I’m working with a BlueBoat and I’m curious how others handle launch and recovery at locations where the boat cannot be launched by hand from a slipway or shoreline.
For example, at some survey sites the boat would need to be lowered into the water using a crane, davit, or similar lifting device.
Has anyone designed or purchased a dedicated lifting frame, cradle, spreader bar, launch-and-recovery frame, or other solution for this?
I’m particularly interested in:
Photos of your setup
Lifting points used on the BlueBoat
Launch/recovery cradles or frames
Solutions that allow a one-person operation
How you prevent swinging or tilting during lifting
Whether the frame remains attached until the boat is afloat
If you have drawings, dimensions, or lessons learned, I’d love to see them.
Hi @Blueboat23 -
While I’ve never used a crane (the vehicle weighs less than 50lbs), I’ve definitely launched the BlueBoat from some cliffs that required raising and lowering it. Doing so was easy with a bit of rope and a hook - a grappling one makes rotation less important, but I’ve just been tying a large gaff hook to the end of the rope. It hooks onto the front or rear cross bar of the boat, and driving into it for capture is surprisingly easy! The hook usually stays centered, but sometimes slides to one side against the boat - this doesn’t seem to matter.
The boat is lowered nose down or nose up, and if gently placed will end up right-side up. I’ll try and remember to setup a tripod with recording camera next time I do this - it is typically done alone!