Bunks on a lift

[Mike31406]

I am soon going to purchase a 22 ssrx premium w/115, are my existing 12' long flat bunks going to be sufficient?  They begin 3 1/2' from the aft side of the motor and extend forward.  I have been reading this forum for several months now and have learned quite abit.  Thank you to all who contribute in making this forum what it is.  


I have heard and agree with all the positions concerning 115 vs 150.  But here is the thing a good 85%, maybe even more of the time, it is just my wife and I on board.  Grandkids usually come 2 times per year during boating season hard to justify spending another +/- 10 k for sps package, power steering and 150.  Is my thought process flawed?


Some of you might find this interesting.  A close contender to the Bennington was the Sweetwater 220SLC, at that time I was leaning towards a tritoon.  The Dealor stated several times that the center tube did not need to be supported on the lift, he actually got upset when I responded that many of you say that it must be supported.  He also said that the same applied to trailering in no matter what the distance. 


Sometimes reading to much and getting several different opinions only makes things more difficult!

 

[Spoiledrotten]

Sometimes reading to much and getting several different opinions only makes things more difficult!

That statement is very true, but if you didn't read different things, you wouldn't know that there seems to, at least, be a possibility of what you read coming to pass. So, you know to ask about it.


About the center toon being supported, get your dealer to put in writing that it doesn't need to be supported, and he will back any ill affects that might happen from not supporting it. Just a little suggestion.

 

[Rockie69]

That statement is very true, but if you didn't read different things, you wouldn't know that there seems to, at least, be a possibility of what you read coming to pass. So, you know to ask about it.


About the center toon being supported, get your dealer to put in writing that it doesn't need to be supported, and he will back any ill affects that might happen from not supporting it. Just a little suggestion.

Oh my god is this true... Try reading about cement decking and a salt water pool... Holy ship batman! It goes from...Oh my god I love it and we've had one for 37 thousand years and no issue to. RUN your pool is going to cave in and your house will burst into flames the second you switch to salt water...


As far as the Center toon, have your dealer talk directly to Bennington. Then see what he says. I had the exact same discussion with my marina manager and once I requested it in writing...poof, there was a center bunk on my lift.

 

[Scott1]

12' will be enough bunk for your boat as long as you have it supported correctly.  Absolutely support the middle toon, especially with the motor hanging off it.  As for a trailer, can you imagine bouncing down a bumpy road and that load not being supported, nothing good comes from that.

 

[1Blderbob]

12' will be enough bunk for your boat as long as you have it supported correctly.  Absolutely support the middle toon, especially with the motor hanging off it.  As for a trailer, can you imagine bouncing down a bumpy road and that load not being supported, nothing good comes from that.

+1 on the bunk situation. After reading some of the members stories about there dealings with their dealers. I'd follow this forum any day over a dealer. As far as the supporting of the center toon,it only is common sense that you support that much weight. I guess some of the sales people just don't have any common sense.

 

[lakeliving]

Supporting the center log is like wearing underwear. Sure you can let it hang there, but it deserves some support.

 

[Mike31406]

Thank you all for your comments.  Btw after I left the Dealor I called the company that did my dock/lift and guess what, he said the same thing.  "I have been building docks and installing lifts for over twenty years and I do not put in a third bunk for tritoons.  Whoever is telling you different is simply erroring on the side of caution."  I will be having a third bunk installed.

 

[1Blderbob]

You won't ever regret spending the couple of extra dollars Mike. Good luck!

 

[cwag911]

View attachment 368 is ours.

 

[TomS]

You've made a good choice. I don't wish to confuse the situation with what I'll say below, rather add some background as it was told to me by a good source.


I once spoke with an engineer during one of the Bennington open houses about this with respect to trailers and lifts. He said, in the case of my R w/ESP center toon, the substructure of 16" OC 3" tall heavy gauge cross channels, decking, fasteners, and thick m-deck brackets was designed to be a robust enough system to sufficiently support everything on the outside toons alone. I shouldn't be concerned about supporting the center toon below the 700+ lb engine on the trailer, which would have required the manufacturer to add an extension. One reason is they know dealers frequently transport tri-toons on 2-toon trailers and store boats in racks with only the outside bunks, because that's what's convenient.


For a trailer in motion there is dynamic loading to consider (moderate rate lateral and vertical, plus higher rate in emergency situations), whereas for a lift it is mostly static (slow rate vertical motion). This is also why, if the tri-toon spacing can be accommodated, they approve lifting the pontoon using the under deck method without issue. It's designed to allow that because the deck substructure can support the entire static weight of the toons, transom, motor, etc. when lifted between the toons.


That said, he added it would still be "good practice" to support the center tube and engine on the trailer all the way back to the engine, and on a lift to at least support the rear caps/bulkhead points. I chose, as you did, to do both. I have a center bunk on the trailer, with full rear extension under the engine, and I have 3 sets of bunks on the lift back to the rear caps. I concluded that while not absolutely "required", it was cheap insurance and I'd sleep a little better.

 

[Bamaman]

I've got the 24SSLX with Express Tube and the F150 Yamaha.


My boat's hanging in my boathouse on a fabricated steel rack with two flat wooden bunks that run from the back of my nosecones to within 3' of the rear of my outside toons.  In my case, each side toon is sitting on two 16' 2x8's laid side by side.


On an Express Tube, the weight of the engine pod and motor are split amongst the two outside toons.  The center Express Tube is relatively light @ about 250 lbs.andsupport is not required either on a lift or on a trailer. 


The SPS and full length tritoons are different animals because a heavy motor AND a large fuel tank need support.

 

[Indian_Lake_Bum]

There are a lot of pontoons and tritoons sitting on crank up lifts all around our lake and none of them seem to have bunks more than 12 (maybe 14 foot) long and running with the toons not across.  Our boat is on a lift cradle that has 4 boards that run port to starboard and the rearmost one is about 2 foot from the motor and the bow is about the same from the front.  Is that the best way to lift a boat......don't know.  That is how the majority of cradles here are built for all the boathouses and marinas.

This one doesn't have bunk boards at all it lifts under the floor like a v-bottom cradle.