How to best flip a Lund Alaskan?

Jgrey

New member
Hi all,

I recently bought a 2000, 16’ Lund Alaskan and need to get a new coat of paint on the bottom (She came to me with maroon paint) So, is flipping this boat going to work as easy as rolling off the back of the trailer onto the yard and getting a coulle guys to heave her over slowly? Is it that easy or should I use a different process? I’m worried that the weight on the sides (566 lbs) may be too much and could cause damage and also possible damage from sliding off the trailer.

Am I over thinking this? I just don’t want to mess up a new to me boat. I plan to build a pop up blind after painting.

The forum is great and has taught me a lot in my research about getting a first duck boat. Thanks in advance for the help with this question. Haven’t seen it asked for this boat before.
 
That's how I would do it. I don't think you're going to have a problem getting it off the trailer if it's a roller. If it's a bunk trailer be careful of the back of the bunks and how much pressure they put on the hull.

As you pull the boat off the trailer and the weight shifts, raise the front of the trailer. When the back of the boat is on the ground with the trailer tongue raised, pull the trailer forward. Do the reverse for getting the boat back on the trailer. I don't think you'll have any issues with rolling it.
 
Pull the bow of the boat under a good strong tree limb. Tie a rope on the bow hook. Hoist the bow up high enough to clear the trailer on the roll. Get a buddy to help you roll it over at the stern. Voila.....ease the bow back down on the trailer. Important. Pick a good tree limb. That's the way I used to do it before I got a tractor with a loader.

DW.
 
I'm with Pete, just be careful getting it off the trailer. The Alaskan is built to be a sturdy boat to handle rough conditions. If you're worried about the sides flexing you could always cut some 2x4's to wedge between the gunnels for peace of mind. Myself, I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure you have enough muscle when you roll it so no bodies get hurt.
 
Good morning, J~

With a boat that heavy, I suspect your concern about bending the gunwales is valid. I would certainly avoid letting much weight rest on the gunwales in the flipping process. I can see 3 approaches:

1. Assemble a bigger crew. Maybe 6 strong and healthy backs could turn it over without having to rest the gunwale on the ground.

2. I have chain hoists hanging from my ceiling. To flip vessels, I fasten the chains bow and stern then "flip" (turn slowly and carefully) like a rotisserie. I usually get at least one helper to maintain control during the flip. (With larger boats, I do not flip simply to paint. I simply raise the boat to a comfortable height, then prep and paint from below. I ALWAYS keep a pair of sawhorses within an inch or two of the bottom just in case the chain falls fail.)

3. Bolt together 2 frames of 2x4s or 2x6s - maybe 6 feet from each other - around the middle of the boat. When the boat is upright, the frames should be taller than anything like steering wheels, windshields, light stanchions. Then, with 2 or 3 guys, roll the frame over. Unbolt whatever frame members are in your way to prep and paint.

A completely different approach is to not flip the boat. Simply "careen" the hull, first onto her port bottom, then onto her starboard bottom, and paint one half at a time.

One final thought: Does the bottom need painting? If not, the bottom of the hull can remain Maroon. Just mask a nice "waterline" (maybe 2 or 3 inches beneath her actual waterline) and paint down to it. (I paint the bottoms on some of my gunning boats red - because it never shows whilst hunting, and the canoes look better when bottom-side up on my roof racks.....)

Hope this helps!

SJS
 
In your situation I,ve always slid the boat off onto old tires positioned on ground under keel if v bottom or corners and keel if flat. Get at least 4 fellas with strong backs that aren,t afraid of a little work and roll it over letting it pivot on tires along edge and land again on tires. The cushioning effect of the tires on a 16' boat should alleviate any bending of gunnel. You can actually let it stand on edge , prop up and paint 1/2 bottom at time if not inclined in complete flip. Easy peasy!
 
I have flipped a 16 foot StarCraft hull before. I too was concerned about damage to the hull and would STRONGLY advise against rolling it on the gunnels.

Ask yourself what is stronger, the gunnels or the transom? What I did was to get several of my neighbors. We started at the bow and walked it up into a vertical position with the hull resting on the transom. Then one by one we switched to the deck side as the hull transitioned the peak of the flip. Then it was a simple matter to walk the hull back to the ground with the deck side down.

Yes it seems extreme to have 16 foot of hull sticking straight up in the air, but it was easy and stable during the entire process. I would of course pick a nice calm day. Some padding and blocking kept the pressure points (that actually carried the weight) intact.

FWIW; That is how I've done it.
 
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Lots of good stuff, I've done my 16' wood boat with the rope/chain/cable on bow (if you trust the eye) lift it off the trailer, pull the trailer out and spin the transom. Putting the boat back on the trailer is really nice for working - put some 2x material cross ways on the trailer and put the boat back on upside down.
 
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If all you are doing is painting a different color (no prepping other than scuffing), I wouldn't even bother flipping the boat. I would do as Mr. Sanford suggested, or go the other way and roll the boat off the trailer until the transom touches the ground. Paint what you can, and let it dry completely. After the paint has cured, move the boat enough so the unpainted pats are now showing. Paint, let dry, roll back onto the trailer.

I used this method on our 14' Lund and it worked well.

Mark
 

''
Am I over thinking this? I just don’t want to mess up a new to me boat. I plan to build a pop up blind after painting.''

If you do not want to mess up the boat don't take any chances. I have painted the bottom of many boats from the trailer.
Just allow the boat to come back a few inches and paint the area that were the boat was on the rollers let the paint dry
then put the boat back in place and finish painting. If you have bunks, jack the boat up off the bunks and paint under the bunks.
You could also use jacks and stands to get the boat off the trailer and on to stands.
 
Come to think o fit, I painted my Smokercraft, from shiny tan to battleship grey, while still on the trailer.
Birds aren't going to see the bottom of the boat anyway....
 
Thanks to everybody for the advice and suggestions. I didn't expect so many responses. They are much appreciated. I'm going to have to mull over this a bit now that I have about a dozen different options to consider. After reading the responses I'm leaning more towards being cautious versus risking damage. The next warm day we get here I'm going to have a beer in the backyard looking at the boat and deciding how to proceed. I'll post again once it's flipped (or not flipped) and let you all know how it went.
 
I ended up painting with the boat on the trailer. Taped it off just below the water line. After some thought I figured I wasn't going to gain anything from painting the bottom and it didn't sound particularity easy, and possibly risky, so this is it. I'm happy with how it came out. Stickers and the gunk they leave behind were a pain to get off though. Spent many hours getting the surface prepped. Cleaned and sanded the painted area and used white vinegar to etch the exposed aluminum I used Duralux Marine Aluminum Boat Paint 736. One coat seems like plenty. A gallon did the outside, inside and had enough leftover for a coat on my 12' Radisson canoe. Next up is getting that live well bench out, putting in khaki marine carpet, anti fatigue mats on the floor and building a pop up blind.
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