Retrofitting a bow lifting ring

[monsoon]

I want to put a lifting ring on the bow of my '98 Prostar 190. I was pretty much refused by my local MC dealer when I asked them to install one. I do NOT intend to lift the boat by this ring. I want to use it for a mooring whip attachment point.

Has anyone here found a suitable (attractive from topside) kit or list of parts for doing this? Are there any tips or tricks you can pass along?

[rodltg2]

why not just use the cleats on the side? if you mount one in the bow where would you attach the rear whip?

[monsoon]

There are no cleats on the sides. The stern has a center ring already, just below the rub rail. I would mount a pop-up cleat just behind the bow's nav lights, but the fiberglass is pretty thin there and I don't feel like having it or my gelcoat fracture on me. A lifting ring would transfer any mooring stressing down to the stringer.

[east tx skier]

Along the lines of what Rod is saying, I'd look into installing a pop up cleat inline behind the bow light. I think those lifting rings are set into the hull one way or the other.

[monsoon]

They tie into the backing plate of the bow eye that, in turn, ties into the stringer.

[G-man]

Actually there is a threaded rod going from the bow eye up to the lifting eye, the lifting eye just screws into the rod until it is flush with the deck. The ey is "free floating" At least that is how they did it in 93. sounds like your dealer hasn't looked under the bow of a 190. Try another dealer

[monsoon]

They know how it's done. They were told by MasterCraft (when they called for parts) that it wasn't recommended for '98s, so they turned around and told me "No".

And yes, after that, and $180 in labor for a new freakin' solenoid, and forgetting to send my prop out to be fixed, and $130 to fix a gnat sized tear on the trunk skin, I'm looking for a new shop. Sadly, it won't be an MC shop though, they're the only MC dealer in a three state area here.

[east tx skier]

I often wondered why my father-in-law's 98 didn't have a front lifting ring.

[monsoon]

Ok. Well at least I know now why it can't be done. I spoke to the guys at Tommy's Slalom Shop (that don't even rep for MC anymore) and they said that the arrangement of the bow eye is such that you can't come straight up with a threaded rod.

Why couldn't the MC shop near me just say so! Saying that it's "not recommended" is like saying "but you can if you want to, just don't ask us to."

I guess I'll be looking for a pop-up cleat with a big-*** backing plate.

Thanks anyway folks.

[jimmer2880]

Before I had a lift dock, I used to tie my dock lines to the lifting ring. Then, after a while, I noticed that the glass around the lifting ring was starting to get oblonged. As it has been said here already, the ring is just on a piece of all-thread, which attaches to the bow eye.

I quickly switched to the bow eye for the mooring lines. Also, even though a lifting ring is fabricated into the hull, the stress is coming from the hull ONLY when the force is directly in-line with the bow eye. What I mean is, if you tie up to the lifting ring from anything that's not 100% directly above the lifting ring, you are putting lateral pressure on the upper shell of fiberglass.

If it were up to me, I'd go the pop-up cleat route.