Transport Braces and Cradle for our Gemini

Next Friday we move the boat to the haul out point. It will then sit on the hard for 2 weeks while we get it ready for transport (stepping the mast, etc.).

When the day comes to put the boat on the semi-trailer for transport, the very same lift that pulled us out of the water will be used to put Areil on the trailer. We will not, however, be putting our boat directly on the trailer. Instead, we will we have our Gemini resting on a giant cradle. When a new Gemini is shipped from the manufacturer, over land, PCI sends the boat in a cradle. The fiberglass hulls of the catamaran need a softer surface to rest on than the metal of the trailer, the foot print of the hulls aren't optimal for all the bumping and jarring that comes with traveling down the road, and the boat wasn't designed for the horizontal dynamic loads that will be encountered on the trailer and needs to be supported accordingly.

We will have to custom make our cradle. We've contacted PCI and they've send us a lot of good information, like the size of the cradle, where we should put the braces of the cradle relative to various points on the boat, what material it should be made out of, and more.

Val is now in the planning stages for this giant 15 foot wide, raw timber based, brace system. This should be fun!