I agree the angle wasn't extreme (certainly not compared to some jobs I've seen) and my thoughts are certainly looks to be more a boat structural defect, however I was always taught to keep the lines as straight as possible hence the comment that a spreader bar wouldn't have gone amiss.

This may be a really dumbass question from a rookie, but on a boat that size why lift it? Why don't they just launch it like all us low folks?

i was thinking the same thing,it seems to me like it would be quicker to back the trailer in and drive it off than lifting&setting it into the water.

LIFT POINTS, hardware, materials, center of gravity, load capacity, tag lines etc are all considered rigging.

Failed RIGGING was to blame when a lift point broke free from the load the crane was attempting to pick.

You a crane hand as well Tom?

Most times it much easier at certain venues plus a lot of racers just dont want to dunk the trailer in salt. In our case with the cat it had crash boxes and getting around a marina ramp can be difficult.

Heavy Highway and Construction Company - Family owned (I'm a share holder) and in the business development end now. However I have run equipment since I was 12, ran through the field ranks up to superintendent, project manager, etc.

As for the how far do you call it rigging, its really splitting hairs when the certified lifting hook or eye is still embedded in the material itself that gave way. We had a similar situation on a precast concrete section that broke free. The lifting eye was still firmly embedded in a chunk of concrete that sheared off do to what appeared to be an air pocket in the pour. The final analysis was the rigging was 100% and the material it was lifting failed. To me this is the same thing. If you pull out a piece of bulkhead, the boat failed not the rigging.

I,ve known the correct answer to what happened all along .
SOMETHING BROKE !!!!!!

Not a crane man here but I would think the load that was being applied to the hook not being a straight up load helped shear the bulkhead out of the boat.The bulkhead might have not given way if it was lifted straight up vs being pulled to the back of the boat

Tom, Your picture is lifting what looks like an I beam to me. I do not think there is a beam keeping the lifting points separate, is there?

I work at Arby's. I apologize for posting and wasting everyones time. I don't even own a boat.

BTW this is about a 15 year old RACE BOAT that we are talking about here, it probably weighs 8000# is was one of Fountain's factory built boats......