Pontoon Lift Question

[bruuuuce]

I have searched for my question for a few days, but can't seem to find an answer. Probably not using the right words.

We just sold our pontoon and will be taking delivery of our new triple toon later next week. We currently have a 28' lift that we have been using for our old boat. My question to the dealer was can I use my lift with the new boat. They suggested I speak to the lift company.

Several lifts are out there, mine has two saddles that cradle the two outside toons, I have seen the kind that go up against the deck and lift the entire boat up and I know many marina's move the boats around with a fork lift.

So my question is, do I need to have my lift modified to cradle the center toon or can I used it configured?

Any comments or links to previous hashed out conversations are welcomed.

[Bamaman]

Sorry, Bruce. But we don't exactly understand what kind of boat lift you have.

Is it an overhead lift in a boathouse, with a rack (held by steel cable) and runners going lengthwise supporting each of the two hulls?

Is it an cantilever style lift on the bottom of the lake with cross supports?

And what kind of new pontoon are you buying?

If the new boat has a full length center toon with an engine mounted on the back end, you will need to equally support the entire center toon as well as the outer toons. Now if you're buying a boat with a 3/4th length center toon and the engine on a pod, you can get away without supporting the center toon.

[Bryden24shp]

If you are speaking of an inflatable lift, such as a Hydro-Lift or Poly-Lift, you need to go by the weight of the boat, add on supplies and fuel weight then mutlipy it by 50%. My boat weighs 3800 pounds with motor. extra weight and fuel, 500= 4300x50% 2150=6450 pounds. My recommended lift weight is 6500 lbs. And yes, do support the center tube. The first time you raise it on just the outer tubes, you'll feel why. It may only be a 1/4 to 3/4" flex, but when your in the boat, it feels like 5 or 6. There have been helms cracked in our rental slips by guys raising trip-tubes in dual lifts. Its cheap to install a center bunk, anyway... Do it the right way and be done with it, not worth the headache worrying about it after the fact.

[bruuuuce]

Sorry, Bruce. But we don't exactly understand what kind of boat lift you have.

Sorry I wasn't more clear, it is a Hydro Lift rated at 10,000. It connects at the dock end on pivot points and has 3 air bladders, and has two long carpet padded bunks on each side like a trailer that support the two outer pontoons.

And what kind of new pontoon are you buying?

A South Bay 422CR STT in Black Cherry, I would post pictures but all I have a cell phone lot shots, not too pretty

If the new boat has a full length center toon with an engine mounted on the back end, you will need to equally support the entire center toon as well as the outer toons. Now if you're buying a boat with a 3/4th length center toon and the engine on a pod, you can get away without supporting the center toon.

But what about lifts like this, they don't support any of the tubes they just support the center?

[bruuuuce]

If you are speaking of an inflatable lift, such as a Hydro-Lift or Poly-Lift, you need to go by the weight of the boat, add on supplies and fuel weight then mutlipy it by 50%. My boat weighs 3800 pounds with motor. extra weight and fuel, 500= 4300x50% 2150=6450 pounds. My recommended lift weight is 6500 lbs.

I am good on weight on my lift so no problems there.

And yes, do support the center tube. The first time you raise it on just the outer tubes, you'll feel why. It may only be a 1/4 to 3/4" flex, but when your in the boat, it feels like 5 or 6. There have been helms cracked in our rental slips by guys raising trip-tubes in dual lifts. Its cheap to install a center bunk, anyway... Do it the right way and be done with it, not worth the headache worrying about it after the fact.

Well hopefully I can get by for a few weeks, until I can get it on the lift, get measurements and get something fabbed up and installed. I'll get the name, serial # and phone # off the lift and call the company they may have something already made for the lift.

[Bryden24shp]

The guys at Dock Realty, here at LotO sets them up like that as well. That would be good to go!

[OldePharte]

First, I would contact the boat manufacturer to determine their recommendations for support. For example, a neighbor has a Sundancer and they stated that he could use the under deck supports. When I talked JC Manufacturing, they wanted mine supported by the bunks only. So when we switched to the Tri-Toon, we had the lift people use a three bunk setup.

[370Zman]

I have a Hydro-Hoist lift and it has a center support for the third toon. That's where all your weight is so it needs to be supported. Give Hydro-Hoist a call with the model number of your lift. I am sure they can fix you up with a center support.

They are great people to work with.

[Johnboy]

Here is a pic of the hoist I purchased for our tri toon. What makes me a little leary is that the deck of the boat is 26ft and the hoist boards that support the deck are only 16ft. I was informed by the boat manufacture that is acceptable as long as the majority of the stern is supported? So when I hoist it at night, I have about 3-4 ft of rear overhang of the deck in the rear. So far so good. If I would have purchased the bunk system to support the logs instead of the deck, they were only 10 ft long? For my former 2 log pontoon boat I had a cantilever style of lift that supported the entire deck. I wish I could have found that type of lift to use for the tri toon, but the center log just would not fit with the cross bracing.

[Littlehoe]

Sorry to drag up an old thread but how has that lift been working out with your tri toon? do you have any pictures of how far forward you have the boat on that lift? or just pictures of it on the lift? Thanks a bunch, we just got a cantilever lift that lifts from under the deck and I just want to try to figure out approx. how far forward we need to pull before putting the lift up.

[Johnboy]

This is all the pics I could find on my phone. This is our third year using this hoist and have had no problems. The boat is 26.5 feet long, Tritoon and the hoist deck support boards are 16 feet long.