Hauling sunfish onto dock

Throwdown

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I currently have my boat on a yacht club dock, deep water. I have to pull my boat up about 10 inches, and drag it over the edge, which is metal and wood. I've been laying down carpet, and using some pulleys, but any other ideas? I don't like scraping the bottom every time I pull it out, and I am old and weak! I can't do anything permanent, and it has to be cheap! I'm going to sail today before the wicked cold heads down to Texas...so sad.
 
I use two double-sheave blocks—one a Schaeffer snatch-block to the bow handle—with 3/8ths line, and drag my Sunfish over a few short sections of 1½" black, hard, plastic water pipe. The water pipe pieces could be as short as one foot each, and cut lengthwise to permit snapping over the edge(s) of a wood 2x4x4 plank. For ease of portability, you could snap the same pipe over a 5/4ths wood plank—perhaps three feet long or even shorter. That plank could be temporarily secured to the dock by means of matching ¼x6" bolts to two ¼" holes in the dock. (That you may have to drill yourself—if none are already there—or secured by line or some other manner).

The photo includes a means of getting the Sunfish out of the water when there's a user who doesn't have the upper body strength—or if the water level has receded too much—to pull the Sunfish up "solo". A metal lever, about 12 feet long, is necessary.

I've found that using a very fat nylon line works best when pulling a Sunfish up on shore. The cut plastic water pipe is shown at the very bottom of the photo. When that pipe is wet, it is really slippery!
 

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So you got me thinking about plastic pipe, wonder if I could slide wooden dowels thru about 6 to 10 pipes and somehow tie the dowels together, making a rolling mat. I could somehow attach it to the dock, then pull and roll it up those pipes. Any suggestions on this or if there is anything like that for moving other large items?
 
The black plastic water pipe I use comes off a large roll that's five feet in diameter. As the above photo shows, the length needed was only about 14" long. To protect the hull, it deforms a little. It's very tough, has a "memory", and has a curved "set" that would be hard to tame when wooden (or PVC) inserts are used. A Sunfish would "slip" more easily than "roll" on a mat made with it. I recall having to slice it along its length, and hammer it on "with the grain". Alternatively, a short length of 2x6 (or plywood) with this plastic pipe along both edges should get the Sunfish onto the dock, and maybe onto a dolly. Seen from the end, a cross-section of wood and pipe would look like this:

O—O or O O

You could use smaller diameters of black water pipe, and attach two lengthwise on a 2x6, and guide the keel between the two lengths; however, it would be "dead-weight" when pulling it up lengthwise; whereas, the boat could be rocked more easily when pulling it across the pipe crosswise. BTW, I couldn't find this same waterpipe at commercial pipe outlet stores in Florida. What was offered was a much thinner-walled "irrigation" pipe—a much poorer substitute. Below is the correct pipe "code" to locate the exact material.
 

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Very nice idea. Here is what NOT to do. I had been pulling my boat up "sideways" by leaning over the dock, grabbing onto the sides of the cockpit and pulling up. This has cracked the fiberglass on the inside. My boat is from the late 60s and worn. From now on, I'll grab the bowhandle.
 
I currently have my boat on a yacht club dock, deep water. I have to pull my boat up about 10 inches, and drag it over the edge, which is metal and wood. I've been laying down carpet, and using some pulleys, but any other ideas? I don't like scraping the bottom every time I pull it out, and I am old and weak! I can't do anything permanent, and it has to be cheap! I'm going to sail today before the wicked cold heads down to Texas...so sad.
Throw down. You are not old and weak!! Did you see the pic from the Worlds? When are we entering? Kitty
 

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