Other Boat mounted Jet Ski Davit

Citizen

Citizen

Location
Coeur D' Alene, ID
Hello!

So I am about to start on a DIY project and have been unable to find anything on the interwebs detailing someone else taking on this project. I am hoping that this is just due to me being the first guy to think of it and not that its impossible to do.

Basic idea:

I have a stand-up jet ski, I have a 21' Pontoon boat. I do not want to drive two rigs to the lake to dump both toys.

So here is my plan...

In the front right corner of the boat there is a clear area... I plan to mount a swiveling cherry picker there. Will bore a hole through the deck of the boat and mount the cherry picker baseplate to the aluminum frame of the boat...to as many as possible to spread the load and not bend or break anything.

In the center of the boat I will one way or another mount a removable or fold up stand for the jet ski to sit on. Something as simple as some carpet covered 4x4's would be fine tho I would rather have something smaller if possible. And would like to keep the center of gravity as low as possible.


So the plan is to be able to trailer the boat with the ski on top of it to the lake..dump boat in and take off to where ever we are going to spend the day. Hook onto the ski with my cherry picker and lift it up and swing it out over the water..lower it down and go play...when we are ready to go in the for day I will hook it up..lift it out of water and swing it back onto the boat.

If i Just want to use the ski I can park the single jet ski trailer next to the boat and winch the ski up and over the side and lower it to my other trailer.

The ski only weighs 280ish pounds..it is a stand up so I don't see the weight being too big of an issue either on the cherry picker or on the boat itself..I have had people heavier than that all over my boat with no issues.




I guess my main questions are...

Do you see any glaring issues with this idea?

Have you done it?

Do you know someone else who has done it?

Do you know where I can find a write up to help me?


Thanks in advance for your help folks, I really appreciate any input or help you can send my way.
 
shannon cone

shannon cone

Location
templeton
put 2 runnes across the front of the boat like you were talking about. eather turf them or carpet them. build another set that hooks to the side if the rails of your boat with a kicktand that hit the side pontoon when folded down. kind of like a folding ladder. this is used to keep the ramp at an angle so the load of the ski doesnt push it under water. you can also put a winch in the other side of the boat to pull it up. kinda sounds complicating but reall its simple. i can draw pisture if you need.
 
5bulldogs

5bulldogs

Location
Lexington Ky
I was looking into doing the same thing with a pontoon. My local boat dealer was steering me toward a lift that they sell at harbor freight. He said he installed one for the local firedepartment and just used a 2 - 3/4"x4' sheet of marine plywood to brace it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-1647.html

I was also looking at getting some kind of webbing type of sling to safely lift the ski.

I was also concerned about the weight sitting on the nose and taking on water over the bow. If you try it and it works please post a video of the loading and unloading process.
 
Citizen

Citizen

Location
Coeur D' Alene, ID
@ Shannon - Our first idea was very similar to that. The issues we have with it is our doors on the side of the boat are not wide enough to take the ski through, however if it is lifted in the air the bottom part of the hull will go through easily. The second problem with that setup is that I need to be able to use the ski separate from the boat. Without a lift type setup there is no way to get the jet ski on or off the boat when it is not in water. I do appreciate the input!

@5bulldogs - Thanks for the link, I was looking at something similar. However, I am dealing with somewhat narrow space to mount the lift so I need the model that has the swinging lift arm up higher on a pole. So more of a upside down L shape. My main concern for bracing is that the undercarriage of my boat is all aluminum struts and I am worried about bending those.

As for the sling to lift it I am thinking either some tow straps rigged up to go under it or some sort of webbing...though I am not sure where to get something strong enough. I also toyed with the idea of hooking a cable up to the bow eye and installed 2 more in the rear...however I don't know that I want to put that sort of strain on those points.
 
baxt3r

baxt3r

BBQ
Location
Charlotte, NC
The first issue that comes to mind will be the balance of the boat side to side. Will the weight of a lift and required support be enough to cause a lean?
 
Citizen

Citizen

Location
Coeur D' Alene, ID
baxt3r said:
The first issue that comes to mind will be the balance of the boat side to side. Will the weight of a lift and required support be enough to cause a lean?
Click to expand...

I thought of this too and it may be an issue..however if it is i can only load and unload the jetski when the boat is nosed into a beach so the front pontoons are supported by the sand. That would solve any balance issues.
 
Citizen

Citizen

Location
Coeur D' Alene, ID
Thanks much Swapmeet...good pics...mine is about done..waiting for the alum reinforcement plate to show up tomorrow to finish the final bolting down..then we do some real testing :rocketwhore:
 
Citizen

Citizen

Location
Coeur D' Alene, ID
Need some ideas for securing the ski to the winch...tie downs...cargo net? I need to get the top of the ski as close to the winch hook as possible..the higher i can get the ski in the air the better.
 
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