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Hoist Bunk Broke


Raimie

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So...crazy Saturday for us. After the high of my son trying to wakeboard, then a great surf set we came back to the dock and raised up the boat on the hoist. We unloaded a few of the kids, then BOOM, the port side of the boat slammed down dropping about a foot. After some expletives from me, we quickly unloaded the rest of the crew and I jumped in to assess the damage.

A little background... I have been worried about this happening. I hate the bunk setup we have, its never really been 'right'. My fear was that if this happened, the angle iron that the wood is bolted to would punch a hole in the bottom of the boat. I have been looking into aluminum bunks for the last two weeks trying to find the best solution that won't run me $1000. (Shipping alone can be 2-300)

So, I jump in the water and its all stirred up so I feel under for the angle iron. Yup, its jammed into the bottom of the boat (at least it feels that way). I get a mask and we lower the boat in. I am watching for air bubbles and once its floating I feel the gel. No air bubbles, and the gel looks fine. So, we really lucked out on what could have been a total disaster. Plus, we were able to get the hoist back up and running with a temporary solution that day, which saved the weekend because I would not have left the boat tied up with all the wind/storms that were in the area.

I know that "this thread is useless without pitchers", but taking pictures was not really on my mind at the time of the near disaster. I did managed to snap one of the broken bunk before we unbolted it and went to work on the new (temporary) setup. It's not the best picture, the bunk kind of returned to its normal position when we pulled it up. You can see the crack though, imagine the board folded over and the boat sitting on that angle iron. The board was broken along the entire length, but the bow did not contact the bracket. Priority 1 this week will be ordering some aluminum bunks.

tmp_1127-IMG_20150801_130548922187814787

Edited by Raimie
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Ouch. Question for you, is the width of the wood for the bunks basically the same as a pressure treated 2x12? It's hard to tell from the picture but are the bunks themselves two staggered pieces spliced together? It looks like the carpeted portion is scabbed to a 2x12 but raised up a bit and maybe screwed together. That would definitely weaken the main bunk but I'd have thought the hull would have pushed the force outward vs inward. I'd think if you could just replace the bunks with a monolithic 4" piece of wood then carpet it you would be fine. You could talk to a lumber yard around you and maybe have them custom cut/angled at the top so it fit the contour of the hull bottom. I also would drill out and install two more bolts above the top bolts on the angle iron portion so that it offers more support than just on the bottom 1/4 of the bunk. Good luck.

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I don't think I've ever seen an on edge 2" wide bunk like that used on anything bigger than a fishing boat. Aside from the strength issue, I'd be worried about all the weight of the boat sitting on that small an area.

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Ouch. Question for you, is the width of the wood for the bunks basically the same as a pressure treated 2x12? It's hard to tell from the picture but are the bunks themselves two staggered pieces spliced together? It looks like the carpeted portion is scabbed to a 2x12 but raised up a bit and maybe screwed together. That would definitely weaken the main bunk but I'd have thought the hull would have pushed the force outward vs inward. I'd think if you could just replace the bunks with a monolithic 4" piece of wood then carpet it you would be fine. You could talk to a lumber yard around you and maybe have them custom cut/angled at the top so it fit the contour of the hull bottom. I also would drill out and install two more bolts above the top bolts on the angle iron portion so that it offers more support than just on the bottom 1/4 of the bunk. Good luck.

We will be adding holes closer to the top of the brackets when we get the aluminum bunks in. I'm done with wood.

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Wow! I was just earlier this year pondering going to a setup more like yours after one of our aluminum bunks failed and dropped the boat down onto the bunk uprights. Similar fear, similar outcome. Some gelcoat chips, but no holes in the boat. And lots of expletives!

In our case, the welds for the brackets which attach the bunk to the upright failed and the bunk cracked off. I believe it was partly folded over at the time.

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This is the style I am looking at. It will rest on the cradle. Looking at 10" high beams...

http://fixmarinesupply.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=49&category_id=34&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Those include hardware, I will use my existing brackets... I think.. still looking into all this.

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You should be able to get bunks locally for no more than 500 and you can pick them up. Call around. There are a ton of lift places in Michigan

I have called a couple. Not having great luck as many sell the shorelander type lifts and thats not exactly what I am looking for. Mine is a permanant 4 post lift. One place close to me has potential, I am hoping to tag my bunk order onto one of their other hoist orders so that I won't have to pay much for shipping. If there is anywhere you recommend, let me know!

