Doug Poland on 8/22/101 8:12 AM said:

>>The lifting cables that came with the boat are all rusted and unusable, but there are three of them -- one, I assume, goes through the port on top of the cabin and attaches to the lifting hook in the bilge. The other two, I assume, are led through the main hatch opening and attach under the cockpit. When you haul your boat with the Grainger strap, do you use that strap alone attached to the hook in the bilge? If so, is the boat very well balanced with a single strap attached, or do I need to do something to distribute the weight in the boat? Thanks again for your help.

>>

Doug:

The main strap is attached to the keel lift point and goes up through the hole in the cabin top to a lift ring.

The two other straps go from the lift ring back to the toe rail about at the main winches. These serve to keep the main strap centered in the hole and to balance the boat.

DON'T try to lift the boat with a single strap! The deck hole is not centered over the keel lift point, and you'll likely damage your deck.

If your making up a strap, the main strap needs to be long enough to get the lift ring about a foot and a half above the cabin top. Then the two balance straps have a clear lead back to the toe rail.

I measured the distances (eyeball and tape measure) and had a local sling company build a strap. It's rated for about 6500 pounds, has carabiners that clip onto the toe rail easily, and probably weighs 3 pounds. I think it cost me about $60.00.

Good luck!