Hull damage from boat lift

[Mike22]

We purchased a lift this year to use with our 2018 Yamaha 242X and used it probably around 10 times throughout the summer (less than I hoped!). When taking the boat out of the water for the season yesterday we noticed a long scratch along the keel (see attached pictures). It looks like the front crossbar on the lift wasn't installed correctly and caused some damage. I'll take it to shop for repairs in a few weeks, but wanted to see how concerned I should be about this issue. I called the lift company and they are saying we should have noticed this sooner and they could have made adjustments. Thanks!

 

[biffdotorg]

The crossbar isn't the issue. The bunks are either spaced too far apart, or not high enough.

I had the same exact issue last year and my Keelshield saved my butt. And even when you do get them high enough, if you overload the bow, there is always a chance that the bunks could drop.

I made that mistake and had too many folks on while on the lift and the bunks dropped. In your case, the fiberglass looks fine, but will need to be fully dried before sealed up again with gelcote. Be sure to invest in a keelshield/keelguard in case it happens again. But yes, monitor your lift. A Hewitt lift is a nice piece of equipment, but it's all in the setup.

Good luck.

 

[biffdotorg]

What is the material on the surface of the bunks? Normally carpet is used on a fiberglass hull. Looks like you drove the boat along the bunks instead of positioning the floating boat above the bunks and then lifting.

Those bunks are fine. As with a vertical lift like this, your hull doesn't even touch them till you raise the lift. So the material should mar the hull very minimally if at all.

But you can see on the cross beam where his keel hit. Those bunks are either too low, or spread too far apart. If they are max height, all you can do is move them closer to grab lower on the bow, or you will drag your keel every time.

 

[Mike22]

The crossbar isn't the issue. The bunks are either spaced too far apart, or not high enough.

I had the same exact issue last year and my Keelshield saved my butt. And even when you do get them high enough, if you overload the bow, there is always a chance that the bunks could drop.

I made that mistake and had too many folks on while on the lift and the bunks dropped. In your case, the fiberglass looks fine, but will need to be fully dried before sealed up again with gelcote. Be sure to invest in a keelshield/keelguard in case it happens again. But yes, monitor your lift. A Hewitt lift is a nice piece of equipment, but it's all in the setup.

Good luck.

Thanks very much for your reply! I'll definitely add a keelshield/keelguard after having the repairs done this fall.

 

[Mike22]

Those bunks are fine. As with a vertical lift like this, your hull doesn't even touch them till you raise the lift. So the material should mar the hull very minimally if at all.

But you can see on the cross beam where his keel hit. Those bunks are either too low, or spread too far apart. If they are max height, all you can do is move them closer to grab lower on the bow, or you will drag your keel every time.

The bunks are plastic and we could get over the lift OK, but the boat was definitely dragging along something as we entered the lift area. I assumed this was the plastic bunks. I'll know better next summer.

 

[biffdotorg]

It sucks for sure. I have no reason to defend the dealership, but what can ya do now. I even rubbed my keel again this year. I just had mine set so low due to low water conditions, and the weight put it past it's limit.

Good luck,

 

[rrmidden]

The bunks are definitely too far apart. I know it depends on the height of the bunks, but the bunks on my vertical lift are probably 16" apart.

 

[Rod5]

Has anyone been able to find a full length keel-guard around 19 to to 20 feet in length for a 242 hull?

 

[swatski]

Has anyone been able to find a full length keel-guard around 19 to to 20 feet in length for a 242 hull?

You can get KeelSHield from gatorguard(?) at any length. Great people, too.

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[swatski]

@Mike22 Nice lift, but @biffdog is right, it seems to be in need of adjustments.
This situation happens all the time with lifts in shallow water if the tanks bottom out and the crossmember is not fully submerged, even with bunks height correctly setup the keel can still interact with the frame...
Lack of depth under the lift does not appear to be an issue with your lift though, so this should be a simple fix.
The keel damage probably a little much for a DIY job, would be enough for me to warrant taking it to a good shop!

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[Jeel]

You wont need a keelguard if you move the bunks closer....way too far apart...always start with them closer and move them out as needed

 

[Weeb]

On my hydrohoist their set at 25”s in the front and 28 in the rear with 6” bunk bracket height.

 

[Matts18]

I set the bunks on our lift the exact distance apart as they are on the trailer and have plenty of clearance on the front crossmember. If set too far apart you will definitely have contact with the keel. We have similiar material on the bunks and it seems to be the new normal.

If you set the bunks up correctly and tighten the brackets down there should be no way for the keel to scratch on the crossmember, even if you were stupid and didn't lower the bunks all the way into the water and tried to "power load" the lift.

Do you beach your boat? Your keel looks really rough....

 

[swatski]

If you set the bunks up correctly and tighten the brackets down there should be no way for the keel to scratch on the crossmember, even if you were stupid and didn't lower the bunks all the way into the water and tried to "power load" the lift.

That is a categorically wrong statement.

