Help with hoist

[Amad3]

I just bought at 2017 scarab 195 ho impulse. We have a hoist and need help setting up how wide the "v" or legs needs to go? Or where the legs need to be on the hull of the boat? Sorry, if I don't have the proper term. We have it set up close to the trailer but it looks wrong like it will tip over from the wind. If you can help out or send pictures of where your legs are located on the boat, it would be much appreciated. Thanks! I will try and upload the picture of my hoist soon.

 

[Amad3]

 

[djetok]

View attachment 76341

So do you swim to the boat to get on?

 

[Amad3]

It's 3.5 feet deep, but far away. So yeah, you'd need to swim out there. We usually walk though.

 

[Jubin Payandeh]

Looks like a house of cards.

I would spread them further.

It was trial and error when I set mine up, it has 3 points of contact - 1 up front and 2 horizontal pads in the back on hinges. It has to be positioned precisely so it sits straight. My OCD gets flared up if it is crooked.

Jubin.

 

[Amad3]

Looks like a house of cards.

I would spread them further.

It was trial and error when I set mine up, it has 3 points of contact - 1 up front and 2 horizontal pads in the back on hinges. It has to be positioned precisely so it sits straight. My OCD gets flared up if it is crooked.

Jubin.

My scarab hull has two indentations on the hull, is that where you have the legs on your hoist holding the hull?

 

[Ronnie0471]

Just

I just bought at 2017 scarab 195 ho impulse. We have a hoist and need help setting up how wide the "v" or legs needs to go? Or where the legs need to be on the hull of the boat? Sorry, if I don't have the proper term. We have it set up close to the trailer but it looks wrong like it will tip over from the wind. If you can help out or send pictures of where your legs are located on the boat, it would be much appreciated. Thanks! I will try and upload the picture of my hoist soon.

just use the same measurements that your trailer has

 

[Jubin Payandeh]

It's an older lift but it still works. The boat has been solid with this set up over the past 3 seasons.

Jubin.

 

[biffdotorg]

It just so happens that Floe has some excellent videos on their website and YouTube channel on setting up lifts for a new boat. It applies to any lift MFG as well.

The advice above to mimic your trailer is the best I have heard. I did the same and it worked great from day one with a little tweaking.

The cliff notes are as follows.

Measure the inside width of the cross beams on your lift and divide by 2. Mark the this as the center of each cross beam. If you want your boat to one side or the other to be closer to a dock, shift your center by that amount. Otherwise, all movement of the bunks will be measured off center.

Measure the distance between chines on your hull and divide by two. This will be the distance from center to set your bunks.

Measure the distance from the bottom of the chine to the bottom of the keel/hull. Add a couple inches for safety, and this will be the height to set your bunks. The extra couple inches should ensure that you don't rub your keel on the cross beams when loading. You want the bunks as low as possible without dragging the keel on the cross beams. I added some height to the front to give my boat a bit of a slope to stern for water drainage.

Now test float your boat onto the lift. Do not drive it on for safety purposes. Raise the lift and check for clearance of the keel from the cross beams. If you have good clearance, then you are set and you can adjust your guide posts if you have them.

You guys above without guide posts scare me! Those exposed aluminum posts are just waiting to put big diggers in your hull. If anything, wrap them with pool noodles zip tied on

Good luck!

 

[swatski]

View attachment 76341

Those bunks should hit between the first and second chine, about a foot wider on each side.
I think right now you are flirting with disaster.
Follow the main trailer bunk spacing.

--

 

[Amad3]

Thanks for all the help. I lowered the bunks and set it up close to the trailer and it looks way better now.

 

[Solraider]

Thanks for all the help. I lowered the bunks and set it up close to the trailer and it looks way better now.

I initially set the lift bunks up based on the trailer bunk locations and found it wasn't stable enough, you step into the side of the boat and it would slightly rock. This could be a combination of the bunks being close together and being located in the center of the cross members which allowed more flexing. Floe manual recommended go as wide as you can with bunks or as close to the lift points on the cross members. Stable now when being boarded.

 

[biffdotorg]

Nice work. I did the same with our FLoe VSD lift as well. Then realized our MFI trailer had 4 bunks that were spread differently in front than in back. This lead to be unstable on a 2 bunk lift. So we compromised the distances from the front measurement to the back and we are setup similar to you.

I sure do love that floe lift.

 

[jm518]

Setting up my new VSD Floe lift to go with my new scarab195 as we speak. Lots of cool features with Floe boats lifts. Super quiet, fast, and very cool fabric canopies. Screw jack legs are a plus for taking the lift in and out with no manual lifting or just leveling it. I have a few other Floe lifts and really like them.
Do you know the spacing you have between the guide ins? Beam is 8' so I'm thinking giving maybe two inches outside that on each side? Any suggestions on how much space we should leave? Or should I keep it tighter?
I pick the boat up Thursday so I can't measure it myself yet.

Thanks!

 

[biffdotorg]

Setting up my new VSD Floe lift to go with my new scarab195 as we speak. Lots of cool features with Floe boats lifts. Super quiet, fast, and very cool fabric canopies. Screw jack legs are a plus for taking the lift in and out with no manual lifting or just leveling it. I have a few other Floe lifts and really like them.
Do you know the spacing you have between the guide ins? Beam is 8' so I'm thinking giving maybe two inches outside that on each side? Any suggestions on how much space we should leave? Or should I keep it tighter?
I pick the boat up Thursday so I can't measure it myself yet.

Thanks!

Since you are going in bow first, set the guide posts to the widest point of your boat. Then all you have to do is get the bow started and they do their job of putting you in the exact same spot each time. If you do have front and rear posts (I have three per side) you can set the bow ones to the exact spot on the bow, so it helps stop the boat. We have no lower unit to catch on a motor stop like outboards. You will float right through. I also have the dock cross in front, so I put to dock bumpers at my anchor locker, so I actually bump those. When I lower the boat, we can actually board our boat from the bow. Works great!

Like guide poles on a trailer, if you set it for where the boat sits on the trailer, you may find that it is wider in the middle, and then the boat would not float off easily when the widest spot reaches the guide posts. This was a bigger issue with Seadoo boats, as they were narrow at the stern and bow.

Quick tip after a few years on a used VSD. DO NOT USE AN IMPACT on the legs. 1/2" drill and socket is fine, but no impact. Previous owner of my lift chewed up the bevel gears on top. Also move the legs a little on each corner when under load. As they will bind and you can strip those gears as well.

And in a worst case scenario, if you do trash the gears on a leg, Floe makes a $20 rebuild kit. No need to buy a new $150 leg.