I'm in a canal community just north of Ocean City, MD with an old boatlift rigged to support a pontoon boat. I've sold the pontoon boat and am getting the lift ready to support my 'new' M26s. The lift beams and cables are being replaced and I'm adding two connecting I-beams to create a more stable lift platform. After searching forums for advice on bunk support, I'm torn between traditional bunks that run parallel to the boat's centerline or cradle-type bunks like those on the trailer. The vast majority of comments advise duplicating the trailer's cradle bunks but... there seems to be plenty of M-26 owners that are fully satisfied with traditional bunks (which would be much easier/less expensive) on new trailers and boatlifts.
If I go with the cradle-type bunks I'd like to adjust cradle placement to allow me to lower the centerboard for maintenance/repair while on the lift. This would involve moving both cradles about 18-20" forward (from where they are on the trailer) so the cradles sit just fore and aft of the CB trunk.
If I go with traditional bunks I hope to be able to use aluminum bunks on my otherwise galvanized boatlift.
I've taken bunk placement advice/recommendations from various forum messages but would also appreciate any insights on better supporting/protecting my 'new' BVE (best vessel ever). The canal tempers a lot of the weather but the bay is only 9 houses away and the Atlantic about a mile from here.
Congrats on having such a cool setup. I seldom have found a lift that doesn't have some sort of roof covering the slip. If I was in your position, I would also go with the lengthwise supports (bow to stern) if you can make that happen. Being able to work on the centerboard is definitely something I would have liked to have this winter. I ended up building a support under the stern, jacking up the trailer, blocking the front, then lowering the trailer back down.
The only con I can think to doing this is that you'll have more surface area where you can't clean the bottom...more surface area being supported by the supports than if you went with the horizontal trailer type supports.
I have had my Mac on a 6,000# Galvalift (floating boat lift) since the summer of 2005 (12 years). I would also suggest the lengthwise (bow to stern) supports. My supports are carpet covered treated wood 2" x 6" boards bolted to a galvanized framework.
There are multiple reasons why this is a better arrangement. There is no bow stop as with a trailer on a boat lift. You will need to experiment with the placement of your boat on the lift so that it is far enough back to drain the ballast tank. Otherwise your boat will rest bow heavy on the lift. The lengthwise supports also allow you to drop your dagger board or center board unless there happen to be connecting beams in that location. It can also be handy to lift your boat with it placed either further forward or backwards for maintenance or cleaning purposes. For example, when I mounted the transducer on the transom of my boat I was too lazy to put the boat on its trailer. Instead I moved the boat forward on the lift and raised it just enough to get the boat out of the water so that I could hang off the back while mounting the transducer. I also had to leave it that way over night while the 5200 dried. When I wash the boat or do other maintenance I move the boat forward until it almost touches the dock and raise the lift just enough for the bunks to hold the boat firmly in place. This also comes in handy for swimming/fishing/drinking beer/ etc. You will not have this flexibility if you go with cradle-type bunks.
BTW, my slip is in a traditional 12’ wide slip with finger piers on each side. I purchased the lift used in 2002 and used it for several years with a powerboat. After selling the powerboat and purchasing a new 2006 Mac I had the lift moved to an uncovered slip. I have definitely gotten my money’s worth after 15 years of continuous use. The waxed bottom of my boat is still pristine after 12 years.
Mike and Brain - thank you very much for your feedback. The fact that you both recommended a conventional bunk support approach was unexpected but welcome.
Brain - I see that you are using a boatlift. Mike - Not sure if your are or not. From reading about replacement trailers and those who've used bow-to-stern bunks on boatlifts, it seems that a rear set of bunks (7' to 10' long and about 37" apart) together with s shorter set of front bunks (beginning about 25" apart and narrowing toward the bow) is the norm. In addition to those close to the center line bunks there appear to be a second set of rear and front bunks set further from the center line, I assume for greater stability. I'd appreciate knowing how you've set your boatlift bunks up. I do mean to have two connecting cross I-beams between my lifting beams but are not certain how far apart to place them to support both inner and outer bunk assemblies fore and aft. Please share advice if you can.
Ref draining the ballast tank - Brain - I take it that you drain each time you raise the boatlift. Because the boat is only 20' from my home and I plan to sail more than once a week, I was hoping I could get away with leaving the ballast tank full unless it was going to sit for two or more weeks. I had also planned to leave ballast tanks full if especially high winds/storms were expected. Thoughts on the wisdom or folly of doing that would be appreciated.
