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A lot of pontooners enjoy the benefit of owning a hydraulic lift to keep their boat out of the water when storing it, but that lift has to stay back at the dock when the pontoon heads out. With Sea-Legs however, the two hydraulic lift modules (or Legs) are actually attached to the bottom of your pontoon so you take the lift with you. The Legs lift and hold the boat at any height, up to 6 feet from the lake or river bottom. When retracted under the deck, the pontoon is fully functional until you get to your next destination.
The advantages are endless, but one of the biggest is simplified docking wherever you go. To secure your boat, simply extend the Sea-Legs.
“No bumpers needed, just drop your Legs and raise your boat and off you go,” says Jerry Shaughnessy who had a set installed on his 2016 Sweetwater pontoon. “We like to visit different marinas on Clarklake and Sea-Legs make it very convenient.”
When Shaughnessy first saw a pontoon equipped with the Sea-Legs lifting system, the Michigan boater admits he had his doubts.
“The first year we were on the lake we saw them and thought the Legs would get stuck and wouldn’t work, but they work just fine,” recalls Shaughnessy. “Now as you look around Clarklake everyone has them.”
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Whether you have sand, rocks or “muck,” each independent leg has approximately 3,000 pounds of extension and retraction power so getting stuck is not an issue since it can be used on all types of lake and river bottom surfaces. Sea-Legs were first installed commercially in 1994 and are currently more than 10,000 sets are in operation in the U.S. and Canada.
After buying his Sweetwater Premium Edition 220 pontoon from Krupa’s Boat Mart in Jackson, Mich., Shaughnessy later had the Sea-Legs installed by the dealer. The Legs must be installed by an authorized dealer and will fit on most 18- to 30-foot standard, new or pre-owned pontoon boats. The Sweetwater is a two-logged pontoon, but Sea-Legs also has a triple-tube version that works on most triple-tube pontoons 22 to 35 feet in length.
The front and back Sea-Legs can be operated independently or simultaneously via the remote control or manual toggle switches. To compensate for different sloped lake bottoms, you can adjust the front or back height as needed. And once tucked up to the pontoon deck bottom, they won’t drag in the water as you drive and the weight is evenly distributed throughout the length of the pontoon boat.
Power To Spare
With a Honda 90hp outboard on the back, Shaughnessy hasn’t seen any performance issues since he had time on the water before installing the Legs. And as far as outboard power, the Clearlake resident is actually quite happy with his first Honda.
“The Honda was a recommendation of Bill Vinson who sold me the boat,” recalls Shaughnessy. “It’s my first Honda but my brother-in-law has one and loves it and he convinced me to go with the 90 and I’m glad I did.”
Krupa’s
Another good decision for Shaughnessy was going to Krupa’s Boat Mart that has been servicing Michigan families for more than 60 years since Tony Krupa first opened the doors. Today his son Gary is president of Krupa’s and being named Nautic Global Group’s “Worldwide Dealer of the Year” in 2016 is only part of the dealership’s total accomplishments as Krupa’s has been a top-selling dealer for Aqua Patio, Sweetwater and Sanpan pontoons for nearly 20 years.
That reputation for being a quality dealer led Shaughnessy to Krupa’s and now it’s all about just enjoying time on the water.
“Cruising the lake in the evening with my wife Anita and entertaining our friends is our primary use of the pontoon but we also have boating friends out on the lake and we like to drop the Legs and tie the boats together and have a party on the water,” says Shaughnessy. “It’s also great for fishing since you can get right on the shallow edge of a drop-off. We have great fishing on this lake.”
Like a lot of satisfied customers, Shaughnessy would recommend Sea-Legs to anyone with a pontoon but he has only has one regret. “I just wish I would have invented it,” says Shaughnessy with a smile.
I’m sure a lot of Sea-Legs owners feel the same way, but the next best thing to owning the company is enjoying the benefits of being able to take your hydraulic lift with you wherever you go.
For More Information
Honda Marine
770-497-6400
www.marine.honda.com
Krupa's Boat Mart
3909 Francis St.
Jackson, MI 49203
517-782-7146
www.krupas.com
Sea-Legs
952-934-7000
www.sea-legs.com
Sweetwater
574-522-8381
www.sweetwaterboats.com
