jackstands - care & feeding, sources?

[catamount]

My new boat came with some jackstands. Of course the boat was (and still is) in Maryland while I am in New Hampshire, and the jackstands were in New Jersey. After finally getting my old Lightning trailer road-worthy, converted to utility mode, and legally registered, today I made the trip down to NJ (and back) to pick up the stands (even though I won't be propping the boat on them until next year). I retrieved the Previous Owner's six tall SB-1 stands (the boat nominally draws 6'3").

They could probably benefit from some grease on the screws, and a few (maybe all) need new plywood pads, and ultimately, they could all use scrubbing with a wire wheel and a new paint job.

Do you guys use any carpet or other padding on top of the plywood pads?

There was no chain with the stands, so I'll need to get some of that -- what size and type is appropriate? Any suggestions as to what lengths I ought to get? (The boat has a max beam of 11'3" and weighs on the order of 10,000 pounds) What's your favorite source for chain? (I need some 5/16 HT/G4 galvanized anchor chain, too, maybe a pail's worth.)

Finally, I think I'm going to need a seventh stand, to prop up the bow. I don't know how the PO used to do it in NJ, but there was no v-topped stand down there (but then, he'ld left the stands there unattended for over a year after moving to MD -- he said they were locked to the fence at the back of the boat yard in NJ and he gave me the combo to the lock, but there was no lock when I got there today....). Can anyone recommend a source for a used stand?

Any other tips on the care & feeding, and use, of jackstands?

Thanks,

[bcooke]

Do you guys use any carpet or other padding on top of the plywood pads?

I think it would depend on how you felt about your bottom paint. If you polish your bottom to a mirror like finish for that extra 100th of a knot then yes i would use carpeting. If you slap on a new coat of bottom paint with a roller each spring and never worry about roller marks then I wouldn't get too excited about it. I don't get too excited about it.

As for the chain, it is really there to keep the stands from getting squeezed apart if the boat settles on its blocks. The chain shouldn't be carrying any load under normal conditions. (nor should the stands be carrying much either) As long as the chains are long enough to stretch between the stands I would call the length good. I usually see left over 1/4 inch or 5/16 inch anchor chain being used

I think a stand under the bow is a good idea. It may depend on the hull shape but on many hulls where the water is parted, the shape is quite narrow which doesn't present a good shape to rest on the stands. Does that make sense? A stand up forward with a 'V' shaped fitting will support the bow section very securely.

-Britton

[Tim]

A boat like the Peterson 34 might have fairly flat bow sections that don't work with a V-stand. Still, I think some sort of centerline stand is important in any blocking situation. If a V stand works, use one; otherwise, you can use a flat top on the centerline, if your sections are flat enough for this. Many of the IOR designs from that era did have flat-ish sections forward.

I never saw the need for carpeting; the plywood doesn't hurt the bottom paint. However, as Britton said, if you had a racing-quality bottom, the carpet would be worthwhile. Such smooth bottoms take such prodigious amounts of money to procure that of course one would take the steps to protect the boat. For the typical cruising bottom, though, there's no point that I can see.

I think the standard chain size is 3/16". It's nothing special; use anything that fits in the chain slot on the stand. You can buy it from Brownell (or distributor thereof), or get it at any local store that carries chain. Chain that equals the beam of your boat will be more than lengthy enough, if you want to guess at a length. The chain is very important to prevent the stands from spreading; the shape of the hull tends to force the tops outward, particularly as the boat settles on softer ground. The chains should be just tight when set up. To accomplish this, set the opposing stands up just inboard of where you actually want the pads to end up, connect the chain to the tightest link, and then pull the stands outward until the chain is tight. Then screw the jacks against the hull.

I use a lightweight lube on the threads of the jacks. (Ed's Red) You want to avoid anything too heavy, as it will simply gunk up the threads (parcicularly when saturated with dirt, grime, sanding dust, and so forth), but some form of lubrication is best because otherwise the threads tend to get very dry and hard to turn. (But heavy grease is even worse!) A home brew like Ed's Red will lubricate as well as clean the threads, and works quite well. The optional lanolin helps with the lubrication properties. An application once every year or two has kept the threads on my stands working nicely, without any gunk buildup.

This is the recipe for Ed's Red, found online here.

1 part - Dexron ATF, GM Spec. D-20265 or later.

1 part - Kerosene - deodorized, K1

1 part - Aliphatic Mineral Spirits CAS #64741-49-9, or substitute "Stoddard Solvent", CAS #8052-41-3, or equivalent.

1 part - Acetone, CAS #67-64-1.

(Optional 1 lb. of Lanolin, Anydrous, USP per gallon, or OK to substitute Lanolin, Modified, Topical Lubricant, from the drug store.)

MIXING INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix outdoors, in good ventilation. Use a clean 1 gallon metal, chemical resistant, heavy gage PET or PVC plastic container. NFPA approved plastic gasoline storage containers are OK. Do NOT use HDPE, which is permeable, because the acetone will slowly evaporate. Acetone in "ER" will attack HDPE over time, causing the container to collapse, making a heck of a mess!

