How much bunk is needed on lift?

[OK Toon]

I finally got around to fixing dad's old Hydrohoist. So now I'm getting ready to install new brackets and bunks to set it up for my pontoon boat. I've got about 10' from the front set of brackets to the back set. My boat is 22' long (more like about 25' when you add the outboard motor hanging off the rear).

So, do you think 12' long bunks will be enough to support the pontoon boat and not try to tip off the back? The bunks will just about be centered front to back on the boat.

[bassn386]

I'll try to remember to measure my bunks and let you know tomorrow. I know that there's a considerable portion of the logs, both forward and aft, that are not on bunks. My boat is like 27.1 feet, plus the outboard. The lift is rated for 6,000 pounds, the boat's dry weight is like 3,200 pounds and there is a 55 gallon fuel tank, which is near the stern. The logs are 25.75 long and I'm going to guess the bunks (there are three) are about 20 feet.
I'll let you know.

[Bamaman]

Measure from the seam on the back of the nose cones to the rear of the toons, and subtract 3'. That's approximately the right length.

The longest wood you can get at Home Depot or Lowes is usually 16'. Any longer you'll have to splice boards together.

On my 24' Bennington, I used 14' wood and spliced 3' more to it. My boat's sitting on a 12' x 18' channel iron rack hanging down from the ceiling on four 5/16" steel cables.