All,

I recently bought a nearly new Ensign Triad trailer and got an early 60's boat included. 😄 Not sure of hull number yet.

I intend to dry sail the boat and need to install a lifting eye. There are several great instructions here in the library along with parts lists. However, after campaigning a J24 for many years, I believe one Eye and a strap can do the job. All of the instructions are for two eyes with a hoisting chain. I don't want to buy and install two eyes and the chain is a point of failure & too heavy. In reading other posts, it looks like several have installed a single lifting point as I would like to do. Can someone chime in on placement for close to correct CG for a single point lift. Bonus for measurements and pictures!

Zeke, what is your opinion regarding using just a single lifting point? Or why should I follow the old posted instructions for two lifting points?

As a former J24 foredeck and a member of the foredeck union….. I agree with your weight concerns and the single point lift placement. I don’t want to use a chain. I want to use a “choker” strap and three lines one forward and two to the winches. The boat should hang bow down to get the rig away from the crane rig. I have put sails on the foredeck to weigh the bow down a scosch.(J24) I spoke with Bob Conkey at the Midwinters he said he knows the dimension for placement. You need a “pig tail” bit 5/8”. Bob said to be careful and go slow drilling the hole so that you don’t melt the lead and get the drill bit stuck. The hole in the bottom of the keel is made with a 4” hole saw on a right angle drill. I am gathering to make this happen. I often run a J24 outboard on the ensign. A 3.5hp Nissan two stroke. The short shaft can be an issue depending on the motor bracket. You definitely have to “get the weight out of the ends”.

Michael,

The fore and aft center of gravity is near the iron bolt in the bottom of the bilge. This bolt, or what remains of it was used to lift the lead ballast into the boat during construction.
In the first photo, attached, you can see two 3/4” 316 stainless steel eye nuts. You can also see the tenants of the lead lifting bolt.
I have no idea what size plate might be encased in the lead and associated with the original bolt. If you drill near that original bolt, you might encounter the plate. I think that would hinder drilling progress.
It really is not difficult to drill two 3/4” holes in locations shown in the photo. Stainless steel materials required are: (Buy 316 grade stainless steel for its corrosion resistance)
1 - 3’ length of threaded rod
2 - 3/4” hex nuts
2 - 3/4” flat washers
2 - 3/4” eyenuts

After you drill the holes through the keel, insert a 3/4” dowel in each hole so that you have a place to locate the pilot bit of the hole saw. You need a hole saw slightly larger than the OD of the socket with which you will tighten the nut onto the bolt. The goal here is to create an opening to allow the nut and washer to bear against the bottom of the lead. When you are done, fill the holes in the bottom with thickened epoxy.

The second photo shows the lifting straps I use. They are “endless”, 1” wide, 8’ long with a load rating as used in basket configuration of 6400 pounds. Material is polyester. Endless straps do not require shackles. Just loop them through the eye. Do not try to use one longer strap with two eyes. The oops photo demonstrates what will happen. Always use two straps with two eyes.

All of the above can be sourced at grainger.com or McMaster.com

When drilling the holes for the lifting bolts, angle the holes fore and aft so that extension of the bore holes will meet approximately where the straps will connect to the hoist hook. This point is slightly below the top of the coamings and slightly forward of the winches. This will cause the pull on the bolt to be inline with the axis of the bolt.

See the photo of the straps and side lines rigged to the crane hook.

Make sure to apply fiberglass reinforcement at each side of the bilge. It will be nasty if the if the hull drops away from the ballast.

The single lifting point in a J24 typically exits the boat through the cabin top forward of the companionway slide. That location is well above the vertical center of gravity of the boat. If you did nothing but then connect that strap to the crane and lift, the boat might attain a slightly skewed angle but nothing dangerous would happen.

In an Ensign, the straps exit the boat at the top of the ballast. This is way below the vertical center of gravity of the boat. If you lifted with a single point with no other lines restraining movement, the boat would roll over.

If I had to lift an Ensign with a single pick point, I would have lines running from the crane hook to each winch, the bow and the stern.

All,

Michael,

Ensign Tech Gurus & Class Fathers,

By schooling I am a Mechanical Engineer. By Trade I am a commercial marine propulsion engineer. Class rules for marine components are strict, especially for material strengths. They dictate traceability and mechanical certificates from certified mills or independent physical testing of material. What I have learned in my career from a lot of material testing is that many non Western material mills do not supply material that is up to the book ratings. So conservative loading of material and components is just plain smart.

Buying parts for these Ensign projects, we are getting components made from material of unknown provenance. That doesn't mean the sellers are cheating, only that they are trusting their supply chain. As mentioned above, I have learned that we can't do that for items where safety is concerned. Lifting points material is one of this things IMHO. So...

Based on my experience and documented on the attached chart I would suggest we advised other people doing this retrofit to use minimum 7/8-9 3166SS threaded rod for a single lifting point component rod. It doesn't cost much more and the factor of safety is more suitable for the loads expected.

Normally I wouldn't even mention it, and would just do my own thing, But I believe you are all building a useful library of retrofits for others to use as reference and do changes and upgrades that will keep the Ensign Class viable for long into the future. I also would not be too concerned with any existing 3/4-10 systems. Just keep an eye periodically on the joint where the eye nut meets the hull and make sure the threaded rod is not stretching. Inspection once a season should be satisfactory. BTW, this also applies for the two bolt lifting design. Those systems are loaded at an angle which significantly reduces the working load of the treaded rod. Those systems also have chain. Each link is a potential single point of failure. I would suggest either not using chain, or only buying from a very reputable supplier who supplies from a known manufacturer. (Our company manufacturers and sells lifting chain used in marine applications, so I speak here also as a subject matter expert.)

Respectfully,

Mike Vining

Industrial Motion Global Marine Market Manager

The Timken Company

Pearson Ensign "Second Chance"