Getting the boat ready for shipping involves mainly taking things apart
and tying them down. Here is my rough check list:
When the boat is in the water:
1) remove solar panels from Bimini, and stow below
2) Remove Dodger and bimini panels
3) Remove main and Genoa, stowing battens and poles for mainsail cover
in the boom all taped together
4) Remove mainsail cover
5) Go up the mast and remove windex, wind wand and SSB Antenna
6) Remove vang
7) Pull all halyards and reef lines etc, back to base of mast, and out
of mast base turning blocks
8) Disconnect in mast wiring and tape to side of mast
9) Wind genoa roller furling line completely into the drum so it is
not attached to the boat
10) Wrap the reef line ends around each end of the boom to pad it,
remove mainsheet blocks and mainsheet from boom, and
then remove the boom, placing it on the side deck
11) At this point, the mast should be completely free from the deck
except for the shrouds
12) Remove Chute tack line/downhaul
13) Take out shroud cotter pins and loosen the rig some.
14) Pull the mast, put mast wires inside mast (remove from exit
hole) so they can not be smashed as the boom is moved in the yard.
15) This is also a good time to service the engine and if you are
shipping to a cold climate, winterize everything.
16) Tape Solar and SSB wires to stern pulpit
Now it is time to haul the boat.
1) Step back and watch!
To prep the mast: (The specifics are based on the Beneteau 46 mast
design, but the steps are generally applicable to any boat.)
1) Remove lower shrouds, and roll into a bundle using tie wraps
2) Remove cap from upper spreader end to take the upper shroud wire out
of the spreader
end, creating some slack.
3)
Remove the lower spreader end caps with the shrouds attached (Push
spreader upwards to give you some slack to wiggle it free of spreader
tube), disconnect the
middles and uppers from mast. Roll the assembly into a coil and tie
wrap it, marking the sides so you know which is port and Starboard for
re-assembly.
4) Remove and coil backstay
5) Remove lazy jacks and running backstays, and using a messenger line,
remove each halyard. Good time to end for end them by putting the
shackles on the other end once pulled. Stow the halyards in boat. They
make good packing for anything you don't want to shift, I stow them under the
cabin floor boards.
6)
Remove the spreaders, leaving bar in place with bolts taped in the
bar so it can not move and bolts don't go missing. Clean and wrap the
spreaders together, as two sets. Pad the ends and stow below in aft
cabin.
7) Remove headstay pin and slide headstay up mast so drum is near mast end.
Move it towards the back side of the mast. Put it tight along the mast,
pad it every three feet with water pipe
foam, and tie it tightly to the spreader based and any other good tie
point. Tape it where there is no good tie points so it can not move.
Try to use foam that does not have a sticky edge, this only creates a
mess when used for padding. Tie wraps or small rope seem to work well.
The shrink wrap tape was a pain to remove and in spots left a residue,
so use it as little as possible.
8) Remove the sail feeder, slide the lower swivel to the base and pad
it, pad the roller drum, and secure the end tight. Then put a sturdy
garbage bag over the roller drum, and tape it tightly so highway winds
will not bother it.
9) Put all mast wires inside the base of the mast and tape them in
place to protect them from the mast being moved etc.
10) Remove masthead radio antenna and put any wires back into mast or
tape them to the side of mast.
11) Using plastic wrap rolls, wrap the top of the mast, and the base of
the mast, covering any sheet stoppers etc. Use duct tape to
protect/lock in the wrap at the start and end of each layer, and at any
stress points in the middle. The wrap and duct tape are easy to remove
with a scissors and will provide some protection from road dirt etc.
Prep the boat (these steps are specific to my boat, but provide a
framework):
0) Grease the MAX prop, check and replace any zinc's as needed
1) Put carpet scraps under
each end of the boom and use heavy duty tie wraps (175lb break
strength) to lock the boom so it can not slide in any direction. Can
wrap the ends of the boom to protect the lines and tape before final
tie down.
2) Pack lockers tightly so there can be no movement. In the anchor
locker, I put 4 empty 5 gallon jerry jugs, the horse shoe life ring, a
deflated inflatable bumper which locked these bulky items in a fixed
place.
3) Remove front bow from Bimini arch and set it loose on the deck.
Lower bimini down leaving the pivit point attached allowing the bimini
to rest on cockpit hand holds. Tie the forward bow
on top of the now lowered
bimini poles and wrap it tightly and tie wrap it in multiple places. Pad where it
touches the cockpit hand rails with carpet and lock it tightly to the
hand rails.
4) Remove radar pole supports, lower radar mast and remove radar dome
and base plate. Then pad the end and middle of the pole where it might
rub. Easier to pad it now than when it is down and disconnceted.
5) Remove the radar pole pivot bolt, wrap the end in carpet and tie wrap it firmly in
place to deck and to bimini arch.
