A Boat in the Woodsvideo

Framing the Roof of My Boat Shed with My Improvised Crane Truck - No. 45

22 August 2026 · 19 min · 119K views

What this video covers

Joshua frames the roof of a boat shed using a homemade crane truck — a pickup fitted with a 25-foot gin pole and chain hoist — to lift pre-built trusses into position over a row of shipping containers.0:06 Work spans 10–12 August 2026, and covers 21 trusses in total.Watch The lifting sequence requires repositioning the truck for each truss, notching the plywood gusset to centre the hook, raising the truss slowly to avoid snagging existing framing, then climbing onto a container to fasten the rafter to the top plate and add temporary bracing on both sides.0:29 A drill attachment speeds the chain hoist winding.0:14 On 11 August, one truss sits too low at the bird's mouth cuts despite plumb cuts measuring dead-on at a 4/12 pitch and rafter lengths accurate to within a sixteenth of an inch; the lesson drawn is to measure the critical width across the assembled rafter on the ground before lifting.8:46 The final truss goes up on 12 August, preceded by the traditional topping-out ceremony — a white pine bough nailed to the last piece.12:56 After all trusses are set, Joshua dismantles the gin pole piece by piece off the truck.15:39 Next steps are permanent bracing, blocking, breaking ties, and strapping.19:10

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More from A Boat in the Woods

Solo Boat Shed Build | 1 Side Roof Down, 1 to Go - No. 50Oct 2026Boat Shed Posts & Beams, Back to Work on the Boat - No. 50Oct 2026I Left the Woods to Learn How to Fix My BoatSept 2026Finishing the Roof & The Boat is Finally Home - No. 47Sept 2026

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