Making Sense of Boat Stands: Choosing the Right One

Boat stands are ubiquitous at boatyards and marinas, where they are commonly used to support boats and yachts that have been hauled out for maintenance or repairs that can’t be performed in the water. But they can also be very useful for owners of trailered boats — or even lift-stored or wet-slipped boats that have trailers for occasional use.

After all, the need will eventually arise to separate boat and trailer without the assistance of water. Hull repairs, repainting, trailer maintenance such as recarpeting bunks, and winter storage are scenarios in which it is likely to work out best if you lift your boat and pull the trailer. 

Boat stands may seem like a major investment just to re-carpet bunks every five years or so, but once you have the capability of getting your boat off the trailer you can take care of any of these periodic tasks yourself in the comfort and convenience of your own garage (or backyard), instead of scheduling a trip to the boatyard. 

With the right equipment, understanding, and safety precautions, pulling your trailer out from under your boat, and then putting it back on, is a straightforward operation. There are several categories of equipment to employ to safely remove and support your vessel off the trailer: lifts, stands, and dollies.

Never get under the boat without placing appropriate blocks and/or stands.

Stands are used for supporting a boat securely while it is stored or worked on. Typically, most of the weight of the boat is supported under the keel or centerline, while additional stands on either side also support some weight but serve mainly as balancing devices.

Boat stands — which are basically specialized versions of automotive jack stands — come in three main styles: keel stands, sailboat stands, and motorboat stands.

Keel stands are square, level, and plumb with four legs and are available with either flat or V-shaped tops. They are designed to carry the majority of the boat’s weight — up to 20,000 lbs. per stand. Heavy blocks of wood are often substituted for keel stands.

Sailboat stands are three-legged and built to stand with the central shaft at a 23-degree angle to meet the steeper hulls of sailboats. They also feature a swivel top that adjusts from flat to 45 degrees.

With sailboat stands, a 3/16” safety chain, snug over the keel, is used to connect each pair, preventing any tendency of the boat to push outward laterally against the stands. Safety chains are also a good idea with motorboat stands.

For larger V-hull boats, a pair of adjustable, heavier-duty dollies can handle up to 8,000 lbs., which roughly equates to a 25’, twin-outboard center console.

If you can do what you need to do just by lifting the boat a foot or so above the trailer bunks or rollers, as opposed to actually pulling the trailer out from under the boat, a simpler option is using a trailer-mounted boat lift.

In addition to being a smaller investment in equipment, trailer-mounted lifts eliminate concerns about keeping a solid base under your boat — the trailer is still the solid base. With trailer tires and jack stand wheels chocked properly, safety issues and the possibility of dropping your boat are greatly reduced.

In addition to at least two keel stands or blocks to support your boat’s weight, a minimum of four stands is recommended for boats up to 30’. Beyond that, the rule of thumb is one additional pair of stands for every additional 8 to 10 feet of boat length, depending on weight, hull shape, beam and other factors.

So a typical 35’, 14,000 lb. center console, for example, would need two keel stands or blocks, two pairs of motorboat stands for stern and midships, and one pair of sailboat stands for the bow. Err on the side of overkill.

You will have to determine the appropriate placements for lifts, jacks and stands for your boat. In general, you want to select the strongest areas of the hull to support the boat’s weight.

These will be the chines, the keel, and along stringers. Rear stands typically should go as close to the transom as possible, as this is a particularly strong area of most hulls and is also the heaviest area of your boat.

It goes without saying that you don’t want to drop your boat, and you especially don’t want to drop your boat on anyone, including yourself.

Think it through, proceed slowly, lift your boat evenly to maintain balance.

Every situation is a little bit different, but here are some basic equipment recommendations based on what you need to do:

Trailer-mounted boat lifts. Good for up to 10,000 lbs., trailer-mounted boat lifts give you access to trailer bunks/rollers and to the part of the boat bottom otherwise hidden by bunks but don’t provide as much access as removing your boat from the trailer altogether.

Manual Boat Lift System. Rated for up to 5,000 lbs. (roughly the weight of a 22’ to 23’ single-outboard center console), a manual boat lift system allows you to pull trailers up to 103” wide out from under your boat for extended storage, trailer swaps, or bottom work. You’ll also need additional stands since the lift is meant to support the boat only temporarily.

Keel stands (or blocks) and motorboat/sailboat stands. Most deep-V and modified-V hulls under 30’ need two keel stands or blocks, a pair of motorboat stands aft, and a pair of sailboat stands forward.

Boats with a squared-off or shallow bow can use all motorboat stands. Add an additional pair of stands for every 8 to 10 feet beyond 30’. Remember a safety chain for every pair of sailboat stands.

Small craft dolly. Good for up to 2,000 lbs. (sufficient for PWCs, smaller aluminum fishing boats, and lightweight flats skiffs) a small craft dolly supports boats on a pair of carpeted bunks.

Heavy-duty boat dollies. These dollies have to be used in pairs and can support boats up to 8,000 lbs. (roughly the weight of a 25’ twin-outboard center console).

Tall or standard pontoon boat dollies. Used in sets of four, these dollies cradle pontoons securely in foam padding. The tall version supports up to 2,500 lbs. per dolly and positions the bottom of the pontoons 16” above the ground for better access underneath.

The standard version supports 2,000 lbs. per dolly (still enough for virtually any recreational pontoon) and positions boats 5” off the ground.