Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 05-13-2017, 09:08 PM   #1
Guru
 
City: Seaford Va on Poquoson River, VA
Vessel Name: Old Glory
Vessel Model: 1970 Egg Harbor 37 extended salon model
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,264
Smith's Marine Railway, how does that work?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sm...!4d-76.4243337

I was going to haul out in 2018 and they are extremely close to my marina.
Is it about the same prices compared to a travel lift?
Can the boat be blocked on land or does the boat stay on the railway?
I usually haul out for a month or more before going back in. I do my own work so anyplace I haul has to allow that.
sdowney717 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2017, 09:31 PM   #2
Guru
 
klee wyck's Avatar
 
City: Port Townsend and La Paz
Vessel Name: Domino and Libra
Vessel Model: Malcom Tennant 20M and Noordzee Kotter 52
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 984
I cannot comment on Smith's for sure but there is a ways at Walsh Marine in Blaine Harbor where Libra is moored. The boats that are hauled on the ways stay on the rail up on the hard while they are being worked on and then back in on the rail. That is to say, if the boat is on the ways for a month, that is the only boat that can hauled during that whole period. It is a pretty cool thing to watch but pretty limited in volume per year. Generally very big working boats use it only.
__________________
Bill
klee wyck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2017, 12:32 AM   #3
Guru
 
C lectric's Avatar
 
City: Gibsons, B.C., Canada
Vessel Name: Island Pride
Vessel Model: Palmer 32'
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,409
I saw a yard many years ago the used a railway system. Quite neatly done.

Each boat was pick up by a cart on rails. Pulled out of the water on the cart and then shunted to the side and eventually to other rails in another part of the yard for work to be done.

The boat stayed on the cart for however long it was out of the water. I
remember because when my boat was surveyed it was hauled at that yard.

It won't help you directly as it was near Victoria, B.C. But maybe a railway type yard near you has a similar system rather than the typical single boat at a time railway so check it out .

I have no idea if that yard is still operating as this was thirty years ago. It may have gone to condos by now as it was in a prime area for boating but also residences.
C lectric is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2017, 05:27 AM   #4
Guru
 
psneeld's Avatar
 
City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,119
No, boats don't have to stay on the rails, but that depends on the yard.

Usually getting the boats off is labor intensive, so less frequent at railways, and the reason for travel lifts.

As a kid, the yard I hung out with did all their winter pulls..... but boats were smaller and the railway car if I remember corectly could be partially dismantled under the boat after a temporary blocking, then the boat moved on a yard trailer.
psneeld is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2017, 05:57 AM   #5
Guru
 
Keysdisease's Avatar
 
City: South Florida
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,083
Went to the link, looked at the overhead view, that's a "one boat at a time" traditional railway, no switching yard to shuttle boats to make room for more.

Here in Ft Lauderdale Bradford Marine has what's called a synchrolift. Its a railway with an elevator instead of ramping down into the River, but once up there is a switching yard to move boats around, even undercover. They accommodate quite a few boats at once here, link has a video showing the lift and switching a yacht around:

Lift & Haul Out - Bradford Marine

There's a unique and interesting railway like Smiths in Spanish Wells in the Bahamas. They actually dismantle a portion of the street, haul the boat up the railway, and if the boats small enough put the road back. If its a larger boat the street stays closed until the boat is launched.

Attached Thumbnails
railway.jpg  
Keysdisease is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2017, 06:58 AM   #6
FF
Guru
 
FF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 22,553
Many older yards simply has enough carts to hold the winters worth of storage.

Cross rails allowed the blocked boats to be moved into a shed or anywhere in the yard.

The boats , mostly wood, could be brought into & out of the paint shed if the snow was cleared from the tracks.

Yes, there was more capitol outlay and labor , but the boats could be stored much closer together so the yard or storage shed would hold more boats.

The Travelift is preferred today as a 12 year old can operate it , so low cost labor can be hired.

Annual Winter repaints on GRP boats is not a requirement .
FF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2017, 07:02 AM   #7
Guru
 
City: Carefree, Arizona
Vessel Name: sunchaser V
Vessel Model: DeFever 48 (sold)
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 10,179
Many years ago I worked at a yard in Port Washington NY that had a rail haul of system. Movable cable tuggers, portable rail systems, rail mounted dollies and smarts permitted all the vessels on moorings in Manhasset Bay to be hauled each winter. This type of rail and handling system was/is common in Northern climates long before travel lifts were dreamed of.

There was a time that things got done in a way that puzzle our imaginations. Now about those pyramids.
sunchaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2017, 08:16 AM   #8
JLD
Guru
 
City: Delaware
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 681
Here's a couple of interesting videos about Smith's that I found on youtube:





Jim
JLD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2017, 09:44 AM   #9
Guru
 
City: Italy
Vessel Name: Didi Mau
Vessel Model: Currently looking for next boat
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,081
Try dandy haven...

