JimmyBaja

I was just reading about the guy that wanted to replace rollers on his trailer with solid bunks. That brought to mind that I would like to add 2 more bunks to my boat lift.
I currently have a hard time centering my boat on the lift for raising. After 3 years you would think it would be easy. It's not. How do I know where to place the additional bunks and set the correct height?

Thanks, Jim

US1 Fountain

iTrader: (1)

I added an extra set on my lift this past spring to match the support that my trailer offered. 2 bunks good......4 bunks better. What I did was with the boat sitting on the original 2 bunks and lift raised I held the extra bunks up in position I wanted, then mounted the brackets with just a hint more extra pressure against hull so that the weight of the boat would be eqaul on all 4 bunks once it compressed the carpeting on the new bunks and preloaded the new bunks. By just holding them up snug and then mounting solid, the original bunks are still doing the supporting. Once I got mine adjusted in height and location snug, I moved them in approx. just a 1/2" for the eqaul preloading. Does not take much movement to fit. Make sure that you don't have them set so that the boat is supported on the back half of the old bunks and front half on the new bunks, but equally along the full lenghts of all bunks.
As far as locating, I have all 4 bunks positioned almost right against the strakes to locate the boat in postion when raising the lift, but not tight against the strakes. Worked great and flawlesss all summer.

JimmyBaja

US1, So was it easier to keep the boat centered on the lift?

Jim

US1 Fountain

iTrader: (1)

I don't know. I bought and assembled the lift this spring and made the extra bunks supports before the lift even hit the water. Once in the water, it was adjustment before boating time.

My slip neighbor and I went in together for a group buy on the lifts. He did not add an extra set of bunks and his centers every time too.

What we both did was find the free floating position where the boats need to be before lifts makes contact, and made 2 ropes from the dock to the stern cleats. When we back in our slips, we hook up the 2 ropes and manually hold the boats back with ropes tight. The ropes roughly center and postion the boats fore/aft until the lifts contact the boats. The positioning of the bunks against the strakes do the final locating.

JimmyBaja

Before I try this, Anyone else had trouble with centering their boat on a lift? What did you do to make it easier?

Thanks, Jim