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The next step was to take the 19 off its trailer and block it up. This will give me a chance to work on the trailer without the boat in the way and to work on the boat without the trailer in the way or getting covered in gelcoat etc. Blocking up a boat is dangerous business. Do not trust your blocking unless you have at least 5 blocking points for a 19 foot boat. A level concrete pad is excellent for stability and to keep dirt out of your work. My pad is somewhat elevated which is a PITA, as when the trailer is pulled away it kicks the rear end of the trailer up requiring the boat to be relatively high in the air until the trailer is completely removed. Thankfully I have a fork lift to aid in the process, and don't mind touching up the nicks the forks put in the gelcoat as the boat shifts. A full inversion gantry is in the planning stages when I have time to weld one up. Piling "cut offs" are great for blocking if you live near the beach, and are strong and stable if cut off squarely. Cement blocks are terrible, do not trust them for anything larger than a BW13 as they will suddenly fail, especially if placed on their sides as they are stronger with the holes pointing vertically. Solid wood is best.

If you use a bottle jack, make sure you put a wooden plate between the ram and the hull to avoid holing or cracking your hull. Lower the trailer tongue, then block up the stern of the boat first, and gradually pull the trailer out as you build more block piles to elevate the bow, allowing the trailer to "catch" the boat if your blocking falls over when you move the trailer past each obstacle. It will happen eventually, usually due to the boat rubbing on a bunk and pulling a block forward. If a block pile is tilted, jack up the boat and get it straight before proceeding. Do not use the bow or stern eyes to lift the boat, they are not made for that. As a side note, Boston Whalers are designed to have most of their weight on the keel of the boat when they are stored or on a trailer, so a couple of piles of blocks under the keel is a good idea. Therefore if you have a trailer with only bunks or wobble rollers, consider adding central keel rollers to support most of the weight.

Blocking in progress below: the middle blocks will be shifted forward and a midline stern block added. I am trying to decide if I am going to remove the bottom paint and replace it with new gelcoat. I don't live at the beach anymore, and the last time I left my BW13 in the water for a few weeks it got so dirty and covered in salt I regretted not pulling it out of the water. Plus, it looked SO much prettier without the bottom paint. There are several coats of bottom paint on the boat, and it will take a good 10 days to sand the paint off and put new matching gelcoat on.