lifting the boat
When the boat is hoisted from the water, proper use of the stern eyes or a sling system is required for all MasterCraft models. Though stern eyes are designed to lift a boat from the water, care must be taken to ensure you do not damage your boat. A spreader bar used at the stern, will help ensure that the load at the stern eyes is vertical. A strap placed between stern eyes, and then lifted from the mid- point, is not the recommended method, and will put substantial additional stress on the stern eye mounting location.
DO NOT use the ski pylon or any por-
tion of any tower for lifting. They are NOT designed to be used as a central lifting point. Also, DO NOT use the stern ski tow as a lifting ring. The deck may be damaged. See the Storage Cradle sub-section of this section. Also never lift a boat with water in the bilge or containing a water-filled device such as a ballast system or sack. The extra stress will put an excessive load on the hull and lifting equipment that may seriously damage the boat. Such damage may not be covered by the warranty.
Using Lifting Eyes
An overhead hoist with a minimum two-ton capacity should be used to lift your boat. Cables should be properly rated for each model. Each cable should be rated at or above the full weight of the model to be lifted. When lifting, keep the bow slightly higher than the stern to prevent any possibility of water running into the engine exhaust manifold.
Using Lifting Slings
An overhead hoist with a minimum two-ton capacity should be used. Slings must be six (6) inches wide by twenty (20) feet long and each sling should have a minimum capacity rating that is equivalent to the weight of the model that is to be lifted. Use an eight-foot spreader bar on each sling to prevent damaging side pressure to the deck or gunwale molding.
Lifting slings must never contact shafts, struts or hardware protruding from the hull. Damage may result that would void the warranty.
When the boat is out of the water, it is important to support the hull correctly to avoid any hull damage. Such damage may void the warranty.
Storage Cradle
If a storage cradle is used, the hull must be properly supported to prevent load damage. This can occur with as little as fifteen
(15)pounds per square inch of pressure. DO NOT support the boat by resting the hull on the keel (the central fore-and-aft structural member in the bottom of the boat’s hull, extending from the bow to the stern). Vertical supports must extend from the chine (the angular intersection of the bottom and sides of the boat) to the keel with no gaps between the hull and cradle supports. A total support area of at least 250 square inches is required for proper support of boats under 25’ and 500 square inches for boats over 25’. Protect all items extending from the hull (i.e., the rudder, propeller, fins, etc.) to prevent them from resting on the cradle or the ground. DO NOT apply any load stress to the propeller, shaft, rudder, swim platform, water intake grate or other protruding items.
