Removal of A4 from C-30

[sastanley]

Val, One more thing not mentioned yet.

Do not rely solely on the lifting eye on the head to hoist the engine. There are past accounts of cracked heads from exerting all of the force on this area. It seems the plan would be to use webbing slings...I would rig these to a single point to take 95% of the load (tied to themselves around the front and back of the engine so it they can't slide together...the engine mounts should keep them from sliding apart), and then I'd still have a strong point as a backup connected to the lifting eye for the last 5% and to handle any tipping loads (in case of sling failure or movement too.)

On our C-30's, getting the slings around the engine will be tough, but not too bad...you should be able to get a couple of slings under the oil pan just in front of the aft motor mount. As the engine comes up out of the box, you can secure the anti-slip straps around the flywheel & tailshaft area while everything is stable.

The main halyard should be attached mid-boom, at the same point as the lifting tackle, to support the middle of the boom..however, the C-30's telephone pole mast & boom should easily tackle this job without much help..the main halyard is really backing up the boom topping lift on our boats...and preventers to control boom swing are a great idea!

If you get lucky you can get the boat next to a bulkhead and swing the motor right into a truck or dolly, etc.!

Oh...and if you do this in the water (which involves much less up & down distance), don't forget to secure the prop shaft inside the boat..like a couple good hose clamps or something until the boat is on the hard..I would not trust the coupling to hold it, although in reality, you'll likely have to press the coupling off the shaft if your boat is anything like mine.

[Val V]

Val, have you ever sailed with preventers instead of a boom vang? If so you can use those to control the boom~works really nice. I've done it this way a couple of times with friends. Not really a big deal just go slowly.

Dave Neptune

No, I actually never used preventers. My plan is to use main sheet to control the swing and use chain hoist for the lift.

[Val V]

Val, One more thing not mentioned yet.

Do not rely solely on the lifting eye on the head to hoist the engine. There are past accounts of cracked heads from exerting all of the force on this area. It seems the plan would be to use webbing slings...I would rig these to a single point to take 95% of the load (tied to themselves around the front and back of the engine so it they can't slide together...the engine mounts should keep them from sliding apart), and then I'd still have a strong point as a backup connected to the lifting eye for the last 5% and to handle any tipping loads (in case of sling failure or movement too.)

On our C-30's, getting the slings around the engine will be tough, but not too bad...you should be able to get a couple of slings under the oil pan just in front of the aft motor mount. As the engine comes up out of the box, you can secure the anti-slip straps around the flywheel & tailshaft area while everything is stable.

The main halyard should be attached mid-boom, at the same point as the lifting tackle, to support the middle of the boom..however, the C-30's telephone pole mast & boom should easily tackle this job without much help..the main halyard is really backing up the boom topping lift on our boats...and preventers to control boom swing are a great idea!

If you get lucky you can get the boat next to a bulkhead and swing the motor right into a truck or dolly, etc.!

Oh...and if you do this in the water (which involves much less up & down distance), don't forget to secure the prop shaft inside the boat..like a couple good hose clamps or something until the boat is on the hard..I would not trust the coupling to hold it, although in reality, you'll likely have to press the coupling off the shaft if your boat is anything like mine.

Excellent point about not relying on the lifting eye. I'll think of another way to secure the hoist.

[Val V]

If your rigging can't handle 350 pounds of load it was way, way past time to replace it.

TRUE GRIT

You right I am just worried the weight being in one spot on the boom instead of distributed across the whole sail...

[JOHN COOKSON]

You right I am just worried the weight being in one spot on the boom instead of distributed across the whole sail...

Use some pieces of wood, like 2X4s, to spread the load along the boom to avoid the point force.

TRUE GRIT

Edit: You can also use the main halyard or topping lift to the boom at the point of attachment of the chain lift to keep the boom from buckling.

[edwardc]

In a properly rigged setup, there should be NO vertical loads on the boom to distribute!!