With the bunks set up correctly, but the lift not lowered all the way, you will hit the crossbar (of most lifts including the one in question, above) with the front part of the keel.

If water gets too shallow (too shallow to lower the lift completely) - it is best to not attempt entering the lift - or risk hitting the crossmember.

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[biffdotorg]

My recommendation now, post damage, is more to cover a cheap fix, rather than a costly gelcote fix.

If you choose to do this yourself with MarineTex, rather than spending thousands at a hull repair shop, you could cover the fix with a Keelshield/keelguard. A white hull will not show the MarineTex as much as a black hull would. Either way, the wide keelshield/keelguard would cover this fix and not even be noticed. MarineTex would seal up the hull as good as an expensive gelcote job. It would just never look as good.

The gelcote job would be the ideal way to fix if you want it to look factory fresh.

It's your call.

 

[biffdotorg]

That is a categorically wrong statement.

With the bunks set up correctly, but the lift not lowered all the way, you will hit the crossbar (of most lifts including the one in question, above) with the front part of the keel.

If water gets too shallow (too shallow to lower the lift completely) - it is best to not attempt entering the lift - or risk hitting the crossmember.

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Actually, I had to struggle with this statement when I bought my lift as well. If you have the bunks setup correctly, the hull will never fall between the bunks enough to hit the crossmember.

Keep in mind, the only way for the narrow portion of the bow to go between the bunks, you have to move the boat back. At that point, the boat is pulled back in the lift.

I literally sat in my driveway measuring my trailer bunks last year, trying to figure out how far I could spread my bunks to assure myself that the hull could not hit. And as you pointed out, you have two situations. If you can't lower the cradle enough to get the crossmember below the surface, the bunks would never be low enough to allow the bow to slide on the bunks.

So that being said, with the bunks upwards of 12-16" above the cross member, that cradle has to be well below the surface for the boat to even move. The tip to measure the trailer, is a great place to start. Then measure how far the keel sits below the bunks once fully loaded, that gives you the minimum height you need to set the bunks above the cross member. And add 2-3" for safety. And low water will determine if this setup will work for you.

Good luck,

 

[rrmidden]

I set the bunks on our lift the exact distance apart as they are on the trailer and have plenty of clearance on the front crossmember. If set too far apart you will definitely have contact with the keel. We have similiar material on the bunks and it seems to be the new normal.

If you set the bunks up correctly and tighten the brackets down there should be no way for the keel to scratch on the crossmember, even if you were stupid and didn't lower the bunks all the way into the water and tried to "power load" the lift.

Do you beach your boat? Your keel looks really rough....

While, it's a good rule of thumb to start with the width of your trailer bunks, the other variable you have to consider is the height of the bunks. If the bunks on the lift are shorter than the bunks on the trailer, they will have to be installed closer together than your trailer.

 

[swatski]

Keep in mind, the only way for the narrow portion of the bow to go between the bunks, you have to move the boat back. At that point, the boat is pulled back in the lift.

I have no idea what are you taking about! Lol

If your lift is up you will ram the crossmember with the keel under the bow and/or front half of the boat...

Most of us enter the lift bow first. Maybe that’s the source of some confusion? Do you back up into your lift?

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[swatski]

While, it's a good rule of thumb to start with the width of your trailer bunks, the other variable you have to consider is the height of the bunks. If the bunks on the lift are shorter than the bunks on the trailer, they will have to be installed closer together than your trailer.

That’s correct!
The lift still needs to be submerged enough, coming in bow first, to avoid crossmember contact.
The bow is more narrow than the stern, dead-rise- wise, usually.

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[biffdotorg]

I get what you are saying Swatski, the rear crossmember would be exposed as you come into the lift (with the bow of course)

Again, if your bunks are up out of the water, you should not have been approaching it. The front, on the other hand is technically impossible. The boat cannot slide across the bunks out of the water and get that far into the lift to reach the front cross member. There is no amount of power loading that can get a 4500lb+ boat up on that thing with the bunks out of the water.

Here is one other thing that supports a "proper setup" The front of my bunks are much higher than the rear of my bunks. So that being said, if the bunks are under water, the rear cross member is well below the surface, let alone the draft of the hull. And by the time the bow is near the front, it has already made contact with the bunks. So the slope of the bunks is the third variable. It's all in proper setup of the bunks as mentioned.

One last note, on my Floe lift, my bunks extend past the rear of the lift quite a ways. To the point that even if up, they could be set to keep the hull from touching even if up. I would never do that, as having the rear bunks separated adds stability to the boat on the lift once in the air.

I hope that clarifies this for you.

I attached a visual of my lift prior to canopy install last year. And this was at a dangerously low level, before I put all four posts up higher. I had about 2" of clearance from the cross members.

Note, the rear posts and bunks are lower, than the rear. The front are higher, but also slightly narrower. When down, there is no way for my hull to hit the cross member, as it will always hit the bunk first. It will always auto center as well, since I have width differences. And if I am more forward or back from time to time, it will not change that, as the rise of the bow, will clear the cross member.