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Modifying a lift

jfrack77

jfrack77

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Have any of you guys had an existing boat lift that was set up for a V bottom boat that you had modified to hold your tri-toons?   I am trying to get an idea of how much this is going to cost me.

THanks!
 
Hi jfrack77, I just had my converted from a V hull boat to a three bunk toon setup. The price is going to depend on the manufacturer of the lift. My lift is a Hydrohoist and it

14 years old. The two bunk kit cost $1400.00 plus tax. The install which included taking the lift out of the slip moving it to dry land to reverse the lift arms and setting everything up cost additions $1100.00. A lot of money for sure. But in the long run it' s a good investment. If they didn't have to reverse the arms.it would have only cost $375.00 to install the kits.

One thing I leaned is the bunks on the lift should be within 12 inches of the end of the toons. So as to support the weight of the engine and fuel tank. This is according to Hydrohoist engineers. The installer had the bunks set at 39 inches from the end and had to come back and move the lift.

If you move forward with this I suggest you check with the lift manufacturer for proper placement of the bunks per their specs. Good luck. Enjoy your Bennington     
 
Sanity3 said:
Hi jfrack77, I just had my converted from a V hull boat to a three bunk toon setup. The price is going to depend on the manufacturer of the lift. My lift is a Hydrohoist and it

14 years old. The two bunk kit cost $1400.00 plus tax. The install which included taking the lift out of the slip moving it to dry land to reverse the lift arms and setting everything up cost additions $1100.00. A lot of money for sure. But in the long run it' s a good investment. If they didn't have to reverse the arms.it would have only cost $375.00 to install the kits.

One thing I leaned is the bunks on the lift should be within 12 inches of the end of the toons. So as to support the weight of the engine and fuel tank. This is according to Hydrohoist engineers. The installer had the bunks set at 39 inches from the end and had to come back and move the lift.

If you move forward with this I suggest you check with the lift manufacturer for proper placement of the bunks per their specs. Good luck. Enjoy your Bennington     
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Great info!   Thank Sanity!

So i am assuming that since you only ordered the 2 bunk kit that you were able to reuse the bunks that were already there?    Also, how long were the bunks that you used?    You dont by chance have any pics of it do you?   Sorry for asking so much!
 
Jfrack77, who is the manufacture of your hoist? I have been in contact with Fibersteel regarding my lift set-up. You can contact thm directly, and their website has some helpful pictures. Some lifts have the ability to have dual set-ups.
 
Rockie69 said:
Jfrack77, who is the manufacture of your hoist? I have been in contact with Fibersteel regarding my lift set-up. You can contact thm directly, and their website has some helpful pictures. Some lifts have the ability to have dual set-ups.
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I believe it is a place that is right up the street from my house.   Up & Out boat lifts.    Thanks for the info though, i will definitely check them out!
 
I had a Ozark converted cost me about $1200 delivered and installed at the slip.
 
jfrack77, the bunks are 14 feet long. I don't have any photos of the setup. I take some this weekend and post them for you. Ask as many questions as you need too. I did and I received all kinds of good info. The blog Rocks!
 
Maybe I missed it but what is the lifts rating? And what is your boats weight? Don't forget fuel, gear, towels. Everything adds up.
 
Willb said:
Maybe I missed it but what is the lifts rating? And what is your boats weight? Don't forget fuel, gear, towels. Everything adds up.
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Our existing lift is rated at 6000 lbs which should be more than enough for a 24 SCWX  I would think.  
 
Sanity3 said:
jfrack77, the bunks are 14 feet long. I don't have any photos of the setup. I take some this weekend and post them for you. Ask as many questions as you need too. I did and I received all kinds of good info. The blog Rocks!
Click to expand...
Thanks man,

Much appreciated!   A friend of my uncle owns a marina up the street from me and has a tritoon lift there that I am going to check out today.   The bunks i would imagine are just made out of wood?  
 
Willb said:
Maybe I missed it but what is the lifts rating? And what is your boats weight? Don't forget fuel, gear, towels. Everything adds up.
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Looks like the weight of the hull for the 24 SCWX = 3,064 lbs  the Mercury 150 - 454lbs.   So it's right around 3500 without gear.   I should be ok with the 6000 lb lift (i hope!)
 
We are modifying our hoist, we have the express tube package should we have support under all 3 tubes or just the two
 
I would support all 3. The added cost should be minimal and the security is worth it.
 
So i went to visit a friend of my uncle, he owns a marina up the street from my house and has a tritoon there on a lift.   Interstingly enough, it does not have 3 sets of bunks that run the length of the actual pontoons, there are 4 - 4X8's mounted perpendicular to the toons that support it.   Do any of you guys see any issue having a lift set up this way?   basically they took a normal lift with 2 bunks, turned the bunks sideway, then mounted 4- 4x8's across the bunks.   
 
I too have see that setup. My concern would be creating flat spots on the toons where the 2x4's run a cross. I would think the weight distribution would be better distributed more evenly having 14ft of support on each toon then 16 inches of support on each toon. That's just me. I'm told i over think things, Just my thoughts. 
 
Sanity3 said:
I too have see that setup. My concern would be creating flat spots on the toons where the 2x4's run a cross. I would think the weight distribution would be better distributed more evenly having 14ft of support on each toon then 16 inches of support on each toon. That's just me. I'm told i over think things, Just my thoughts. 
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I was a bit concerned too, but that boat had been on that lift for quite some time and i didnt see any flat spots on the toons.  
 
The full length keel will help spread the load and make sure the boards are at the recommended lift points. 
 
This our lift and I wouldn't do it any other way.

gallery_1200_147_2222868.jpg
 
cwag911 said:
This our lift and I wouldn't do it any other way.

gallery_1200_147_2222868.jpg
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Sweet setup!   Are those 2x8's?

Basically the one i saw last weekend was this lift turned 90 degrees with one more bunk.    It looked like it supported the boat just fine.
 
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