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Cool thanks.

Hmmmm ok. That does look like a decent way, however, the angle of the brackets does put a little question in my mind. That is putting a lot of faith in the bolts....

Did anyone ever determine how much the T22 actually weighs with fuel and some gear? Not to mention we load people in the boat before lowering the hoist...

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For reference... I run my LSV (21 foot) with that same set up (2900lbs dry). Full of fuel gear and people all the time. Have been using them for 3 years with no issue. They are grade 8 bolts, like 5/8" diameter. Sheer strength on those is probably adequate.

PS, sorry my link was bunk :lol:

Edited by Levi900RR
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So I am guessing the bolts pulled through or out of the 2x ? If so can you just add a backing plate rather then nut and washer. Make a backing plate that covers say six square inches you will have much more strength.

I am with oldjeep why mount the bunks upright like that. Its cheep and easy! My lift bunks are floating and the wide part is the load baring area.

I don't see a need to do aluminum rails it would be fine but not needed.

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So looking at your pictures closer it looks like your board split down the length at the bolt holes. A nice backing plate to take the load off the small area will fix that. Bet you could do it with some scrap plate steel or aluminum . If you want just add another board and bolt longer and maybe not on the same line.

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I like the looks of the bunk oldjeep sent through - I've had issues with my setup as well. Raime - my upright brackets have two bolt holes in them, not just one, and I finally doubled-up my 2-12's, so I have two 2-12's bolted together, then bolted to the brackets. This provides much more strength and stability - no sagging, no cracking - has lasted two full seasons now without needing adjustment (knock on pressure-treated wood...)

That angle on the brackets here makes me nervous. They say 6,000 pounds though which is plenty. Couple them with these and for roughly $500 seems like a pretty darn good set: http://www.boatliftanddock.com/p-2998-poly-aluminum-10-bunk-assembly.aspx.

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was that one 2x10 or two?... i have the same set up but have two 2x10s glued and screwed together with bolts going thru.

It was a 2x12 and a 2x8 offset bolted together. I know... stupid... it wasn't my idea and didn't have my approval.

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I like the looks of the bunk oldjeep sent through - I've had issues with my setup as well. Raime - my upright brackets have two bolt holes in them, not just one, and I finally doubled-up my 2-12's, so I have two 2-12's bolted together, then bolted to the brackets. This provides much more strength and stability - no sagging, no cracking - has lasted two full seasons now without needing adjustment (knock on pressure-treated wood...)

That angle on the brackets here makes me nervous. They say 6,000 pounds though which is plenty. Couple them with these and for roughly $500 seems like a pretty darn good set: http://www.boatliftanddock.com/p-2998-poly-aluminum-10-bunk-assembly.aspx.

I would rather have the 12 footers. I may give them a call though...

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My first set up was just one 2x10 and when it sat on the hull it made me nervous because it was just on the edge... Now I have the two 2x10s together and I cut the top to match the angle of the hull and put carpet on the top. So far it seems to be working good a lot more surface against the hull

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  • 1 month later...

Ok, so hours before taking my boat out for the season :cry: we got our permanant solution on the hoist. Went with 2, 2x12" cedar pressure treated boards bolted together, small angle cut on top, bunk pad is Gatorbak. I am very happy with this setup. It is very robust and I don't anticipate issues like we had before. One issue that I thought we might see is that the cradle floats with the additional boards. So, I added some weights, but will need a few more to resolve this minor issue. Sometime over winter when the ice is good to walk on I will add the additional weights so we will be all set for spring.

Here are some pics. The bunks haven't conformed to the boat yet as it only sat on them for a few mintues when I took these. Gatorbak is a really nice product if anyone is looking to get away from carpet.

IMG_20150927_161508081_zpszexalhld.jpg

IMG_20150927_161437130_zpstosfttr4.jpg

IMG_20150927_161515021_zpspe4bbtqv.jpg

  • Like 1
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Nice work! I don't agree with pulling the boat yet though!

I know...me either. Usually we keep it in through Oct. This year we have a ton of weekend commitments for Oct. and a pending kitchen remodel at the end of the month that we need to prep for. I also need some service done and in turn need to get it back in time to get it winterized and shrinkwrapped so that played into things as well. The decision was hard, but ultimately the way we had to go. My plan is to get in a 2nd day of mountin biking every week since I can't board/surf.

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