Owner`s manual

119
Lifting Your Yacht
The following are guidelines that will help
prevent damage to your yacht as it is being
lifted:
✸ Never lift the yacht with a greater than
normal accumulation of water in the bilge.
All tanks containing fresh water should be
empty.
✸ Place lifting slings where indicated by
the sling tab labels on the gunwales(See
Thru-hull Locations Layout-Port and
Starboard in the Schematics Section of
this Owners Manual, which illustrates the
location of the sling tab locations). Avoid
placing slings where they may lift the
propeller shaft or other underwater fittings.
Padding, placed under the slings at the
chine corners, will help to keep pressure to
a minimum at this location.
✸ Disconnect the propeller shafts at the
transmissions to prevent damage to the
transmissions and shafts.
✸ Use wide, flat, lifting slings made of
belting and spreader bars long enough to
keep pressure off of the gunwales.
DO NOT use slings made of cable.
Pressure caused by the slings on the
gunwales can cause severe gelcoat
crazing or more serious hull damage.
The spreader bar at each lifting sling
should be at least as long as the dis-
tance across the widest point the sling
surrounds.
✸ If a marine railway or platform hoist is
being used, locate and adjust the blocking
to distribute the weight over several areas.
The weight borne by the keel must not be
so great as to cause crushing or distortion
of the member.
✸ When lifting the yacht, keep the bow
higher than the stern so the engine and
generator (if so equipped) exhaust lines
can drain. This will prevent water from
flowing forward through the manifold and
into the engine itself, where it may become
trapped.
Always keep the bow higher than the
stern every time the yacht is lifted. DO
NOT lift the stern higher than the bow at
any time as this may cause water to
enter the engines. Engine failure is
possible if water enters the engine
cylinders. The water can cause “hydro-
static lock” and bend the piston rods.
“Hydrostatic lock” is a situation where
the piston cannot travel to its full up-
ward position due to the presence of a
liquid above the piston and extreme
pressure is forced downward as the
piston moves upward. Even a small
quantity of water can cause rust or
other internal engine damage.
NOTE: Silverton recommends an optional
storage cradle with the purchase of your
yacht. The cradle is factory made to con-
form to the bottom of your yacht for safe
storage and minimizes the risk of hull
distortion.