New from New Mexico

[desertjoe]

Howdy boat lovers,,, Just joined up yesterday and been doing a lot of reading. Great site,,!! We have a 1986 StarCraft 24 Ft. with a 115 Mercury. We have had this boat for about 15 years and have had some great times with it. It has the metal (aluminum) top on it, and when I was a younger man, full of vim and vinegar, and prolly a few suds too, I did not have a problem raising or lowering the top by myself.
Well, the years have caught up with me ( now 68 years) and in getting the boat ready for another year on the water, a couple of weeks ago, I found out I can no longer raise the top without calling my son to come help me,,,!!
I would like to call on the engineering types on this forum to see if a portable raising/lowering mechanism affair can be installed without breaking the bank. I was thinking bout a cable type winch manual or electric similar to the winch on front of boat. Is it possible or am I goin to have to sell this boat and buy a smaller boat with one of those cloth type tops,,,??? Any suggestions will be most grateful.

[Waterlogged]

Can't help you with the top, but Welcome aboard!

Glenn

[HandymanHerb]

Post a few pictures so we know what we have to work with, just off the top of my head, I'm thinking you might be able to use a ratchet strap or straps to help raise it and then you can store it,them away during boat use.

But I don't know what we have to fasten too yet

[ron nh]

did I start that response With "I'm think"? wow the cold is getting to the brain.

[RcgTexas]

Two things come to mind.
1 a winch like you mentioned to assist.

2 delete the hard top and get a soft top from pontoon stuff. you can also get an electric one that works with 12 volts.

No need to get a different boat, unless you want one.

[desertjoe]

Hey Great,,,!! thanks for the quick replies. I will take some pics of the topand it's supports and post em here tomorrow. Thanks again.

[smltooner]

Welcome to the club.

[redbeard]

first welcome to the madhouse and yes I think you could use your winch on the trailer to raise your top

[desertjoe]

OK,,,Good morning to all. I'm goin to give it a go on posting some pics, see if it works,,,,Hopefully some one can come up with a workable solution for this old man to raise and lower the top on our pontoon.

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[Seon]

I haven't priced them but I'd recommend installing a couple of electric hydraulic pistons, one on each side. With a push of a button, your top is up or down.
It's the same principle as those car carrier trailers behind a simi-truck.




Oops forgot to welcome you and say your Toon looks great.
BTW I'll be hitting the big Seven Oh this June .

[Seon]

Another avenue is a 12v ATV winch mounted at the stern of your Toon. I'm assuming that your top folds forward so the winch will pull it back into an upright position. Of course there will be some brackets to fabricate and install. ATV winch is less than $90 at Harbor Freight.

[grouser]

Hard to come up with a viable solution without seeing the mechanics of how it goes up and down. I think you have been given a few really good solutions but my suggestion would be to take it down to a good fabrication shop and let them help you rig something up. Taking from the Egyptians and applying leverage thru pulleys ,or putting on electric rams or a winch, they should be able to get it done for you,,,
Welcome from the State of Jefferson,,,

[RcgTexas]

first welcome to the madhouse and yes I think you could use your winch on the trailer to raise your top

Boat looks good! I assumed that was the top you had.

I just realized you have a scissor trailer so I don't know if your trailor winch will work but if it can be that would be the ticket. If not, something from Harbor freight might work.

[desertjoe]

Hey Guys,,many thanks for al the kind words and suggestions. In pic #5, the inverted "V" you see behind the boat is actually my "A" frame I use to pull engines or what not. It's just a stroke of luck that I backed the boat up to the A frame right in the center of boat, it is NOT a part of the boat BUT,,, it has given me an idea to elaborate on Seon's idea,,,,,
When the top is down,,the rear most part of the top is only about 5 feet forward of the main seat crossbrace at the rear of the boat,,if that makes any sense,,,,?? And the top is always "rising" as it comes back and up, which according to my "shade tree engineering" qualifications, would require a pulley at just about the height of the inverted V you see in the pic. A small 12 volt winch could be mounted on floor, behind the rear seat, and in front of engine with the cable running up to the pulley at top of "V" and then tied to the rear of the top,,,,????
The only issue would be the interference of the " V and cable" with passengers after top is raised and secured as we use the two 3' X3' pads at rear of boat for diving boards,,,,

[Seon]

You could mount a removal ski pole as the fulcrum, modify by putting a pulley wheel on top, then remove and stow after the top has been raised/lowered. Install a “U-bolt” to the Toon’s top where the winch hooks to then you could unhook when the task is done.

BTW I’d use a nylon strap rather than a cable on the winch.