Having re-established the shape of the hull for the 1958 HiLiner, it’s time to flip the boat over so I can get to the outside of the bottom and remove the rotten spots and fix the leaks. When I was in boat school, we assembled all the students in the school and manhandled the 22 ft. boat we were building to turn it over. I think we had about 50 people to turn that boat over. This contraption I have now allowed two men to flip this boat.
I use a couple of gantry cranes rigged with chain falls that hold some special bearings to suspend a 1-1/2 inch iron pipe. I then pass a couple of 4 inch load straps over the pipe and under the bottom of the boat. I can lift the boat, remove the trailer, and rotate the boat 180 degrees.
Now she’s upside down on some stands, ready for me to start stripping it so I can see what I’ve got to deal with under that paint.