Add the ATF first. Use the empty ATF container to measure the other components, so that it is thoroughly rinsed. If you incorporate the lanolin into the mixture, melt this carefully in a double boiler, taking precautions against fire. Pour the melted lanolin into a larger container, rinsing the lanolin container with the bore cleaner mix, and stirring until it is all dissolved. I recommend diverting up to 4 ozs. per quart of the 50-50 ATF/kerosene mix to use as "ER-compatible" gun oil. This can be done without impairing the effectiveness of the remaining mix.

Used stands are best found by word of mouth, or on boating bulletin boards, or in your local sell-all rag, like Uncle Henry's. If you have time, you can usually find some, though typically you find them in full sets (i.e. 5, or 7).

It helps to store the stands, when not in use, with the pads screwed all the way down to the base, as this hides the threads inside the body...but this is usually kind of a pain at both ends, so it doesn't usually happen!

[catamount]

Greyhawk's bow sections are not so flat that a V-stand wouldn't work (in fact one was being used in Oxford). Indeed the bow is very narrow and fairly deep:





I don't think my existing stands have any carpet on their pads, so I'm not going to worry about it.

I wonder if Ed can supply an MSDS for his red firearm bore cleaner? ;-)

Thanks,

Tim

[Figment]

I carpeted my stands this year because I was bored on a rainy day, and happened to have a bolt of cheap carpet and a bottle of contact cement staring me in the face. One could make the argument that the carpet is necessary on the (otherwise bare metal) V-stand, but otherwise it's just there for yuks. Even with the V-stand, I was taught to use a few slices of a cedar shingle to compensate for the difference between the angle of the boat and the angle of the V, and this cedar is soft enough to do the job of the carpet.

Ditto Tim's comment on the chain. Just measure the width of the link holder on the stands and go down by one size.

double-ditto the comments on lubing the threads and about screwing them down into the tube when not in use. Most of the guys in my club "store" their stands at the club over the summer (toss them into the marsh grass behind the tool shed and forget about them), and man they're lucky I happened to have a full can of PB Blaster in my car on haulout day because they all had seriously siezed threads on at least one of their stands.

[catamount]

A visit to http://www.boatstands.com/howto.htm confirms that 3/16 chain is what is recommended (at least for Brownell-made stands).

FWIW, Brownell recommends WD-40 or axle grease for lubing the screws (see link above). WD-40 may not be all that different from Ed's Red in composition, but as Tim pointed out, I think the axle grease would collect a lot of crud and not be so good. Fortunately, all the screws on my "new" stands do still turn. Mixing up a batch of that Ed's Red seems like an awful lot of trouble just for some old boat stands -- unless of course you've got a collection of gun barrels that need cleaning. Tim, you don't seem like the type...

I like the idea of using the cedar shingles in the V-notch stand! I just remembered somethting I read somewhere -- about carpet on the pads of the stands holding moisture against the hull and promoting osmosis! Even if it doesn't blister your hull, I suppose it could promote the rotting of your plywood pads (you should see the bunks that were on my Lightning trailer!)

Thanks again,

[JetStream]

On the subject of boatstands, there is a new company that I noticed at the September Newport Boat Show that makes a really proper boatstand pad. The pad is some type of rubber or plastic with relief grooves for drainage. They say it is UV and chemical resistant. The company is Atlas Boat Pad http://www.atlasboatpad.com in Sturbridge, MA.

Another note is that at least within the last year, you could buy the stands directly from Brownell in Mattapoisett. If you buy them direct, they are a lot cheaper than from the distributors.

[Tim]

One could make the argument that the carpet is necessary on the (otherwise bare metal) V-stand...

The metal V top actually comes with carpet (already threadbare and of the highest quality) when you buy it. All the old stands I have hanging around still have these carpet bits attached, so at least the glue is strong!

Mixing up a batch of that Ed's Red seems like an awful lot of trouble just for some old boat stands -- unless of course you've got a collection of gun barrels that need cleaning. Tim, you don't seem like the type...

Actually, I didn't make it. I was given a quart or so by someone. It's about a lifetime supply. However, it is good stuff for basic lubing and cleaning, so, as with most things, once you have some it tends to get used for other chores.

And no, I have no guns! Heidi wants to get one when we move...for them dang varmints, donchano.

[dkall]

Had an old chemist tell me this.... WD 40 is a penetrant, not a lubricant. What that means is that it is ment to break free locked or frozen parts, and then as it is quite thin it evaporates after a couple of weeks taking anything it can with it. If you use it continually you will actually dry the parts out in the long run and end up being a slave to WD-40.

He actually told me too that it was nearly identical to light weight diesel oil. :)

[Summersdawn]

WD-40
Water Displacement Formula # 40.

It was a NASA contract for a product to protect unpainted metal that was stored in dry places (like deserts). It never really worked that well as a protectent, but was found to be great as a penetrating oil.