Balancing Act

[Ralph]

Hello TB,

I have a Bennington 21L with a Yamaha 50 hp. The property we acquired has an IMM lift with weighted straps. I need to use straps due to water depth minimum is 2 feet. Can you advise on what are the appropriate lift points on the 21L so the proper balance is achieved but there is no damage to pontoons.a

Thanks for a reply.

 

[cwag911]

Hello TB,

I have a Bennington 21L with a Yamaha 50 hp. The property we acquired has an IMM lift with weighted straps. I need to use straps due to water depth minimum is 2 feet. Can you advise on what are the appropriate lift points on the 21L so the proper balance is achieved but there is no damage to pontoons.a

Thanks for a reply.

You can't use straps on a pontoon under the tubes unless you want dents in then.

 

[Remediation]

You can't use straps on a pontoon under the tubes unless you want dents in then.

Are the eyes welded on the front and back of the pontoons strong enough to use as lifting points to suspend the boat. I have always wanted to know that answer.

 

[cwag911]

Hello TB,

I have a Bennington 21L with a Yamaha 50 hp. The property we acquired has an IMM lift with weighted straps. I need to use straps due to water depth minimum is 2 feet. Can you advise on what are the appropriate lift points on the 21L so the proper balance is achieved but there is no damage to pontoons.a

Thanks for a reply.

I think Bamaman might chime in because he's modifing his lift from a strap type to bunks for his new toon.

 

[Retired Team Member1]

We do not recommend strapping beneath the tubes because this can (and will) cause damage to the tubes. Dealers will sometimes use straps and spreader bars with a crane to lift boats off the truck, but this is at the professional level.

The stern u-bolts on either side of the transom are strong enough for lifting, but we recently added "do not lift" directions to the bow eyes because several customers have tried to use them for lifting and are unable to do so properly.

Please look at alternatives to the strap method!

 

[Bamaman]

My old pontoon boat had two 6" wide nylon slings, and a small dent appeared last year in one of the toons. In 1985, everyone was using slings.

This morning, I completed fabricating and installing a 11' x 18' frame made out of 4" channel iron with 5 crossmembers. The boat's sitting on two pairs of 2x8's bolted lengthwise to the frame. The total cost was about $500, and I put it all together with short sections of 2" angle iron and 1/2" grade 8 bolts/nuts. My frame looks better than any of my neighbors' lifts, and I didn't pay $2K+ to a marine contractor to fabricate and install a frame with a barge, tug and crane. I hauled 500 lbs. of steel to the dock on a PWC trailer pulled by a 4x4 ATV.

I've been using Ace lifts for 30 years, and their 2" pipe (the steel cable winds around) is best installed crossways (not lengthwise) with a bearing opposite of the lift. The rear of my boat is supported by cables going through large pulleys. This installation gives an extra foot or two clearance for a bimini top. Pontoons need about 12 1/2' boathouse ceilings above normal pool levels of the lake.

My frame only takes up a total 5.5 inches of water depth if it's sitting on the bottom. That's the best you can do. Slings just don't work.

My boathouse now looks great, and I can get the new Bennington 4' out of the water with the bimini folded down. I'm just tired of drilling dozens and dozens of 3/8" and 1/2" holes. But doing marine construction is very rewarding. You have to be very careful with every step with 1/2" electric drills and extension cords laying around the dock.

Good luck!