David, What the yard guys said is true. Almost all the weight of the boat is on the keel, the pads or bunks are only there to keep it from falling over.
I have a trailer with 6 pads (approx 8 in. square) and to get to the hull underneath the pads I lower diagonally opposite pads 2 at a time (right front - left rear, left front - right rear, center left - center right). When I leave the yard for the day, I raise the two pads I have down back up again. All of this assumes the boat is square and level on the trailer (not leaning left or right) and the keel is fully supported. My friend who has a cradle with only 4 pads uses a jack stand to replace the pad that he lowers. As someone has mentioned, the jack stand must be on a firm surface and cabled or chained to the other side of the cradle/trailer. If you feel uncomfortable lowering pads, drop 1 or 2 an inch or 1/2 inch and see what happens. John Emmerich Louisville, KY
