Flip this beast... need help..!!

[AcctTwrs]

Not too long from now.. I'll be finishing up stringers and installing bulkheads and frames... I need to start thinking on how to flip this boat over and work on the bottom... It's the how to part I'm looking to focus on... I currently have
an I-beam overhead with 2 chain falls capacity of 2 and one half tons each... problem is I don't know how much weight my overhead roof will take... I was thinking about building some sort of ground assist for the bow and stern...
but don't really know what it should look like.. Does any one have any ideas... sure could use another brain or 2..
Thanks Tom

[Chaps]

Describe your beam location. Is it 2 hoists on one beam running parallel or perpendicular to the boat? Or are the hoists on their own cross beams at approx the stern and bow?

[gandrfab]

When I worked at Alumitech building aluminum air boats the smaller one's we would flip with the boss's forklift.
When we built double wide, twin big block powered air boats for oil exploration in Russia, the Boss would hire one of those huge wreckers. Like this one, but a remember a longer boom.


It was at his shop for less then 1 hour.

[AcctTwrs]

Chaps.... The I-beam runs down the center of the 12 ft wide door.. over the boat fore and aft.. right down the center line. The boat can easily be flipped in it's own space... if I could make some adaptation on the bow and stern, lift it with the chain falls on the center line. I could spin it up-side down and lower it on the cradle.

Gandrfab... i may have to get a big tow truck... BAM..!!!. i have a friend that owns a tow truck company too...

[gandrfab]

[Chaps]

Chaps.... The I-beam runs down the center of the 12 ft wide door.. over the boat fore and aft.. right down the center line. The boat can easily be flipped in it's own space... if I could make some adaptation on the bow and stern, lift it with the chain falls on the center line. I could spin it up-side down and lower it on the cradle.

Yeah, you could weld a pipe stub on at each end and spin it like it has an axle running through it. I've seen a number of flips done, tricky thing is controlling it when it goes over center. I'd pick it up by one of the gunwales (with both hoists) then attach a couple of come-a-longs to pull the low side up, works well with a central beam like you have since the boat can't slide sideways.