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ajochum
06-11-2009, 09:20 PM
I am putting the Donzi 2+3 18' on a lift for the first time. My lift is used and has 2x6s about 8' long, raised up about 2". They are 42" apart. Today I put some adjustable ones on the front in the shape of a "V" and used 2x8s with each one being about 20" long. Everything is carpeted.

My worry is that with the deep "V-groove" hull, the 2x6s won't raise the boat high enough to miss the lift beams.

Anyone had any experience with this? Pictures of yours on the lift from underneath? I'll attempt to put it on this weekend, but if it doesn't work, that means bringing it out of the water and home again while I either attach 2x8s, move them closer, etc.

DickB
06-11-2009, 09:33 PM
Not the best picture to illustrate, but my supports are much closer together than 42" and run the length of the boat.

ajochum
06-11-2009, 09:48 PM
Plus, yours appear to be raised about 6" plus. Also, your lift has angles on the beams, while mine are straight.

HOWARD O
06-11-2009, 10:26 PM
Mine sounds like the same setup as yours. I'll take some photos for you in the morning. My bunks are very close together and there is still only a couple inch clearance from the bottom of the vee to the aluminum cross beam. It's surprisingly stable though....

CHACHI
06-12-2009, 06:09 AM
Nice avatar photo. I didn't think you were that tall.

Ken

HOWARD O
06-12-2009, 10:47 AM
Nice avatar photo. I didn't think you were that tall.
Ken
It's a great photo! Taken by a great man who also stands tall in his Donzi! (I think I was standing on some vests or a throw cushion actually) :wink:
I actually got a photo of this great man too!

HOWARD O
06-12-2009, 10:58 AM
ajochum, here's some photos of mine. I obviously need to move the forward bunks a bit closer together to catch all of that strake, but otherwise it seems to work well.

CHACHI
06-12-2009, 11:12 AM
If you had "taller" bunks you could move them out for more stability if that was/is a concern.

I think mine are 14"X3". I can get a photo this weekend if needed.

Ken

ajochum
06-12-2009, 12:09 PM
Wow - Nice setup - what lake - Norman? Love the protection. I can see that I will need to increase the height of mine. Think I'll screw some 2 x 12s to the 2 x6s and that should give me the height I need. I sort of measured this morning and it will be very close, but I don't think I'll make it as it sits now.

MOP
06-12-2009, 02:10 PM
Kenny the slippery master in the smiley photo has young trees for bunks, they would hold a 35 footer:yes:

Pismo
06-13-2009, 07:55 AM
I copied my trailer exactly, spacing, length, width, carpet of the bunks. Can't go wrong.

ajochum
06-13-2009, 01:30 PM
Success! While it is really tight/close, it went on the lift just fine. I am still going to bolt a couple of 2x8s or 10s inside of the 2x6s. At least I didn't have to trailer it back home.

I think one of the nicest things about owning a Donzi is listening to it, along with all of the compliments you get. "Throaty" is probably the most common adjective I hear when I get accolades.

HOWARD O
06-13-2009, 07:36 PM
Glad it worked out for you!

I am probably due to replace my bunks and like Ken said, better to go a bit taller/thicker. I'm actually surprised mine is as stable as it is with them close together.

I'm off the Neuse River, which leads to the Pamlico Sound. We call it the inner of the Outer Banks. I used to make it to the ocean in about 2 hours with my other boats....now it's about an hour! :kingme:

Yes, the Donzis have a great sound. :yes:

HOWARD O
06-13-2009, 07:40 PM
At least I didn't have to trailer it back home.



So true, I appreciate my lift so much and use the boat probably 10 times more than if I had to trailer it. That's why we moved here.....I told my wife that I don't care about the house, I'll live in a tent if need be. I've got to have me a boat lift! :)

osur866
06-13-2009, 09:45 PM
My 18 sits on a hydro-hoist Steve

ajochum
06-14-2009, 07:36 AM
My 18 sits on a hydro-hoist Steve

How does that Hydro-hoist work? It looks to me like you tell the water to rise and the boat then meets the water! Seriously, those look like some sort of pontoons...