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdowney717 View Post
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sm...!4d-76.4243337

I was going to haul out in 2018 and they are extremely close to my marina.
Is it about the same prices compared to a travel lift?
Can the boat be blocked on land or does the boat stay on the railway?
I usually haul out for a month or more before going back in. I do my own work so anyplace I haul has to allow that.
Dandy Haven charges $9 a day while on the hard and is the most helpful yard around. Andy, the owner is a pleasure to work with.

Gordon
Gordon J is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2017, 10:24 AM   #10
Guru
 
City: Seaford Va on Poquoson River, VA
Vessel Name: Old Glory
Vessel Model: 1970 Egg Harbor 37 extended salon model
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,264
Thanks for those videos Jim.I will call them and see what they offer. I think would be cool to experience the railway haul.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon J View Post
Dandy Haven charges $9 a day while on the hard and is the most helpful yard around. Andy, the owner is a pleasure to work with.

Gordon
Hi Gordon, I have hauled out twice at Marina Cove Boat Basin, right next to Dandy Haven and hauled once at Belle Isle on the other side of Dandy Haven.

Marina Cove is now I think $150 per month, last time for me was $100, so $5 per day unless he has gone up. They have good gravel packed repair yard and 2 travel lifts and is a DIY marina if you want. So a good deal. Erlin manages the place.

Dandy Haven won't haul my boat as it is a wooden 37 Egg, and they are prejudiced thinking it might fall apart, since made of wood, yet it is in very good hull condition.

Marina Cove and at Belle Isle I did considerable amount of work, but regardless they have no issue hauling out wood boats. A closer opportunity for me is Yacht Haven Marina on Poquoson river.

Dare Marina, right across from me from Thomas Marina, on their web page does not allow DIY work.

Wormley creek will haul wood boats and allows DIY. I had the boat at Wormley Creek for a year and it is a nice place too., Doug manages the place.

Another consideration is driving time. I cut my drive time to 20 minutes from 45 minutes by docking at Thomas Marina in York County, AND York County has dropped all boat tax starting 2017! Plus very peaceful there, no industrial setting. And very nice water views on Chisman Creek.
sdowney717 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2017, 09:17 PM   #11
Guru
 
Steve's Avatar
 
City: Thibodaux, Louisiana
Vessel Name: Gumbo
Vessel Model: 2003 Monk 36
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,882
There are several rail systems operating in this area. As far I know these only haul the boat out of the water on a car/rack and hold it at the end of the ramp while work is being done to the boat. The yards are small and don't have a track system except on the ramp down into the water.
I don't know how they are sure the car/rack supports will not damage a through hull or other part of the hull as they pull it out and the full weight of hull settles on the rack?
__________________
Steve W.
https://mvgumbo.blogspot.com/
Steve is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2017, 03:47 PM   #12
Guru
 
DHeckrotte's Avatar
 
City: Philadelphia, PA
Vessel Name: Revel
Vessel Model: 1984 Fu Hwa 39
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,024
Rock Hall Marine Railway still uses their railway and additionally has a Travelift. Theirs is the type that has an extensive layout of tracks, storage sheds and transversely-moving tracks. Each boat had its own cradle in a cart which would be pulled along the tracks.

The best pics I could find by Googling: aerial: the tracks leading from the water are running side to side and you can see the bluish gantry there and in the second pic. The grassy area running top to bottom has the transverse tracks. Five peak-roofed sheds to the left; five similar sheds to the right with outdoor track space, too. Clearly for powerboats/workboats.

The ell-shaped building near the curve in the road is their marine store; many wondrous things in bins! And, they'll order anything for you.
Attached Thumbnails
Railway.jpg   blogger-image--569769044.jpg  
DHeckrotte is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2017, 04:46 PM   #13
Guru
 
Lepke's Avatar
 
City: Between Oregon and Alaska
Vessel Name: Charlie Harper
Vessel Model: Wheeler Shipyard 83'
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,021
If you're in Blaine, you might look at Canadian yards with the exchange rate.
Marine railways are much easier on wood boats.
Lepke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2017, 12:21 PM   #14
Guru
 
City: Seaford Va on Poquoson River, VA
Vessel Name: Old Glory
Vessel Model: 1970 Egg Harbor 37 extended salon model
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,264
Smith's simply pulls up the boat and it stays on the rails. They also don't allow DIY. And are more expensive than the travelift. I typically stay out more than a month and am a DIY person. They have worked on my boat model, but mostly work on much larger wood boats.
sdowney717 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2017, 07:30 PM   #15
TF Site Team
 
koliver's Avatar
 
City: Saltspring Island
Vessel Name: Retreat
Vessel Model: C&L 44
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,656
This one is still active, one boat at a time.
Silva Bay Shipyard - Comprehensive Marine Services
__________________
Keith
koliver is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012