Providers of floating docks FOR sailboats? Anyone know?

Floating Duck

Floating Duck

Anarchist
504
131
Seattle, Earth
I may not be able to get a dry dock spot for my little 26ft sportboat this year, so looking to see if anyone knows of any floating dock providers?!

I can paint my keel, so that can stay in the water no problem.

I tried reaching out to https://airdock.com/ but they didn't seem keen on helping me find a solution that would work with a sailboat keel...
 
Floating Duck

Floating Duck

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504
131
Seattle, Earth
Yes it's retracting but honestly I MUCH rather have it always down and just paint it.

It's A PAIN to lift it up by cranking. 1,200lbs and all. Plus it's quite impossible to do so without totally stopping the boat as it's so tippy with it retracted.
 
Floating Duck

Floating Duck

Anarchist
504
131
Seattle, Earth
I was just thinking that any of these air dock manufacturers would have something like this –
basically having a "disconnect" at the rear of the dock so the keel could slide through (and then reconnect prior to lifting);

Frame 1707.png
 
Foredeck Shuffle

Foredeck Shuffle

More of a Stoic Cynic, Anarchy Sounds Exhausting
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Stuck On The Start Pin
Floating Duck said:
I may not be able to get a dry dock spot for my little 26ft sportboat this year, so looking to see if anyone knows of any floating dock providers?!

I can paint my keel, so that can stay in the water no problem.

I tried reaching out to https://airdock.com/ but they didn't seem keen on helping me find a solution that would work with a sailboat keel...
Click to expand...
Am I missing something in this?

airdock.com

Sailboat Lifts

Sailboat Lifts CREATING TRENDS SINCE '79 Wind In Your Sails And Air Under Your Boat! Need Some Help? Get My Quote CREATING TRENDS SINCE '79 Sailboat Lifts Wind In Your Sails And Air Under Your Boat! Need Help? With lifelong sailors on staff
airdock.com airdock.com

AIRDOCK2.jpg
 
Floating Duck

Floating Duck

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Seattle, Earth
Thistle3868 said:
Try hydrohoist. I sailed on a Wavelength 24 that lived on one of those.
Click to expand...

ANY chance you could send me the owners contact info? I see that the boat was sold at some point, but if I can get any leads as to pricing or who to talk to that would be FABULOUS.

I also sent an email to hydrohoist directly, will see what they say.

Foredeck Shuffle said:
Am I missing something in this?
Click to expand...

Those boats pictured don't have keels, and they have nothing that will work with a keel apparently.
 
T

TomSp

New member
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Minnesota
I guess I'm not quite sure what your goal is. You're willing to paint the keel but hoping to avoid painting the whole bottom? Is that it?

Do you have a slip? A mooring?
 
F

FlyingCircus2

Member
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142
I'm in a similar pickle with my magic 25: a slip for a year costs about the same as my entire boat.

i just painted the bottom and left it on a mooring. Make sure your hull is properly waxed or you'll get brown stains in your gel coat right above the waterline.

Building a dock yourself is pretty easy, too. You could make one for 3k. If you don't want the hassle, you can ask some workers at a big boat yard if they want a small side gig. The biggest challenge is getting a space to assemble it.
 
Sea Scouter

Sea Scouter

Anarchist
520
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Racine, WI USA
Go find some junk yard surplus steel roof trusses. Try Craigslist. Go buy a $150 wire welder. Bridge and brace with 1x1 angle iron. Pickup some clean plastic barrels and mount by steel strapping under the assembly, transversely, for stability. I get my barrels from the local water department that contained water treatment stuff. Fun project
 
S

sfsailing15

New member
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Sea Scouter said:
Go find some junk yard surplus steel roof trusses. Try Craigslist. Go buy a $150 wire welder. Bridge and brace with 1x1 angle iron. Pickup some clean plastic barrels and mount by steel strapping under the assembly, transversely, for stability. I get my barrels from the local water department that contained water treatment stuff. Fun project
Click to expand...
Very cool. In the bay area a lot of the marina's are VERY picky about what goes into the slips (and the commission is as well). Curious how this looked / how you got dockmaster approval.
 
D

dfw_sailor

Super Anarchist
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DFW
Keel boats doing this in the DFW are hydro hoist. As others have said, you have the open at one end method, sail right in. The only issue I have seen is one particular boat where the hydro hoist consistently allows water into the rea floats, and the owner has been trying to resolve that for several months. But normally it isnt a problem.

My boat is too large 30' / 2 ton, otherwise I would consider it as well.
 
Pewit

Pewit

Member
483
77
Sydney, Australia
In Australia we use floating boat bags (like a large inverted tarp with floats in a collar at the surface) which are open at one end so you can sail the boat in and then pull the bag closed behind you. Then you put some chlorine in a floating swimming pool dispenser in the enclosed “pond” to keep the bugs at bay. Works well and it was used on a Flying Tiger 10m that I sailed with an annual haul out and rub down.
I would add that tap water is chlorinated and the amount leached into the environment is minimal especially as chlorine evaporates in water (which is why you keep having to top up swimming pool water).
https://www.boatbag.com.au/
 
J

JALhazmat

Super Anarchist
4,861
1,852
Southampton
Only one that works with a keel is Versadock

BUT, this was solely for J24s and you really did need to lift the keel and then it all stayed dry and clean

it was far from perfect but could work

no idea if they still make them
 
J

jbkayaker

New member
3
2
Lake Murray, SC
Floating Duck said:
I may not be able to get a dry dock spot for my little 26ft sportboat this year, so looking to see if anyone knows of any floating dock providers?!

I can paint my keel, so that can stay in the water no problem.

I tried reaching out to https://airdock.com/ but they didn't seem keen on helping me find a solution that would work with a sailboat keel...
Click to expand...

Floating Duck said:
I may not be able to get a dry dock spot for my little 26ft sportboat this year, so looking to see if anyone knows of any floating dock providers?!

I can paint my keel, so that can stay in the water no problem.

I tried reaching out to https://airdock.com/ but they didn't seem keen on helping me find a solution that would work with a sailboat keel...
Click to expand...
I used an old Hydro Hoist to store my Wavelength 24 for five years or so. The hoist was attached to two floating dock fingers at two points on each side. The attachment steel arms are necessary to give the hoist stability when the tanks are fully or nearly fully submerged. The float fingers worked but were subject to strong forces. For that reason it’s better if you can
2AAD20B6-236D-4DC6-808B-EBC84A1E9B84.jpeg


This is what happens if you let the holy aft end get high. Water rushes in and air burps out until only around 1/6th of the tank still has air. You can plug the holes to prevent accidental flooding. Hydro Hoist sells plugs.
830093BC-8E86-4C3F-B021-3B7499BAC72C.jpeg
attach the stabilization arms to four pilings.
If you ever let the aft end of the hoist tanks (that’s where the big holes are) get above the bow end the tanks will quickly fill and nearly sink. You must keep weight on the aft end to keep the flooding holes end lower any time the stability arms are not fully installed.
 
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