osur866
06-14-2009, 08:16 AM
They work very simply, 2 big fiberglass tanks hooked up to a valve and a blower motor. To raise the lift open valve and turn on blower motor until all the water is forced out of the tanks then close valve to trap the air in the tanks keeping the lift up. To lower, simply open valve and let air exhaust from the tanks allowing water to fill the tanks and the lift goes down. Takes about 3 mins. to lift and about half that time to lower. Many here have lifts like this. Steve

Pismo
06-14-2009, 11:12 AM
They work very simply, 2 big fiberglass tanks hooked up to a valve and a blower motor. To raise the lift open valve and turn on blower motor until all the water is forced out of the tanks then close valve to trap the air in the tanks keeping the lift up. To lower, simply open valve and let air exhaust from the tanks allowing water to fill the tanks and the lift goes down. Takes about 3 mins. to lift and about half that time to lower. Many here have lifts like this. Steve

Sounds like you need a calm bay or calm area to make these work well. 5' rollers would be a problem.

osur866
06-14-2009, 11:48 AM
Sounds like you need a calm bay or calm area to make these work well. 5' rollers would be a problem.
You've never been to LOTO then, and yes almost all the lifts on LOTO are of this style. In fact my very lift came off LOTO.

ajochum
06-14-2009, 12:14 PM
They work very simply, 2 big fiberglass tanks hooked up to a valve and a blower motor. To raise the lift open valve and turn on blower motor until all the water is forced out of the tanks then close valve to trap the air in the tanks keeping the lift up. To lower, simply open valve and let air exhaust from the tanks allowing water to fill the tanks and the lift goes down. Takes about 3 mins. to lift and about half that time to lower. Many here have lifts like this. Steve

This would be a great time to do a U-Tube video. Would love to see it in action and am sure many would as well. I have never seen this type of lift before.

Pismo
06-14-2009, 02:15 PM
You've never been to LOTO then, and yes almost all the lifts on LOTO are of this style. In fact my very lift came off LOTO.

No I don't know what LOTO is.

Donzi classics are one of the few boats with lifting eyes. Once they are beefed up they work well and all you need is a couple hoists. Having no apparatus in the water is very nice but you obviously need a strong overhead support/boathouse.

HOWARD O
06-14-2009, 02:40 PM
No I don't know what LOTO is.


I know that one! Lake of the Ozarks! I'd love to go there sometime... :yes:

ajochum
06-14-2009, 05:51 PM
It would seem the Hydro-hoist is best suited for deep water? Also, when it is lowered/raised, is it somehow connected to the docks to keep it from moving around?

Just watched the video on Lake of the Ozarks. Looks like a fabulous place. How many months of boating do you get in?

osur866
06-14-2009, 09:33 PM
Yes the lift is attached to the dock in 4 locations kind of like 4 very large hinges which swing up and down. these style lifts are suited for water about 5' deep, the risers are adjustedable, mine happen to be the taller risers which lifts the boat very high when it is on the lift, My dock sits in 16' of water so depth is a non issue, when its up on the lift it hardly never gets wet even with 3-4 foot waves. Howard LOTO can be a blast but you need to choose your time and place if your planning on going in a smaller boat, such as a classic. Its more the place than the time. There can and is very big sloppy water in many places but there are also arms of the lake that aren't soo bad. It is a narrow lake with steep shore lines which produce washing machine waves. Steve

zelatore
06-15-2009, 01:23 AM
The nice thing about a hydrohoist is you can put it anywhere you've got at least a few feet of water below your keel. You can easily move it from dock to dock as well. They also come in pretty big sizes. I've got two at my office, a 5000 lb and a 10,000 lb, but they are available much larger. I towed the bigger one from across the bay and installed it at my office when it was taken as part of a trade.

The only drawback I have with them is that you can't use them in shallow water. The tanks need to be able to submerge well below the surface to let you get the boat over them. But otherwise, they work great.

ajochum
06-15-2009, 06:48 AM
"Learn something new every day"

osur866
06-15-2009, 11:19 AM
They make lifts all the way up to 28,000 lbs.

deejay
06-16-2009, 11:22 AM
On the subject of lifting eyes - there was some mention of having to beef them up before using as I understood it. Is that the general consensus - that it is not smart to use them in the as built condition. It may well not make any difference but my boat is a ‘95 22C. Thanks