Just a quick comment...don't bolt aluminum directly to galvanized steel. The aluminum will be damaged very quickly due to galvanic action and become unsafe. Check it out online...
Regarding keeping the ballast tank full or not. The main reason I empty mine is because the lift sits about six inches lower in the water with the extra 1,150 pounds of water in the tank. Below is a picture of my boat on the lift.
Remember, my lift is a floating lift, so the extra weight makes a difference. Your's may be different. It depends on the weight capacity of your lift. If the lift can handle the extra weight, then there is no need to drain the tank every time you raise the boat out of the water. You also make a good point about the extra weight keeping it on the lift. I found out the hard way what can happen in a bad storm. My boat was knocked off the lift back in 2009. I now attach a couple of lines similar to what people do to keep the boat attached to the trailer. The other thing I do is fold up the bimini prior to raising the boat out of the water. The bimini was up when the boat was knocked off the lift. The marina owner was watching and told me that the bimini caught the air kind of like a parasail and contributed to the incident.
If you provide additional information such a picture, and make and model of your lift we can probably provide better information.
Brain - thanks for the picture and additional info. I have pictures but haven't figured out how to post them. Don't have any stored on a public access server. Your pic tells me most of what I'm looking for. Your 26M sits on two 2" x 6" wooden bunks. I estimate their length to be 13-15' long. I've seen from other posts that their boat lift bunks were 37" apart in the back and narrowed to about 26" apart in the front. Have I got the length right? Are the distance between your bunks close to the "norm" I've suggested?
Hern94 wrote:Brain - thanks for the picture and additional info. I have pictures but haven't figured out how to post them. Don't have any stored on a public access server.
I use tinypic.com for most, as it's quick, dirty, and there's no account or sign-up or anything. Just upload, and paste the url it returns that contains the img and /img code at each end directly into your post. Unless you bookmark your uploaded pic you won't even be able to find it again (or go to your post on this forum to find it again), but that's just fine with me most of the time.
If you are going to use the lengthwise supports just do not get them outside of the ballast tank area. The hull is thin there and is not designed to support the boat like that. Have seen an older D model get dents in the aft part of the hull.
I built my lift with a V in the front and then the lengthwise support in the aft. I did not want to have to raise the center board all the way up when pulling in and out of the slip.
That's a really nice setup, grady. I'm jealous. Someone in my marina has a tethered system, not attached to the dock with anything but lines (floating docks, so maybe your system is not feasible), but it doesn't lift his small power boat all the way out of the water. But it doesn't have cross bars - it just sits in an inflatable raft of sorts. Yours is really sweet. And such a clean bottom!
I really think small boats should skip bottom paint - on small boats with such limited displacement hull speed it really make a huge difference in the speed of the boat.
Now, I must say that if you DO keep your boat in the water then it is of course better to use bottom paint because the barnicals will slow you down even worse than bottom paint!
Still, if you can skip the paint - try to do it - if not by using a trailer then using a float lift or a boat house lift fer sure if you one of those guys that can afford slip fees you surly can afford a small floater lift.
Yes I would not want to have a small boat sitting in the water all the time here. I was lucky on the lift. My best racing friend was pulling his J24 out and selling it. He did not want to deal with the lift so he just told me if I take over his last 6 months on his slip lease he would give me the lift. I took him up on his offer! Both if us got a good deal!
There are other exceptions too - I myself never spend more than 2 weeks at a time on the water - my limit is about 11 days and then I am pretty much ready to go home. There was a time when I was younger that we would endure three weeks or more at a time on the water - in those cases, even if you trailer your boat, if you are out in the ocean for over 4 weeks you need bottom paint, or it's a good idea because the slime and crap begins after only 2 to 3 weeks on the water - in 4 weeks it can develop some fur down there. (yuk)
We have spent a lot of time on small sailboats - many weeks on the water - with bottom paint, and without on many boats. I can tell you having no paint is much better for speed on the small boats. On larger boats the difference is negligible. On a big boat if your not a racer then paint away - but on our small boats I would try to avoid if possible - a floaty is a great way to do that. I think it's a great idea.
Hern94 (Jim)
' in a slip i would definitely have one of those.
