wevatv0915

By the base of the spa do you mean the cabinet or the ABS substructure? If the base of the spa is the cabinet, then I'm OK. The tub will be surrounded on 4 sides. From back to front, I'm constrained to the 87.5" length. From side to side I can make a cut and remove a board and get 90". Given that information, do you think they'll be able to fit it in? Should I let them know they may need a crane, or will a few lifting straps work OK? Unfortunately the deck was built 7 years ago - before we had aching joints and decided on a spa. The way the deck is built, making the back-to-front measurement any larger would have meant a total structural overhaul -- new posts, stringers, headers, etc. It would have been easier to build a new deck. Not in the budget after buying such a nice spa. :-) We're very excited for the tub! We did lots of research and liked a few spas, but the Vanguard was the one that was right for the two of us, and that was even more clear after a few wet tests. Thanks very much for your info.

Thanks for the info, Randy. I'm glad I have at least an inch! From back to front I have the 87.5", and I can't do much about that as that constraint deals with posts in concrete. From side to side I can remove a board and get 90", so hopefully that will help. I do have a 3'x2' removable cutaway for the front panel. Heavy, but it will work. I ordered the CoverCradle I with the spa. I think that one will work, at least that's what our salesman said. :-) Thanks for your help!

Help! So we just purchased a 2009 Vanguard and haven't taken delivery yet. I'm wondering about the clearance tolerances needed for the WxH. We are sinking it into our deck which is only 14 in. tall. When I gave our deck contractor the pre-installation notes, the diagram that had the bottom view had the width at 85.5", so that is how big he made our concrete pad. (I checked the 2008 instructions available on the HS and the same diagram said 87" not 85.5"). However, when I look at the dimensions on the front of the pre-installation notes for WxH, it says 7ft 3 in which is 87". We made the hole in our deck 87.5" square, thinking we were leaving ourselves a little slack because the bottom view diagram said 85.5". My questions are this this: 1. What is the real width of the tub? 2. If the real width is 87", Is a total of 1/2 inch slack enough to have the tub installed? Keep in mind it will need to be lowered into the deck. I really don't want the contractor come and fix the hole in my deck to be a little wider, and at the same time increase the size of the pad. I don't need the added expense. Links: 2009 Owner's pre-delivery instructions.

So we're looking at buying a 2009 Vanguard, but we're not sure if we can have the cover lifter attached on the right side of the tub. Will it interfere with the lighted status indicator? Also - how are cover lifters attached now that the frame is composite and not wood? Any ideas? Thanks in advance for any help. I appreciate all the knowledge that is available on this tub!