Determine Travel Life Sling Points?

[1970Columbia34]

How do I determine where the lift point should be on the boat? Should they be lifting where the bulk heads are or should it be sitting on the cradle where the bulk heads are here is a plan view of our boat. I am asking cause only one side have a lift sticker on it in the boa area and I want to make sure its in the correct spot and mark the other 3 spots. Thanks.

[Faster]

Hey Scott

I'd set the forward point at the forward end of the head compartment (ie aft of the back edge of your foredeck hatch as a reference) and rear sling at the mid point between the aft tip of the keel and the exit point of the propshaft (the after half of your cabin window)
You want to avoid snagging just the tip of the keel, obviously, and also not put the sling on the shaft.

[sailingdog]

Basically, you want to put the slings under the two transverse bulkheads. The forward one is the forward end of the head compartment and would line up with the aft edge of the foredeck hatch, as Faster has pointed out. The aft one should go under the aft end of the salon settee. In the drawing on the right, it would line up with the vertical post at the forward end of the quarter berth/nav console. On the outside it will line up with the aft tip of the keel's bottom edge and the mid-point of the cabin port shown in the drawing...

If you're going to err with the sling placement... err towards the center of the boat, rather than towards the bow or stern, as the boat will probably handle it better.

[Valiente]

As a side note, if you ever get "craned" instead of Travelifted, make them use a cinch belt (could go by another name...)...it's a lighter length of webbing used to hold the slings in place should they guess incorrectly on your weight distribution. It's used commonly on full keelers and "half moon" keelers like Contessa 26s where slippage could be an issue.

It was made mandatory for ALL crane-hauled and launched boats at my club after a Hunter 28 was slung according to the little marks on the topsides...and this in fact proved to be mistaken, and the bow end slipped out and smashed into a cradle and the parking lot. Kaboom. Split like a melon at the first bulkhead, and distorted most of the way back in the hull.

It was a damn shame for the owner, who I believe pursued matters with Hunter despite his insurance payout. But it illustrates why I don't like Hunters, I suppose: old fellers at the club remarked that an identical mishaps happened in the early '90s to an Alberg 30, which fell bow-first 12 feet, crushed its cradle and suffered only minor blemishes!

[sailingdog]

Valiente-

That's one reason I like the Alberg 30s... most of them were built about as heavy as tanks...

[Valiente]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Valiente-

That's one reason I like the Alberg 30s... most of them were built about as heavy as tanks...

Yeah, that was the general opinion around the yard after seeing how the poor Hunter crumpled like a Pinto in a demolition derby.

[sailingdog]

At least the Hunter didn't explode, like the Pinto would have..

[SailorMitch]

My suggestion for the slings is to keep them clear of the keel proper (obviously), your speedo wheel, etc. on the front -- but it should be close to the leading edge of the keel. and aft the sling has to be placed forward of the prop shaft, but obviously aft of the keel. You want the bulkhead locations to be free so that the yard can place the boat on those areas in the cradle. We all are saying the same basic thing really, but the boat is in the slings a short time so placing the slings in bulkhead areas isn't that important. You want the boat sitting on the keel and where the bulkheads are on the interior of the hull for the longer period it will be in the cradle.

[sailingdog]

SailorMitch-

You've got a good point there about the cradle and the sling.

[sailaway21]

Mitch hit it on the head. Balance and the ability to properly position in the cradle are far more important than exactly where the slings go. If the weight of the boat is sufficient to damage the hull by lifting in slings, i would venture you've got a pretty weak hull, or a Hunter. Just kidding about the Hunter. Before one gets to anal about this, one should consider that the boat is designed to take far greater, and more violent, stresses in a seaway than it will encounter in slings.
In a lifetime of lifting cargo I have never encountered any that reacted well to being improperly slung and then dropped on the dock. Position the slings for balance and ensure they cannot slip. I do not advise "choking" as this will place compression forces upon the deck area. Spreader bars are the appropriate alternative. Your derrick operator will know what they are, and if needed.