Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

[0976claxton]

Just looking for ideas on the cleaniest set up to haul my mkiii from a hoist. for now, i'm considering two stainless eyebolts from the transom and a third point of contact on the tow buckle. questions: 1) how far from the top of the transom would you drill a hole for a eyebolt? 2) is the tow buckle strong enough to serve as a third haul point? or, should I consider a different setup.

i have a pretty heavy 25HP fourstroke mounted on the boat.

pictures in your replies would be helpful (but not necessary). thanks.

 

[jondavies]

Re: Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

I just went through the process of getting my 15' Avon certified to use the State Parks Department hoist at Gaviota beach north of Santa Barbara, Calif.

From what I can gather, they have the most stringent requirements of any hoist in the state (perhaps the country).

It was a real hassle to set up the boat according to their specs and take their training class, but in the process I've learned more about hoists than I ever wanted to know.

Here's a link to their operator's manual, which might be helpful:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/606/files/Revised_20100423.pdf

The U bolts on the transom had to be backed with 3" square 1/8" thick stainless plates. On my boat the bolts are about 6" below the top of the transom.

For soft-hulled boats, the hoist requires that the front sling has to go completely under the hull (known as a basket sling) and that there are D rings on the outside of the tubes to prevent the sling from moving around.

I had someone with a forklift raise the boat with a temporary sling so I could find the center of gravity and figure out the lengths for the sling legs. I gave those measurements to a rigging company and they made me a sling accordingly.

You can see some pictures of my boat being raised here:
http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f164/jondavies/Boat%20Lift/

I would talk to the operator of the hoist you are planning to use and see what they require/recommend. However, if you follow the guidelines for the Gaviota Hoist, I'm sure you will be covered for any eventuality.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[0976claxton]

Re: Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

I just went through the process of getting my 15' Avon certified to use the State Parks Department hoist at Gaviota beach north of Santa Barbara, Calif.

From what I can gather, they have the most stringent requirements of any hoist in the state (perhaps the country).

It was a real hassle to set up the boat according to their specs and take their training class, but in the process I've learned more about hoists than I ever wanted to know.

Here's a link to their operator's manual, which might be helpful:

http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/606/files/Revised_20100423.pdf

The U bolts on the transom had to be backed with 3" square 1/8" thick stainless plates. On my boat the bolts are about 6" below the top of the transom.

For soft-hulled boats, the hoist requires that the front sling has to go completely under the hull (known as a basket sling) and that there are D rings on the outside of the tubes to prevent the sling from moving around.

I had someone with a forklift raise the boat with a temporary sling so I could find the center of gravity and figure out the lengths for the sling legs. I gave those measurements to a rigging company and they made me a sling accordingly.

You can see some pictures of my boat being raised here:
http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f164/jondavies/Boat%20Lift/

I would talk to the operator of the hoist you are planning to use and see what they require/recommend. However, if you follow the guidelines for the Gaviota Hoist, I'm sure you will be covered for any eventuality.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jon- I definitely want to talk with you more about this. i need to do my research before asking a bunch of questions. most of my hoisting will be for avila beach, but i'm eventually going to get myself on that gaviota wait list. (packing or gaviota right now, in fact). so, i'll want to be sure what ever straps i get are certified. could you send me the contact information for the place you got your straps? thanks a million.

 

[0976claxton]

Re: Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

p.s. how long did it take you Jon, to get through the waiting list for gaviota?

 

[jondavies]

Re: Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

Jon- I definitely want to talk with you more about this. i need to do my research before asking a bunch of questions. most of my hoisting will be for avila beach, but i'm eventually going to get myself on that gaviota wait list. (packing or gaviota right now, in fact). so, i'll want to be sure what ever straps i get are certified. could you send me the contact information for the place you got your straps? thanks a million.

Here's the list of vendors that the parks department gave me:

I'm guessing you're up nearer Avila so I'd recommend going to Lundy's. They set up boats for Gaviota all the time and they rarely, if ever, need any adjustments.

If you go with another vendor, I would highly recommend getting as much information as you can from the parks department before you order your sling. Some of the requirements in the handbook are vague and others are not mentioned at all. When I took the class I suggested that they more clearly spell out the requirements on the website and they said they're working on it. However, as you no doubt know, they're dealing with huge budget cuts and the hoist program is rather low on their priority list.

If you have any specific questions, let me know and I'll try to answer as best I can.

As for timing, I put my name on the waiting list around the beginning of March and my boat was inspected April 24 and the training class was May 8. Unfortunately, they said that would be the last class until the fall due to the budget cuts. I'd recommend sending an email to be added to the waiting list now (GAVIOTAHOIST@parks.ca.gov)

As for the surf board rack, you might see if you can find a small A frame or radar arch that bolts to the deck near the transom. Then you can bolt or weld on a rack for the boards.

Here's one I'd like to get for my boat:

http://www.boaterbits.ca/stainless-steel-inflatable-boat-radar-arch-tower.html

 

[0976claxton]

Re: Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

Just wanted to complete this thread by saying that Bill at Lundy's Landing got me all dialed in. Bill is a really personable fella and I enjoyed doing business with him. The straps ended up costing me around 400 bucks. Perhaps I could've done it cheaper by ordering them myself, but I feel better having Bill set it all up. The straps were dropped shipped to my house. I would definitely recommend giving Bill a call if you have any boating needs.

 

[jondavies]

Re: Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

Glad to hear that Lundy's got your boat squared away for hoisting.

Are you on the list for the Gaviota class?

I took my boat out for the first time a few weeks ago. Everything went pretty smoothly at the hoist; unfortunately there was a howling current at the wreck we were aiming for so we ended up diving elsewhere and it wasn't very interesting. There's always next time....

Cheers,

Jon

 

[0976claxton]

Re: Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

signed up for the class back in June/July. finally getting the training this October. Also got a notification for the vessel training a week after the training. should be up and running in no time. been using my hoist straps at avila also. works great. totally balanced.

 

[0976claxton]

Re: Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

This is just a follow up on my recent experience for those who are in the same boat (ba dum dum...):

I had my vessel inspected last week. I previously thought I was good to go after lifting my vessel at Avila a couple of times and noticing that my boat was lifting perfectly. Here's the kicker: The gaviota hoist vessel inspection requires that you have your boat fully loaded prior to being inspected. Makes sense to me. What I didn't realize was how much of an effect that would have on balance of the boat. On my first lift, the boat was clearly past the 5% slope rule that is required by the State Parks staff. George was kind enough to lower the boat and let me move my items around for a better balance. However, after moving my fuel tanks and tecate storage chest, my boat still was not coming off level. So, word to the wise: If you are taking your boat into a dealer, be sure you take it to them loaded. As a result of my inspection, i am being required to purchase longer stern straps OR a shorter length to connect the basket sling to the stern straps. Both set ups have the same affect. The difference is that if I go with the longer stern straps, I get better overhead clearance for the deckhand to board the vessel while it is still hooked into the hoist. This also means I get a lower angle of pull on my straps from the hoist hook (which equals less stress on the stern bolts and a better pickup on the basket sling). I've reordered new straps with Bill and I'm also going to upgrade to larger shackles for ease of use when my hands are freezing from boating all day in the winter (that's just another detail you might want to consider).

Hope this is helpful for others.

 

[jondavies]

Gaviota Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

Gaviota Hoist setup for Zodiac Mark III

For those who are thinking of getting their boat set up for the Gaviota hoist, you should know that the parks department has just introduced a $150 annual fee starting Jan. 1.