Must bunks align with stern when on a boat lift

[Volant]

. I know when trailering a CDory it is desirable to position the boat, so the trailer bunks extend all the way to the stern. But is that necessary for bunks on a boat lift, given that a lift is stable and not bouncing around like a boat trailer? The reason I am asking is that I have access to a boat lift which has 12 foot long bunks. I did some center-of-gravity and loading calculations, and if I align the stern at the end of the bunks, the load distribution is almost entirely (94%) transferred to the front cradle beam. The load does not exceed the beam or lift cable capacities, but I feel it puts undue wear and tear on the motor, front cables and blocks. So, my question is, is there any problem with me positioning the boat so the stern extends out 3’ to 4’ beyond the end of the bunks? Four feet of overhang yields equal load distribution to the front and rear cradles, but I could live with 3ft (61% on front beam) or 2 ft (72% on front beam) . A lift contractor says they do overhangs like that quite regularly for this reason, but I know the CDory has a balsa core, and I don’t know if that impacts stiffness. What is your opinion on all this?

 

[SEdowneast]

I was always under the impression that the lifting points for these boats should be around the drivers seat forward and slightly forward of the stern in the rear. Thus, the I beams of the lift should be located in the same area for the boat to be centered. Depending on the width of the cradle and the length of the beams, as well as the boat, you may have some overhang at the stern. However a 4 foot overhang would seem extreme. On my 23 Venture, I have 14 foot bunks and the cradle is about 9.5 feet wide. I have moved the front brackets for the bunks inward a bit to pinch the bow and force the boat to sit all the way down at the stern. I’ve measured the pressure of the boat on the bunks with a very thin piece of plastic and have pretty consistent pressure across the entire length of the bunks except for the most forward few inches. Having stated that, there is slightly more pressure on and in between the I beams, which I would expect.

 

[thataway]

I agree with SEdowneast. I have a foot to 2 feet at the most not supported. I prefer none or a foot. My lift bunks are true diminsinal 2 x 10's set on edge, two spaced about 3" apart on each side. My lift does not take a lot of adjustment between the C Dory 22, C Dory 25 and Tom Cat--the Tom Cat position works well for my caracal cat--centered on eachof the two hulls.