Our Tilt-Up Rails have become the industry-preferred system for many reasons. They make it easy to load your PWC and always have it handy. There is no longer a need to trailer your PWC's or pay for dedicated slip storage. When you want to use your swim platform for swimming, fishing, or general play, you can tilt the Rails up to the vertical position. Our thin-profile Frame bolts to your swim platform, and the shock-lift-arm makes it easy to raise the rails to the upright position where they remain until you are ready to lower them and load your PWC.
The tilt-up feature is also a significant advantage when you are maneuvering around the marina or in a cove. With the Rails tilted up, there is nothing extending beyond your swim platform. Another big advantage is that you can bring a runabout, ski boat, wakeboard boat, or fishing boat up along the end of your swim platform for easy loading and unloading. You can mount them over your ladder or beside your slide. The photos on this page will illustrate all these advantages.
Note: The winch used in these videos is a 2,000 pound starter winch. If you place your order in
December we will include the 2500 pound Falcon winch FREE...normally a $320 upgrade. Also, our current Rails have had several improvements since these videos were made. But they illustrate the ease of operation very effectively.
Loading - Winching Up Your PWC
NEVER load your PWC with a rider. It adds a significant amount of weight, resistance, and wear on the winch and your hull.
To load your PWC, pull out enough cable so that it is 1 or 2 feet longer than the end of the Rails. You can “free-wheel” the winch by disengaging the knob on the top. When you have enough cable pulled out, re-engage the clutch knob.
Bring your PWC up to the edge of your swim platform, kneel down, reach under and clip the hook to your PWC. Then push your PWC back out beyond the Rails and then pull it into the curved end of the Rails. With one hand on the winch power control and the other holding the cable as pictured, lift the front of your PWC up so the curved portion of the hull engages the end of the Rails and begin winching it in.
One of the advantages of the vertically-mounted winch is that you can guide the cable up and down the drum by lifting up or pushing down on the rope/cable. When you first begin winching, the cable will want to feed into the bottom of the drum. Lift it up enough so that it doesn’t rub against the sides of the drum. As your PWC rises up over the end of the Rails, the cable will begin to feed all the way to the top of the drum, so you will push it down. Continue to distribute the wraps somewhat evenly as your PWC is winched up.
As your PWC approaches the winch, you can remove your hand from the cable and push down on the front of your PWC. The farther down the drum you wrap the cable, the higher the rear of your PWC will be out of the water. In other words, the curved hull of the PWC allows you to "rock" it and lower the front of it quite easily which can make a significant difference to the rear in relation to the water. This, in addition to the fact that you can raise or lower the winch several inches using the multiple hole options provided in the Frame gives a lot of control over the angle of your loaded PWC.
Because you will be handling the cable so much, this is why most customers choose to get the Synthetic Rope upgrade. Steel cable develops sharp barbs over time, and it becomes springy and tangles with itself.
AS STATED ABOVE NEVER WINCH IN YOUR PWC WITH A RIDER. It adds unnecessary weight, resistance, and wear.
Unloading
Because of the angle of the Rails and the “slickness” of the UHMW-covered Rails, your PWC will always want to slide off. So you will need to unload it using the OUT button on your control since you can't disengage the free-wheeling feature while under load. As soon as it is off the Rails and you have let out enough slack, pull the PWC back to you on the swim platform and unhook it. You can then either wind up the cable, or leave it laying on the swim platform or draped over your deck-railing until you are ready to load your PWC again.
Installing Your PWC Cover
One of the challenges with traditional PWC Rails is getting the cover on when part of the PWC is out over the water where it is out of reach. But with our Tilt-Up Rails, it is a snap! All you have to do is raise up your Rails, bring your PWC up along side your swim platform, and cover your PWC within easy reach. Then you load it on the Rails.
Installing the Winch Cover
With your PWC loaded and the cable connected, the Sunbrella winch cover is slipped over the bottom of the winch first, then over the top, then the snap is connected around the cable line. If you did not purchase a Sunbrella winch cover, although the winch is designed to get wet, we recommend that you cover it with something so it isn’t constantly exposed to sun and rain.
When your Rails are tilted up, do not rely solely on the lift arms to secure them. If they are accidentally pushed, they can cause harm or damage as the lift arms collapse. Therefore, YOU MUST SECURE YOUR RAILS IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. The easiest way to do that is to hook the rope around the cross-brace onto the top of the Frame, then tighten it with the Power IN button.
Questions?
If you have any questions about loading or unloading, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can reach me personally at 937-476-1298 or send an email to sales@pwcrails.com.
When your Rails are tilted up, do not rely solely on the lift arms to secure them. If they are accidentally pushed, they can cause harm or damage as the lift arms collapse. Therefore, YOU MUST SECURE YOUR RAILS IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. The easiest way to do that is to hook the rope around the cross-brace onto the top of the Frame, then tighten it with the Power IN button.
