Lift Out Mishap on a Sailboat with Sail Drive

[jmorris]

We recently had our 34 ft sailboat lifted out with a Travel Lift. Things went well until we saw one of the straps carrying the weight of the boat not around the hull, but in contact with the saildrive. The hull was clear of the water by about 1 ft. The boat was immediately lowered back into the water. We put the boat in the yard on stands and started the engine. The engine sounded OK and no unusual vibrations were detected, but I did not have the courage to test forward/reverse gears without some advice. I inspected the prop and a small dent is definitely on one of the blades. The shaft rotated freely. The travel lift strap carried the weight on the sail drive, not the prop/shaft. Comments? Thoughts?

[Ziggy]

Freely rotating shaft is definitely a very good sign. You could try to put the transmission in gear and turn the engine over by hand (you may have to take out the injectors if you don't have a decompression lever). If it turns smoothly, I would think it's OK.

[Ex-Calif]

Was the strap actually around the bottom (horizontal) leg off the drive or was the strap on the hull but "leaning" against the saildrive?

[Tranquilo]

Make sure to check the seal on that on launch day!

[jmorris]

To answer the reply-the strap was centered on the sail drive such that the release pin was touching the casting. The weight was carried on the castings, not on the prop/shaft. The straps were touching the hull on both sides, but it was obvious the strap did not follow the hull.

I temporarily rigged up a water feed and ran the engine. With a helper, we put the sail drive in forward and reverse at idle, then stepped up the rpm to full throttle. No nasty noise on the outside or inside next to the sail drive. Visually inspected the penetration. No apparent damage to seals and fasteners. Thanks for advice everyone.
If the worst that comes of this is a bent prop I am impressed. Actually, the edge on one blade has a ding from the release pin.

[Ziggy]

Glad to hear there's no serious damage. I second Tranquilo's suggestion:

Originally Posted by Tranquilo

Make sure to check the seal on that on launch day!

[ggray]

Check your motor mounts as well. I expect that the boat was being supported by them.

I think at launch I would remove the water sensor and sit there looking for water for a while before letting the yard remove the slings.