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Shore Station guide-on replacement

P

pwskicat

Regular Contributor
The attached photo is the shaft of a spring loaded technical term for guide-on at the four corners of my Shore Station SS36108 boat hoist. They center the boat on the bunks when you crank it up. The hoist is probably 20+-years old (bought it used) and the steel guide-ons are starting to break off from years of fresh-water exposure. There is only one retailer online that sells a replacement set (all 4 only) for $600+. I can build new ones myself for a little over $200 using SteelTek structural steel tube and fittings from Lowes. I will not invest in stainless steel. Too expensive and by the time this fix wears out, I will have gotten rid of the ski boat and the hoist. Also, this is not precision engineering, so long, detailed procedures need not apply

Problem is I can't find anybody to bend the 3/4" tube (OD 1.05" Wall Thickness .095"). Muffler shops say it's too small. Shops that can bend it say a 4-piece job isn't worth their time. So I'm left with two options:

A) Buy a bending tool like a Klein or Milwaukee, and hope that my 67 year-old strength will get the job done. 2) Dispense with bending and make straight shafts tall enough to end well above the hull rubstrip. The guide-on mounts can be moved to accommodate the rubstrip, which is the widest point on the boat. I would cover the bent shafts with foam logs, and the straight shafts with PVC pipe. The PVC would roll as the boat slides into the hoist. I look forward to reading pros, cons and helpful suggestions about these solutions.

Many thanks for your help, PW
 

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Have you talked to a blacksmith shop about bending them for you?I never have depended on the centering devices to much when parking a boat in the hoist.If you have bow and stern supports don't lower your platform to far under the surface of the water and they will help guide you on.I have seen people put foam on the corner posts of the hoist to protect the gunnels.
 
if you wanna continue to use the curved pipe concept, you can buy a hydraulic pipe bender for about $150, new...you could likely rent one from one of the better rental centers...if you only have a couple to bend, you may be able to just pay the guy in the shop a fraction of the rental fee.

the other option I know of came from spending the day on the river last weekend where we fished going by many boat lifts...those mostly had just PVC pipe...though I couldn't tell you what size or schedule they used...my guess would be about 1.5 or 2". We use it on my fishing buddy's trailer, at the back, to make sure the boat sits on the bunks centered...2" just U-bolted to the frame rails with a backer gusset.
 
Thanks for the replies. My hoist has horizontal bunks that run parallel to the boat, supporting it on either side of the keel. Not lowering my hoist too far is not an option, as it must go all the way down to float the boat in shallow water at my dock. As a direct-drive ski boat, the prop and shark fins mounted under the engine just clear the hoist rear lift beam. The ski boat trailer uses PVC on its rear guide-ons, which is how I thought of the straight-pipe solution. I'm gong to forego bending the steel for now and try straight pipes with 1.25" PVC covers. I also posted this question on a boat forum, and one comment suggested having a blacksmith bend the pipe; something I never would've thought of. There is a guy who runs a shop 30 minutes away. Hopefully he can help me out if bending becomes the only solution.
 
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