How to lift my MC

[Frank S.]

Hello,

This will be my first post as an MC owner, however, I have been a lurker for since last Fall and have found this board invaluable in buying and maintaining my 89 Tri-Star.

My question is about the lift eyes, one on the bow, and two on the stern of the boat. I want to know if I can keep the boat lifted up using these eyes for the summer, or should I get a lift with bunks? I have found nothing concerning how long one should store the boat raised up using the lift eyes. The guy that lives next door (and ownes a Ski Nautique) always stores his boat raised up using the lift eyes and says that is what they were designed to do and he has never had any issues doing this, but as he is a Nauitque owner, one must be VERY wary.

I was also thinking about lifting the boat in the Fall after skiing season is over (also using the eyes) so that I can do some trailer maintenance and give the bottom of the hull several good coats of wax. I thought about calling MC, but figured I would run it by the board first.

Always on vacation on Buffalo Lake in Sanford, NC
Frank S.

[6ballsisall]

Maybe its just me but I can't see storing the boat for any length of time by the lifting rings.

[sfitzgerald351]

I'm pretty sure my manual says to only use the lift rings for temporary use. I don't have it with me at the moment, but I'll bet someone will be able to verify in a few minutes what their manual says.

[JDK]

My 95 ProStar manual says the lifting rings are for easy, damage free lifting....... and to keep the bow higher than the stern when lifting. Nothing about storage.
Now I have a question..... can I use the bow lifting ring as the front anchor for a 7 foot pylon???

[tph]

My 95 ProStar manual says the lifting rings are for easy, damage free lifting....... and to keep the bow higher than the stern when lifting. Nothing about storage.
Now I have a question..... can I use the bow lifting ring as the front anchor for a 7 foot pylon???

I think the lifting ring is designed for vertical pull. The plyon is likely to pull the ring backwards somewhat which may damage the fiberglass deck. I fabricated a "v" shaped bracket that goes under the deck, between the lifting ring and the bow "d" ring bolts. It seems to work fine.

[JDK]

I fabricated a "v" shaped bracket that goes under the deck, between the lifting ring and the bow "d" ring bolts. It seems to work fine.

I can't figure out how you've got this bracket attached between the ring and the "d". Have you got a pic?

[BriEOD]

Their is no way I would trust those rings to hold my boat. Take a look at how they are bolted in. Their is only a small metal plate that distributes the force to a small area of the fiberglass. Get some bunks, play it safe.

[jimmer2880]

Go with bunks. I'm with the others here - they're for temporary use. Even if the manual doesn't say it does. The manual does say to be sure there is a certain amount of hull contact when lifting.

[erkoehler]

Get the bunks!

[Leroy]

I think for temporary cleaning purposes it would be fine.

Take a look at you boat on how the stern rings are mounted. I thought they were mounted in the aluminum frame (but maybe only Maristar, I'll look) and only passed though the fiberglass.

[JEREMY79]

on mine they only pass throuhg the fiberglass, with about a 1x2 piece of steel backing them. I hung my boat from them temorary. I would not do it for very long. I didnt want to do it quickly. When you hear you boat crack and pop you will wish you didnt.

[Leroy]

That would scare me then. Not just the lifting, but if there were some kind of surge you have so much more stress.

[east tx skier]

When this came up before, the conclusion reached was that the lifting rings were not for long-term storage, but rather for lifting your boat off the trailer for maintenance and other temporary necessities. Bunks are the way to go. As far as I know, the only boats you can lift by the rings for long term storage are Nautiques. Even then, the one CC owner I've seen lifting his boat that way told me that he wished he'd gone with bunks for the sake of stability.

[G-man]

By far the best way to store your inboard:

http://www.boatcradles.com/cradles.asp

[east tx skier]

One thing I don't think has been mentioned yet is lift capacity. For what it's worth, I'd overcompensate. A 4,000 lb lift will do the trick, but I'd go with more, say 6,000 lbs, to be on the safe side. Again, this is just the way I'd do it. I'm sure there are plenty of people who do fine with 4,000 lb lifts.

[k2mc]

I waffled with the same issue - briefly. Cradle for me.

[tph]

I can't figure out how you've got this bracket attached between the ring and the "d". Have you got a pic?

Actually, it's not a "V" after all. It simply braces the ring back towards the "D". Here's a picture:

[BriEOD]

Yeah, and you want to trust that half the weight of your boat will be supported by that for a length of time-- :noface:

[east tx skier]

This is what I'd suggest. Seeing my boat on it this weekend made me :)