Jersey Girl

Houseboat update, Tuesday, November 27, 2018 – The time has come to get Jersey Girl into position to winch her up onto the trailer for transport to her winter hibernation. First, I measure the distance from the ground to the tops of the rollers – about 29 inches. Next, I attach the hook of the hydraulic hoist boom to the pad eye at Jersey Girl’s bow, and with a piece of plywood scrap to protect her paint, I start pumping the lever. Slowly and cautiously, a bit at a time. She’s got to go up about 10 inches to be able to slide the rear of the trailer under her hull to start hauling her aboard. Every inch or so, I stop to adjust the jack stands, so if anything slips, she won’t fall far. Finally, I have her in the tight orientation. She’s well supported, and she’ll stay that way until tomorrow.

Houseboat update, Thursday, November 29. 2018 (Part 2) – Using the Trailer Valet, I’ve started to manually maneuver the trailer into the driveway and under Jersey Girl’s raised bow. My first approach was about an inch and a half off-center, but with the valet it was an easy matter to crank the trailer back into the street and get it centered properly. I lowered the support stands until the bottom of the hull was resting on the first two sets of rollers, hooked up the winch to the bow pad eye and started cranking the cable taut. As I cranked, the trailer moved further under the hull, and the boat began to settle into a more horizontal orientation as the bunk roller moved underneath it. Eventually, the stern rose off its support and the gently dropped into a perfectly centered position on the trailer, then rolled easily toward the winch as I continued to crank. I had spent a lot of time thinking about every move, choreographing every step, and it all went smoothly, exactly according to plan. I can see I will have to get a much shorter winch mast than the one that came with the trailer, but that should be no problem. As it sits on the trailer, the bottom of the hull is less than 23 inches above the pavement. The chines clear the trailer fenders by about an inch and a half, and the fenders clear the wheels by about three inches. If I need to, I can lower the fenders a bit, and that will allow me let the hull sit lower on the trailer.

Houseboat update, Thursday, November 29, 2018 – This is the day to get Jersey Girl Up on her trailer. First, I’m going to have to hitch the trailer to my car for a drive around the block, so I can position the trailer to be able to maneuver it into the driveway and under the hull. In younger days, I might have been able to manhandle it around by brute strength. Now, not so much. The Trailer Valet that I’ve installed on the tongue will make it possible to position the socket directly over the hitch ball, so all I have to do is turn the crank to lower the hitch socket for a perfect connection. Even for a short ride around the block, I’m mindful that with equipment like this, things can go very badly very quickly. I have to make sure all the redundant safety systems are in use. First, I lock the ball into the socket and insert the safety pin. Even with the trailer hooked up, as long as I am parked, I keep the rear wheel chocks in place. Next, I swing the Trailer Valet up and lock it into place, and crank the trailer’s tongue jack into its raised position. The hitch I’ve installed on the trailer incorporates a surge brake system – If there’s ever a break-away while I am driving, a cable attached to the car will be stretched taut and pull a lever on top of the hitch forward, and when that happens, the trailer wheels will lock up and bring the trailer to an abrupt stop. But because I do not want to rely on that emergency measure, I make sure to properly attach the safety chains to the car, criss-crossed under the tongue so it’s cradled and supported without falling to the road surface if the ball-and-socket hitch comes undone. Then, I make sure the electrical connector is attached to the car, so the tail lights, brake lights, directional signals and side marker lights work. Before I can move, I must remember to pick up the wheel chocks, remove the crank from the Trailer Valet and stow them in the car. (I know from sad experience how easy it is to forget these items and lose them. Now, I’m all hitched up and ready to go. But it’s c-c-c-cold out, I’m going into the house to warm up for a bit before the next step.

Houseboat update, Tuesday, December 4, 2018 – Today’s the day for the big move to winter storage, four houses up the block. A neighbor with a long driveway offered to make the end of it Jersey Girl’s winter home, as long as I left space for her family’s cars. This is great! I’ll be able to check up on the state of her hull easily if the weather turns foul over the winter. So I strapped her down to the trailer, hooked her up to the car and towed her about 150 yards east. That was the easy part. Backing her into the long, narrow driveway was a tough job. I wasn’t able to do it with the car, so I had to unhitch the trailer and maneuver it by hand up a fairly steep initial grade. This is where the chain-driven Trailer Valet proved its worth. Turning the drive crank and steering with the tiller, I was able to get it up the grade. Then, with inches to spare, I steered the trailer around a protruding glass electric meter and a couple of drainpipes, finally coming to rest at the back of the driveway in front of my neighbor’s garage. It wasn’t easy, and I had to stop every few feet to see how I was doing and take a short rest. But it’s done!

Houseboat update (with a slight course correction), Thursday, December 6, 2018 -- As I tuck Jersey Girl in for winter hibernation, I must not forget Thistledew, the sailing dinghy I built more than 25 years ago. She's still in great shape, but if I don't tilt her up to let any water run out her transom scupper, freeze/thaw cycles will quickly take their toll. I haven't had a chance to sail her for at least four years, and I have to decide whether to make use of her or let her go to a new owner.