6) Tape AIS antenna to the radar pole
7) Drop dingy to ground (put on carpeted blocks to keep engine off
ground)
8) Remove davit poles and wrap together, wrap radar support poles
and bimini poles into a bundle as well.
9) Wrap radar and bimini support poles with Vang and set on floor in
cabin.
10) Lay shroud loops in floor in cabin padded with carpet, and tie them
to the table support legs so they can not shift. Place the pole bundle
next to them and tie together so the poles also can not shift. Place a
couple of sails on top also tied to the table to make the whole stack solid.
You can pack items like books in a bag in the corner of the floor under
the table. It will be locked in by the shrouds.
11) Tie down genoa blocks and remove all blocks from mast step (Or wrap
them all together and tape them if you want to leave them at mast
base), stow in
boxes under aft bunks
12) Stow dingy fuel tank in star aft locker with fuel filter (Mounted
to shelf tank with Shrink wrap tape). Tie tank down and close off fuel
vent.
13) Lock wheel and tape instrument covers on as well as tape all
lifeline gates.
14) Look around below. My experience is things will try to shift aft,
so the aft bunks are good spots for things. In my case, the radar dome,
grill, boat hook, solar panels, spreaders (wrapped and taped together
in pairs), genoa and main sails and all canvas are
packed in the port aft
bunk. I stow some boxes and the windex in the aft head, and in general, make sure
there is nothing that can roll around in any lockers or cabinets. The
fridge is a good place to pack things as well. Putting spare towels or
drink holders in with glasses and plates help protect them and keeps
things from shifting.
15) Do a final check of the deck, remove any dorade vents, and in
general look at what could move in 70 MPH or more of wind. Make sure
the anchor is locked down.
16) A good time to do any bottom painting or waxing as needed. Also a
good time to do any other out of water work (rudder
repairs, etc..)
17) Any dingy or outboard maintenance and flushing can be done at this
time.
18) Double check all hatches are locked shut, all doors are closed and
there is nothing loose down below or on deck.
19) Leave a key somewhere the truck driver can use to enter the boat if
needed.
20) Double check your list of spares and locations of all stored
gear/parts. Much easier to put things on the boat (like inflatable life
jackets, or heavy items) and have them shipped with the boat, thant to
remember them after the boat is out of town.
Time to load:
Not much to do at this stage but pay your yard bill, and let the trucker do their thing.
The boat is moved to the truck, then blocked up, and then the mast is loaded and
strapped down.
Pretty soon, the boat
is on it's way.
In our case, the dingy can be placed on padded
stands, or on the truck floor between the keel and the rudder. The
Outboard is loaded on a simple stand mount located at the front of the
trailor.
Putting it back together...
This tends to be a simpler and faster process if you have done any
maintenace work before you shipped, but there is still a lot
to get done, so I plan on 4 or 5 full days. It is important to clean
and put
anti sieze compound on the turnbuckles, and lanacoat the radio antena
to ensure no moisture issues. Clean any corrosion or tarnishing on all
parts before re-assembling them to make the polishing work a lot
simpler.
When prepping mast, make sure to:
1) Pull wires back through exit hole in mast base and tape out of the
way
2) Run all halyards, SSB antenna, lazy jacks, running backstay etc.
3) Pad spreader ends to avoid mainsail chafe down wind, grease the
shroud end caps where they go into the spreader to make removal
easier when the mast comes down next. Be careful to use
anti-corrosion paste on all SS bolts where they hit Aluminum.
The trick to put spreaders back on is to put long bolt through the bar
and thread short bolt to the bar near spreader end. This way you can
wiggle the spreader on and get the bar in the slot. Once it is in the
slot, remove the long bolt until the spreade goes far enough in to
aallow you to put the bolt through the hole int he main bar. This is
specific to my Ben 46 spar, but without this trick, putting the
spreaders back on is near impossible so I made a note here to job my
memory.
4) In general, inpect rig, check all mast lights, and fix any issues
while it is on the ground.
5) Clean, smooth and grease the mast step on deck as the mast is a
tight fit, and any dirt etc can prevent the mast from sliding on
cleanly when you step the mast.
6) put back on any pulpits etc that were removed for trucking
7) step mast, then connect wires from mast base into cabin (Radio,
Wind, bow and anchor lights)
8) Put on boom, then vang, then blocks at base of mast, and run the
lines back to cockpit
9) Put radar on radar pole and then raise pole
10) put back bimini arches
11) Tension rig and pin shrouds
11) Re-install masthead intruments, windex, and radio antenna
12) Put back on AIS antenna
13) Put main and main cover on
14) put up dodger (easier to put main on with dodger down)
15) put on Genoa
16) general clean up and wash boat.
17) Stow dingy on deck if needed