I could be wrong, but it seems like it is cutting it close to the minimum depth needed given the draft of the boat would need to be added to the 26”.
Another Hoist Guide Question
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The wed site has other variants like this
DVW
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There is a specific skill set that will move the stern of the boat sidewise as if the boat has stern side thrusters. Most of us have either used this skill or have seen others demonstrate this skill. This technique is helpful during strong cross winds when landing a boat on a hoist or trailer. It uses the momentum of the boat combined with the thrust of the motor turned to full lock to move the stern sideways. This skill can be practiced by rotating the boat within a very small space in the middle of the lake. Crank steering wheel full lock one way and then the other while simultaneously commanding motor thrust forward and reverse. Look backward at the motor to understand the principle and to get the rhythm. This skill is helpful when the bow has landed on lift or trailer and the stern is being blown sidewise by a strong cross winds.
FightinIrish
Well-Known Member
I agree with Scott1. I have asked about this in a different post (https://club.benningtonmarine.com/threads/hoist-guides.14406/#post-182682).
The problem with most of these hoist systems are that most of them use the pontoons themselves to guide, instead of the deck/rub rail. It makes no sense to me, as the deck seems much stronger. Unfortunately I have a small dent in the front corner of one of my toons, as I too am on a big, windy lake and have to crab in every time, and my pontoon takes the brunt of it up against the side guide rail of my ShoreMaster lift (which is just the blunt end of a carpeted 2x6 basically, which doesn't flail out past the end of the hoist, as mentioned above). I still haven't figured out a good solution.
Vikingstaff
Moderator
In May and June we are around 24”-30” depth. By July to August we get down to 18” to 22” at the low point in the season. In a typical year it is dropping towards that between early July to early August. Sept can be LOW! As in borderline beaching the boat with motor trimmed up out of the water. You have to walk it out a couple hundred feet. Along our shoreline it stays that way for the first approximately 290’ out from shore.
You will have to check, but a bunk lift adds approximately 6” of more height above lake bottom. You will have to measure to know precisely - and I am sure this can vary by 1-3” depending on other bunk lift manufacturers. However, I believe our NuCraft lift was around a half foot of additional lost depth due to its design. At our place, we were literally beached/stuck on the lift between July 1 and August 1 forcing us to move our lift about 200’ out from our dock to get to deeper water at some point in that stretch.
Given what you reported for your water depth, I think you’ll be pushing it. Especially given your’s will sit lower in the water with your fuel tank (for instance, our tank is only 32 gallons on our SPS tritoon)
Personally, I like bunk cradle lifts the best in regards to the support they provide. However, they are also the worse type of lift system for shallow water due to their design guaranteeing the loss of +/- another half foot due to lift supports and cradles bunk height. In shallow shoreline areas, various kinds of cantilever type lifts that lift from beneath the deck give better shallow depth flexibility. In the end, it’s why we had to sell our NuCraft lift and simply choose to go with Sea Legs for maximum shallow water flexibility. Houghton Lake gets pretty extreme in shallowness and how far out it remains shallow from shoreline.
This is the kind of stack up I'm looking at with the hoist having it's feet off, and if I can get my bunks a little flatter that would help my float over depth needed and avoid lifting on my strakes. ???
Is your bottom flat or sloped? With the leveling legs off you'll need to make sure you have a flat bottom not to put undue stresses on your cables.
Very flat, sandy bottom..
Vikingstaff
Moderator
Nice job with measurement details! First, answering your question, and addressing your measurements:
(1) In the rear your tritoon will likely sit at least 3/4 submerged into the water due to weight. Well past the half way mark. See pics of my boat below to see how low it sits in the rear. 24’ SSBXP SPS tritoon 200 HP Mercury Verado Pro, 32 gallon fuel tank. Reminder too: My pic is with my boat empty of people. Sits lower with anyone at the helm to the aft deck. So for reference, my boat is lighter overall and in the back.
These things sit loooow in the back!
(2) Based on your helpful lift measurements, I was way under-estimating (remembering) how much depth was given up due to bunk supports and cradle bunks. A full foot will have a BIGGER impact. I think your boat will sit around 18”-20” (or slightly more) into the water. That is just the pontoons. Add the lift loss, and you’re between 30”-32” of needed water depth.
That does’t account for the motors & prop when lowered for propulsion (not potentially the transducer). That’s a few more inches unless you are walking it in and out with the motor up.
My question to you: Does lake Margarethe fluctuate in depth, or stay steady throughout the season? Might impact things further.
I don’t want to pester at all or be all negative. Not my intent. I just know NuCraft and our boat dealership assured us in 2016-17 that we’d be fine with our lift in our situation, and they were not even close. They simply closed a sale. That led to us taking a hit 2 years later in selling it used and changing up our game plan when we switched to the Sea Legs. I’d hate for you to run into a similar situation.
Thanks for the info and advice. Lake Margareth has a small damn that is controlled with boards to lower water for winter, and raise in the Summer. So it is controlled some, but a hot dry summer can drop our levels which would be my concern.
How deep was your water to make your Nucraft hoist have clearance issues? Nucraft is telling me to get 30 inches and it'll work. Going to go wading today to check my depths. Adding 2 dock sections out may be my solution.
Then I still have to decide on what type of guides to use. We face west so there are days we get blown around coming in. I hate to have family up just to say it's too windy to get back in.
I discovered that adding Sea Legs /Ultra Legs was cheaper than a lift but it does add weight to the boat. Trade-offs. For me, it is much easier to dock but I will probably take a financial hit on resale versus a lift.
There are a few good brands out there, I have FLOE and it's been great. I went with the solar powered lift. Even if I could I didn't want power to my dock for an electric lift. I would worry too much about stray currents. A new solar powered lift is pricey but you may find a deal on Facebook market place. I got the wheel kit with mine because I have to put it in and out seasonally.
Vikingstaff
Moderator
Hi “TheCrew”. Our old NuCraft & canopy was solar powered. I strongly recommend that kind of set up for the same reasons Scott advocated above. I think if you look a used lift over, and its in good shape, its a great way to save money. Harder to find one with solar and what not, but they are out there. The nice thing with lifts is they hold up great over time. If it’s a powered pulley/cable system, the most you’d have to replace at some point is the cables as the rest lasts forever (and even the cables last for a decade or two).
Vikingstaff
Moderator
I want to say 30” sounds about right. I cannot remember exactly the precise depth I went from it works fine to it doesn’t. If you can get to that for the entire season by simply adding 2 dock sections, I say add them (if it’s in the budget). If that gets you to no worries and fuss, that’s not bad, and you’ll be happy with the set up. Seems like a great investment for your situation.
Honestly if we could have gotten to that point simply be adding a few sections, we would have done that instead of getting Sea Legs. However, I had a 70’ long dock at the time. To get to 30”+ inches of water, I’d have needed to go out another 230’. With our dock, that would have been 19 more 12’x4 sections. Insanely expensive to buy, and then the cost of getting it put in and taken out annually would be another really high cost. That’s what made Sea Legs a nicer option for us. Had it been 2 sections, I would have been thrilled!!!
Thanks for info! Just what I was hoping to confirm, nice day for a swim and I'll check some depths..
Michiman
Well-Known Member
We face northwest (Houghton Lake) so there are often days on end where it blows pretty hard. If I’m by myself, I usually leave it on the lift, but if there’s folks who want to go for a ride, I just jump in the water (chest deep) and walk it on. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Thank you for all the info —- I keep seeing hydraulic but don’t know if that price is worth it and it seems like something you can’t necessarily try to fix yourself.
Thank you for the response —- have you heard of Feighnor in Michigan, durable, etc ?