boatman if you wanted to follow that up.
I'd like to: a Yeti hunt beckons. But I'm afraid I don't move in
circles which have any contact with the International office; could you
help me, offline perhaps? Reply-to address works, but hjl@ the same
domain is better for personal mail.
MagnusBurbanks
Henry, just emailed you a photo of said rare animal - MAABC's trailer
was parked next to Molesey's at HRR qualifiers this year. I was so
impressed I didn't buy the company, but I did take a picture. I'm
going to get some made up for us.
Cheers, Magnus
Brian Staff
> (except for hand holes), back, risers and steps are solid ply. Each step
> is 10 inches deep and the top is about 20 inches deep and one metre wide.
> Two people can stand on each without any fear of tipping. The top and
> steps are wide enough to allow a person to turn with plenty of foot room.
> Cost about GBP100 for four and took an hour to build each at the most.
> We were going to put castors out the back so they could be tipped and
> wheeled around but in the end we didn't bother.
That's exactly what we use - ours do have castors on one end, so we can tip
them and wheel them away.
Brian
Mike Sullivan
"A3aan" <j.a.k...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:4a1feb72-cf9e-401b...@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com...
> My single is on the top rack at about 2.5 metres. If you people would
> just eat more weetabix, you would probably be able to pick it up
> without need for library steps, just like me. :-p
Having been to A3aan's club, I'll vouch for his boat launching system.
I've never seen anything like it. After greeting me at the door, we went
past the bar (with longing looks) and downstairs to the boathouse below.
With just a nod of his head, two young women in bikinis got up quickly
from a sofa by the door and moved with the precision of a flag twirling
drill team. They looked something like Susan Anton and Darryl Hannah,
only
taller, maybe 6'4", and of course considerably younger.
Darryl went to the next bay. It was easy to spot A3aan's single, indeed
there
was a spot on it, a low intensity beam of blue light illuminated his
shell. Darryl
moved a step stool to one end, then another to the other end. Susan came
in and each stepped seductively up the stool, then took velvet gloves that
were stuck in the strap of their bikini bottoms, put them on, then picked up
the
shell together and carried it gracefully to the float. I watched them
with
a mix of voyeur and awe. As they bent down to place the shell in the
water,
though, I had to look away.
I'm a gentleman after all.. cough.
As A3aan came out to the float, the bikini team rigged the sculls
flawlessly
and soundlessly into the oarlocks, and hopped up to meet him.
Darryl took a towelette from A3aan's hand and carefully dabbed a spot
of perspiration from his brow while Susan massaged his neck. A3aan
settled into his single like a pro, and asked the girls:
"hey show mike one of the singles to use, will you please?"
"anything for you", they each purred, and Darryl tousled his hair as Susan
pushed
him from the float.
Susan led me back up the ramp looking back at me with sleepy eyes
and a slow wag of the finger that seemed to say, "come along with
me and you won't remember anything of your past life..."
I followed her out to the side of the boathouse to a rack of white
club singles. She pointed to one, "here take this one", then rolled
her eyes and sneered with a petulant teenager's disgust, and retired
to the depths of the boathouse.
I had a good row, though.
David Biddulph
Maidenhead RC had them at Nat Champs this year too, lifting on bow and stern
canvases.
--
David Biddulph
Rowing web pages at
http://www.biddulph.org.uk/
Richard
about 10' in the air, and with four steps I still need to lift it
straightarmed from the top step. You can't jump up and touch it from
the floor.
What should I eat again to do that without the step?
Charles Carroll
It is staying in Seattle?
David Hope
> canvases.
> --
> David Biddulph
Upper Thames also has these poles. I checked them last night and they
are supplied by Len Neville. Of course we don't need to use them
because we have John Ewans, and at 6 ft 7 he can reach any boat in the
boathouse.
Henry Law
> Upper Thames also has these poles. I checked them last night and they
> are supplied by Len Neville.
Excellent tip, thank you; I mailed them immediately.
> Of course we don't need to use them
> because we have John Ewans, and at 6 ft 7 he can reach any boat in the
> boathouse.
Well, I'm 6' 6" and I can just get my fingers onto the sax boards of the
boats on our top rack, but not really get a grip or, more to the point,
take the load and lift them sideways. And there's only one other bloke
in the club taller than me.
David McC
wrote:
For the doubles and singles on the high racks we do use yard brooms.
The bristles are soft enough on the boats and the boats nestle into
them and don't slip sideways. They also have a use for keeping the
floor clean.
Taniwha
PS Is a yard broom called a yard broom because it sweeps the yard or
because it's a yard wide?
A3aan
> OK, my single I referenced is the 6th one up from the floor. It is
> about 10' in the air, and with four steps I still need to lift it
> straightarmed from the top step. You can't jump up and touch it from
> the floor.
> What should I eat again to do that without the step?
>
>
> > My single is on the top rack at about 2.5 metres. If you people would
> > just eat more weetabix, you would probably be able to pick it up
> > without need for library steps, just like me. :-p
>
Hmmm. You might be past the weetabix stage. I guess you need to get
yourself some of those go, go, gadget arms then.
And Sully, it's not exactly how I remember it, but I'm glad you still
had a good row! You didn't tell RSR about the mixed sauna afterwards
though, nor the cocktail bar, the waitresses, the massage parlour. In
that way you might give the impression that you were not well taken
care of at my club.
So anyway.....back at the ranch...
A3aan.