If you’ve recently bought a tritoon boat you may be wondering, ‘how do I set up bunks for a tritoon boat lift?’ Whether you currently have a boat lift you are wanting to switch over or are setting up your boat lift for the first time, here are some recommendations for setting up your cradle to accommodate a tritoon.
You must first consider whether you have an aluminum or galvanized boat lift. You need to know if your I-beams are aluminum or galvanized because mixing the two materials will cause corrosion. If you have an aluminum cradle you’re good to go, but if you have wooden bunks and are not sure, use a magnet to help you find out. A magnet will stick to steel but not aluminum.
Aluminum
If you have an aluminum boat lift then using aluminum bunks is a great look. They are also strong, durable, and won’t float or rot like wooden bunks.
If you have existing aluminum bunks you can move your bunks to the middle of your cradle and add two sets of bunks on either side of your original bunks – for a total of six aluminum bunks.
If you do not have existing bunks or you are wanting to upgrade from wooden to aluminum bunks you can buy a tritoon bunk kit. The kit comes with two 12-foot bunks and a set of four 4-inch bunks.
Galvanized
If you have existing wooden bunks you can move your bunks to the middle of your cradle and add two sets of bunks on the outside. You will need one set of 4 pontoon bunk brackets. These are v-shaped brackets that allow you to attach two wooden bunks to each bracket. You will need to buy four pieces of 2x10x10 or 2x12x12 marine-grade wood and gray bunk carpet.
If you do not have existing bunks you will need a set of 4 pontoon bunk brackets plus an additional two galvanized pontoon brackets for a total of six brackets for your tritoon. You will need to buy six pieces of 2x10x10 or 2x12x12 marine-grade wood and gray bunk carpet for your wooden bunks. Again, this gives you three sets of bunks.
If you have cradle beams that are larger than the traditional 4-6 inches tall you can use the universal bunk bracket set. You will need a set of four universal bunk brackets along with two single brackets (please note the single brackets do not come with hardware and you will need to purchase the hardware for the single brackets) and six pieces of marine-grade wood.
How do I space my bunks? The easiest way to measure the placement of your bunks is to look at your trailer and use the measurements that you already know work for your tritoon.
Whether you need to reconfigure the bunks on your existing cradle beam or you are installing your tritoon bunks for the first time, Boat Lift Warehouse has the boat lift parts you need. Visit the Boat Lift Warehouse website to order your tritoon boat lift parts today!
