Need suggestions for a way to tie my pontoon

[LSVLance]

up exactly in the center of my slip.

Here is my problem. The way the bunks on my lift are, I need to have the boat just about exactly centered in the slip in order for the boat to sit correctly on them when lifted. If it's off to one side of the other, I don't know or can't tell until the boat is already up out of the water. I then have to lower it back down, re-center the boat and hold it there while raising the lift again. This is proving to be a difficult procedure, especially when trying to do it by yourself.

The lift hits the back of the toon's first and I've found that if I get the back centered, I can nudge the front one way or the other if the lift hasn't gone too far up yet...so I think the best thing to do is to set my ropes up to hold the back in place first. The main problem is, if the ropes to the U-bolts on the back corners of the boat are tight when the boat is floating, They just get tighter as the boat goes up with the lift.

So, I need to come up with another arrangement of how to tie the boat tightly in the center of the slip, yet with allowance for the boat to go up with the lift. And I'm open to ideas...if any of you have ever dealt with something like this successfully.

Thanks,
Lance

[slingshot]

Damn that's hard to read and comprehend what the hell you're sayin when I've had a few beers. I would recommend getting some PVC pipe and positioning them so they hold your boat in the exact position you need it. Like you see on trailers. The PVC doesn't harm the boat and makes drunk docking a breeze. Not that I condone such a practice.

[lakerunner]

Use some stretch cord to keep lines tight yet will give as lift comes up.

Make some upright guides to ease centering.

[jimrs]

I don't know what the right way is but I know that I don't have a problem with mine. Pictures might be helpfull or a wider surface for your toons to sit on. I have 4ea 2 X 8's bolted to the lift and it can sit a little crooked and still be sitting on the boards.

Unless your frame is a lot larger than the boat I don't see how it can turn enough to make that much difference. Yea I think we need pictures.

[OldePharte]

With my new 'toon, I had some similar issues. First was to eyeball the distance from side to side as to distance from the top rail of my lift (a Boatfloater). Then, all I need to do is get close as the V of the bunks will center the tubes. Then came the balance. It took several tries, but I found that a vertical fence member had to be located at the end of the lift top rail. Since the lift comes up relatively slow, I start to raise and it gives me enough time to get it centered and balanced.

[LSVLance]

See, that's just it though. My lift comes up fast. It's like it doesn't move at all, then it bounces up all of a sudden and as soon as it hits the boat, it starts lifting it and I can't reposition it if it's not exactly right.

I don't have any pictures that will describe my bunks, but I'm gonna try this.

Imagine these lines my bunks

\__ __/

There is a 2x8 laying flat then another 2X8 on an angle on each side, the toons are to sit just inside the angled 2X8s. What happens is if you don't get the boat centered just right, one toon ends up sitting cattywhompus on top of one of the angled 2X8s. I don't feel like I should leave it like that at all, so it's drop the lift and try again.

The thing is, this all happens under water and I can't tell if it's on them straight until the toon is just about out of the water...which sucks...

What I did today was raise the ropes on the rear poles of the slip up high, then pulled the boat to the front of the slip and got it centered barely on the lift. Then tied the ropes tight. What happens now is I hook the back ropes to the u-bolts, then pull the boat as far forward as I can, tugging against the two rear ropes...then raise the lift. The ropes helped hold the boat int he center of the slip and I got it on straight the first try. Then the ropes just got slack in them as the lift went the rest of the way up as I had them tied up higher on the posts. It worked as planned on the first attempt, we'll just have to see if it works again next time...when I'm by myself most likely.

Spent time out on the new toon every day this weekend. 5 hours worth today. LOVE it... It does everything we wanted one to do, nicely. We are very happy with it.

[BassFrequency]

Damn that's hard to read and comprehend what the hell you're sayin when I've had a few beers. I would recommend getting some PVC pipe and positioning them so they hold your boat in the exact position you need it. Like you see on trailers. The PVC doesn't harm the boat and makes drunk docking a breeze. Not that I condone such a practice.

thats what i did. bolted a pair of trailer guides to the rear of my lift frame

[LSVLance]

I like the PVC guide idea, but I've got a pretty narrow alleyway that I have to turn my boat sideways in before steering it in to the slip, so I need all the room I can get for putting it in the slip. The slip is 12x28 and my boat is what, 8x25...not a whole lot of room to spare there as it is.

I don't really need anything to hold the boat in place, more something just to tell me that it's in place. I've even thought about putting a set of curb feelers on each side...something...anything just to let me know that it's centered before raising the lift.

[BassFrequency]

I like the PVC guide idea, but I've got a pretty narrow alleyway that I have to turn my boat sideways in before steering it in to the slip, so I need all the room I can get for putting it in the slip. The slip is 12x28 and my boat is what, 8x25...not a whole lot of room to spare there as it is.

I don't really need anything to hold the boat in place, more something just to tell me that it's in place. I've even thought about putting a set of curb feelers on each side...something...anything just to let me know that it's centered before raising the lift.

12' wide mines only 10'x24'

[JohnO]

If you have a roof on the slip: tie the ropes for the back end up higher up the roof suuports so that they will be tight when the boats on the water and will loosen up when it's on the lift. Once the lift gets a hol dof it it's not likely to move anyway right?

[jimrs]

I can see the problem now that I understand the lift cradle is made wrong. Well not wrong just not right. All four boards need to lay flat on the cradle so you don't have to be so accurate. Why are the outside boards on an angle anyway?

[LTB Racing]

Why not get a nice set of guide poles (as mentioned already) for all 4 corners which they make for lift cradles?? and if you cant find them pre-made it would be easy enough for an aluminum shop to make the mounts and you can buy the PVC. Piece of cake.

[OldePharte]

Another potential option - lift by the deck.

My neighbor (he has a Sundancer tri-toon) has two parallel bunks that are positioned between his tubes. These bunks lifts the underside of the deck. He has no positioning issues.

That said, I called the Mfg'r of my boat and they said that I shouldn't lift by the deck.

[tkrein]

That said, I called the Mfg'r of my boat and they said that I shouldn't lift by the deck.

wonder why sissor trailors lift by thedeck leave the toons suspended unless your talking about the lift

[Oldboater]

There are several toons that have bunks like you are describing at my docks. Two installers that came to see my dock (including the one who modified it) said that they were wrong.

He put two 3 X 8 inch 18 foot long boards down for my toons to sit on them. Note: my toons have a metal strip along the bottom of the toons. They sit in the middle and I have 4 each 2 inch diameter PVC poles set at the corners of the lift beams to guide boat in. There is about 3 inches total clearance between poles and side of the boat. Because of the overhang of back of my boat (22 foot long), the lift is not level, front end is down to allow more weight on the front lift cables. You still have to hold boat in position and it does bang a little since front floats last, but it works for me. I put electrician's tape on the boat fence near one guide pole so I know how to hold the boat.