Pontoon on lift in shallow water

[Meisterman]

Hello, new member here.

We live on a shallow lake that has lost a lot of water with the dry summer. Our pontoon is a 2275 RLCI on a Floe V-3600 lift. The problem we have is the lake has gone down far enough that the toons barely touch the water when we drop the lift all the way down. We have the lift on the frame and there is no way to lower that any further. My question is, has anyone experienced this and if so, how did/do you get your pontoon OFF the lift? We live in Minnesota and need to remove our pontoon before winter.

Anyone have any ideas?

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Geoffrey & Brenda]

Is the water deep enough to float the boat? [no pun intended]

If so, maybe you could 'ramp' it off by getting some 2x12's under the toons, secure them to the toons with ratchet straps, and slide the whole thing off controlling it with a winch or come along.

Of course i don't know the particular setup of your lift, there may not be enough clearance to do that. Or perhaps if there is a lift repair outfit near you, they would have a better way of getting it off for you.

 

[Otter]

My neighbor had the same problem,crank the pontoon up high enough to get a large inner tube under each tube on the back,let it down on them, then get a couple of guys to help you lift the front & slide it back off the lift. This is why I went with Sea Legs.

 

[Jim_R]

Sounds like you have the bunks all the way down, but have you verified that the leveling legs are retracted as much as possible? The manual says the lift at lowest position get's within 8.5" of lake bottom. That's pretty shallow.

A bit extreme, but if it is not too far you might be able to drag the lift with boat on it into deeper water. If that is impractical, another option would be to dig some holes on the far side of each lift leveling leg foot, then drag lift with boat on it into the holes - this might get you as much as 6" lower.

 

[cwag911]

Hello, new member here.

We live on a shallow lake that has lost a lot of water with the dry summer. Our pontoon is a 2275 RLCI on a Floe V-3600 lift. The problem we have is the lake has gone down far enough that the toons barely touch the water when we drop the lift all the way down. We have the lift on the frame and there is no way to lower that any further. My question is, has anyone experienced this and if so, how did/do you get your pontoon OFF the lift? We live in Minnesota and need to remove our pontoon before winter.

Anyone have any ideas?

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Pictures would be helpful also.

 

[Meisterman]

My neighbor had the same problem,crank the pontoon up high enough to get a large inner tube under each tube on the back,let it down on them, then get a couple of guys to help you lift the front & slide it back off the lift. This is why I went with Sea Legs.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I'm thinking this may be the best option for my situation (inner tubes). I will post my results for future inquiries.

FYI- Sea Legs were an option for us that my wife wanted and I didn't. I like the idea of pushing a button and having the boat up under the canopy. With Sea Legs I would still need to cover the pontoon after each use, which is exactly what I wanted to avoid.

Thanks again.

 

[Jim_R]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I'm thinking this may be the best option for my situation (inner tubes). I will post my results for future inquiries.

FYI- Sea Legs were an option for us that my wife wanted and I didn't. I like the idea of pushing a button and having the boat up under the canopy. With Sea Legs I would still need to cover the pontoon after each use, which is exactly what I wanted to avoid.

Thanks again.

Water under the bridge at this point, but Sea-Legs does offer a compatible canopy.

I am really enjoying my Sea-Legs, in working on my boat I have already found many more uses than just a traditional boat lift replacement.