The halyard should be attached to the boom at the same midpoint as the hoist. Do NOT attach the halyard to the boom end! You risk damaging the boom.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the placement of the hoist on the boom that is needed to lift the engine out of the companionway hatch leaves it too close to the mast to be able to swing it out over the dock. In that case you'll have to rig some kind of temporary support in the cockpit the set the engine down on while moving the hoist and halyard attachment point further out on the boom.

It can start to get complicated. But it's doable, and many have done it.

This is why I paid my yard to do it with the crane.

[ILikeRust]

If you're not going to use the lifting eye, do NOT use the standard web straps that come with your ratcheting tie-downs. They can get cut and will part quickly if cut. DAMHIKT (which stands for Don't Ask Me How I Know This).

There are commercially-made lifting straps designed specifically for lifting heavy loads, that will not part the way a flat nylon web strap will.

And however you do it, make absolutely sure nobody puts any part of their bodies, appendages, heads, whatever, underneath the engine once it's lifted off the beds and until it's safely set down on the dolly. Anything slips, and it's easy to lose a finger - or worse.

Yeah, it's not a huge thing, lots of people have done it, it's not like lifting the whole boat, but still, it only takes a second to really ruin someone's day.

Be careful!

[67c&ccorv]

My best deadlift was 375lbs at a body weight of 178lbs in 1982 - last February I deadlifted 315lbs for reps at a body weight of 195lbs.

350lbs is not a lot of weight - unless it is concentrated on the "lifting eye"...just sayin'!

[gregsails]

C 30

I removed my A4 from my C 30 last Thursday. I was on the hard and used the fork lift at the club to pull it up. 2 guys 10 minutes. I am in a private club in Sarnia Ontario so all the tools are free. A lot of guys use the mast hoist or soling lift.

[Mo]

My best deadlift was 375lbs at a body weight of 178lbs in 1982 - last February I deadlifted 315lbs for reps at a body weight of 195lbs.

350lbs is not a lot of weight - unless it is concentrated on the "lifting eye"...just sayin'!

There are doer's and then there are good intentions. Attaching a pic of my sail drying hangers....that's all it gets used for and that's the truth. I definitely can't lift anywhere near 300 lbs...probably couldn't push it...LOL

[Val V]

If you're not going to use the lifting eye, do NOT use the standard web straps that come with your ratcheting tie-downs. They can get cut and will part quickly if cut.

Be careful!

Good tip..

Plan on using these

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-webbing-sling-44847.html

[Val V]

My best deadlift was 375lbs at a body weight of 178lbs in 1982

So i am guessing you were not using a hoist or a crane when you needed to pull your A4??

[67c&ccorv]

So i am guessing you were not using a hoist or a crane when you needed to pull your A4??

Thinking if I pulled all the easily removable components off the engine (head-manifold-starter-carb-fuel pump- etc) then I would be able to get it down to 275lbs.

As long as the companionway steps could hold my 195lbs + the 275lbs of the stripped down A-4 I think I could get it up to the deck level?

[romantic comedy]

I figured that you would just use the boom in compression, to hold the lift line in position. i would just rig a pulley from the end of the boom, and lead the halyard through it. Or the line that goes to the come along lifting the engine.

[sastanley]

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the placement of the hoist on the boom that is needed to lift the engine out of the companionway hatch leaves it too close to the mast to be able to swing it out over the dock. In that case you'll have to rig some kind of temporary support in the cockpit the set the engine down on while moving the hoist and halyard attachment point further out on the boom.

It can start to get complicated. But it's doable, and many have done it.

This is why I paid my yard to do it with the crane.

Ed, this is especially true on a C-30..the engine is almost amid-ships in front of the campanionway stairs. If you go look at one around your marina, and it has a mid-boom sheeting/traveler arrangement, it is just about directly under the traveler. I suspect Val will encounter two hurdles that need some thought..
#1 - the boom will be too low to swing the engine clear of the cabin..most C-30's of our vintage have the gooseneck on a track..Val, my boat has the gooseneck pinned all the way up so it doesn't slam when you drop the sail. Does yours move? You'd probably want it all the way up for this maneuver to give you more clearance between cabin & boom.
#2 - the engine will be too close to the mast to swing over the side of the boat, as you mentioned.

Both of these can be easily overcome with a little engineering.