I noticed when i was at lip ship last weekend that they rack store alot of boats at spinnikers, I have alway heard that it is hard on Stepped hulls if you put them on a straight bunked trailer. That makes sense, you dont want the pressure to be on the steps, thats alot of stess. But yet all of the boats at Spinikers are stored in racks with straight bunks and they are loaded with fork lifts with straight bunks. I saw a 38 TS at Martin and the fiberglass on the steps was tore up and the broker said it was from the forklifts.

How bad is it to rack store these stepped hulls.

Just a question.

Wild

Its pretty bad. You would not catch me doing it. It will destroy the final lip of the step, push the whole step up, and warp more of the hull over time.

pssst, it's Spinnaker, no "s".

Ok what about boat lifts? I talked to a couple of dealers and they said it wouldn't hurt the boat. What type of lifts do you people have that have step hulls?

You can use the same lift you always have.

Two imporatant things:
The lift bunks must support the entire hull, to include as long as you can have them toward the bow, to where the bow curves north. (Obviously, center of gravity must be placed right.)
The lift bunks must support all the way to, and preferably past the transom. As for the steps. Its a simple as tacking on a couple of bevelled 2x4s (or whatever size needed) to the top of the rear of the bunks to mate to the step. (Toenail or countersink the screws to keep them away from the gel.) You do not want them sharp 90* angled to potentially damage the step, so angle them backward 30-45*.

If you want the Cadillac of lifts, commission Myco to build a custom cradle for your boat for your lift. They will do so gladly.

Every stepped boat that is in the rack where i keep my boat is all chipped up from the forks. Marina says there's nothin they can do about it.

and as far as the forklifts go, they aren't on there long enough to matter, but the forklift bunks need to be in good shape obviously... and for lifts and storage, just like sydwayz said, support your boat right.... you paid good money for that step bottom, protect it.... most lift companies should easily be able to modify your bunks to fit your boat exactly for a couple hundred bucks.... i had mine setup for my stepped cat's sponsons, probably more work than a stepped vee and it was pretty cheap considering the damage that will happen if done incorrectly...

Bought a stepped boat this winter and it was obvious that it had been racked stored from the condition of the topsides (good) and the condition of the bottom (bad). The forks can really do a number on the steps!

the forks will rumb the step.. but it's not big deal to store them on NON Steped bulks.. but hauling them with on flat bunked trailer can cuase them to chip at the edge of the step due it buuching on the trailer