stern tow eye,s

[dansoph]

would it be okay to lift my 17' sunbird b/r from the eyes on the stern of the boat. i'd like to pick it up off the trailer to clean the hull.i'm also going to try tydbowl cleaner. any suggestions glady accepted. thanks

 

[18rabbit]

Re: stern tow eye,s

Don’t know about your boat but in my 18-ft’r they are not for towing; they are for lifting. There’s one in the bow, also. Obviously, all 3 of the eyes (two on transom, one on bow) are on the inside of the hull. I have a 3-point lifting harness made of ss cable for it.

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: stern tow eye,s

The stern eyes are usually pretty strong. Make sure they have good backing plates on them and generally "look" strong enough. The bow eye is another thing altogether and varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. GENERALLY, they are not intended for lifting as they come from the factory, although there are exceptions. Trust me on this--I found out the hard way.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: stern tow eye,s

Try picking up your pet by the neck and the tail. If it's a cat, you'll regret it; if it's a dog you may also regret it. Web straps would be much less stressful on your boat.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: stern tow eye,s

For me - always web straps. Evens out the load, and avoids potential future crazing of the fibreglass around the eyes. Double straps front and rear, so that one of each pair can be loosened in turn when cleaning the hull.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: stern tow eye,s

On my boat all the lifting eyes have backing plates on the hull exterior, even the one on the bow. Jack has a good point; all the lifting eyes are a couple sizes larger than the bow eye on the exterior of the hull used for winching the boat onto a trailer, and they are all on the INSIDE of the boat. If your transom eyes are a similar size as the bow eye, maybe not a good idea to lift from them.

 

[Solittle]

Re: stern tow eye,s

At many marina's they use a 3 point lift to the bow and stern eyes. Many bow eyes have a stout SS rod that goes from the inside of the hull up through the deck to a lifting eye. Read Jack's post carefully and inspect yours thoroughly. You should have no problem.<br /><br />I did not inspect the bow eye on a 27'er I had years ago. The marina guy was lifting it off the trailer when the bow eye gave way. Fortunately it only dropped a couple of inches.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: stern tow eye,s

I have seen many boats lifted by the eyes so I would not hesitate to do it.Charlie

 

[Dhadley]

Re: stern tow eye,s

Tow eyes generally have one nut each and a washer. Lifting rings have two nuts each and a backing plate and should be made of much stronger material. Generally.