I left mine in the sling for the duration of the work although some lumber was propped under it to take some weight off the front lifting points. Made cleaning up some wiring easy.
The cleats were used front & rear to lift from above. Since the bow/dash is so heavy we added a lift area just aft of the windshield. There's some lumber stacked in the curve of the topcap to provide support so it wasn't being lifted by the thin fiberglass. Mine already had some support there for tower leg bases.
The more guys the better. What's your plan?