Swim Platform Hydraulic and Controls Expert.

Hydraulicpro

Member
Sep 11, 2021
33
Florida
Boat Info
Boatless
Engines
Between Boats
Hi all, Hydraulicpro here!

I am a new member to Club Sea Ray. I wanted to let you all know who I was and what I can do for the members that have Hydraulic operated Swim Platforms. I have been formally educated and working now in the field of Hydraulics, Pneumatics and Control systems for the past 45 years. I own a company that has supplied just about all of the Yacht manufacturers directly or indirectly with the Hydraulic and Electrical Control Systems for the Swim Platforms made in the USA. I have supplied systems to some that you all are probably familiar with in one way or another like, Sealift USA, GHS (General Hydraulic Solutions), TNT Lifts back when Tony owned the company and I also designed and manufactured all of the Hydraulic and Controls on the Lazzara "LSX75 and 92" yachts as well as other Lazzara models. I have even replaced Nautical Structures Systems. If fact another one is going through the shop now including all of the cylinders for rebuild.

I have history with the Transom Lift industry back as far as 1998 when I moved to Florida and helped get GHS (which is a division of Southcoast Marine) into the Lift business. I also worked with Sealift to get them into the Lift industry. Sealift has been sold a couple of times since then but, I have been along for the ride with them. Currently Sealift is owned by Freedom Lift. Stephen Johns runs the Sealift side of the business which is out of the Space Coast here in Florida. They have one of the best designed Lifts that I have seen. I still supply pumps to Sealift and I am their customer support Tech Hotline.

I usually stock all the parts necessary to build a complete new Hydraulic and Control system including the Harnesses. These are OE systems, not patched together parts with lots of fittings that could leak. My Lead-Time is typically about 1 week unless there is a line. All the new systems have a 2 year warranty and we don't have many warranties. I tell all of our customers that if they have a problem after 2 years to always call me because I might just cover it under warranty if I think the part should not have even thought about failing.

Just a quick note about the cylinders. Cylinders do not wear out if properly installed. The seals get old and tired and may need to be replaced but the cylinder itself is usually good. 99 percent of the time the hydraulic Lift and locking cylinders can be rebuilt and be good as new. We have never had one come back. We stock all the original seals necessary to fix most of the cylinders. If we don't have it on our shelf then, it will only take a couple of days to get it using standard ground shipping. We usually buy extra seals to make up stock seal kits for anybody else that might need a rebuild in the future. The price of us rebuilding the cylinders is 1/2 of what they cost new. Yes, we even rebuild the ones that are completely welded up.

We are not in business to make a living at selling repair parts and hoses. We have them in stock and we sell them at a very reasonable price just to support our great customers. BTW, Technical support is always free so don't hesitate to give me a call (+1 (727)781-1924) email: Sales@PDTIntegration.com . I love to talk Hydraulics, Controls and Hotrods.

Thanks for taking the time to read all of this and maybe it will help save you time and aggravation in the future. Happy, Safe Boating from Frank the Hydrauilicpro, IFPS Certified.
 
Welcome aboard. Good to have you here.
Our new to us has the following problems. When lowered the port side is much lower in the water. When raised the port side takes longer to lock in position. Over time, maybe 24 hrs, the port side may lossen from the locked position. What part should I be looking to repair?
Thank you.
 
Welcome aboard! I have many questions but I’ll start with this. I’ve often questioned the position of our locking mechanism(not sure of the technical name). It’s a GHS lift. Should I be looking to replace these? They don’t seem to be marking contact. I don’t see much if any play in the platform in the locked position. But this looks questionable to me.
562C0C3A-F514-4F0B-9D37-F8E60D4CFCBA.jpeg
A7CED4FF-3A22-4B82-B21D-33F4064DC26C.jpeg
 
Welcome aboard! I have many questions but I’ll start with this. I’ve often questioned the position of our locking mechanism(not sure of the technical name). It’s a GHS lift. Should I be looking to replace these? They don’t seem to be marking contact. I don’t see much if any play in the platform in the locked position. But this looks questionable to me.
View attachment 112080 View attachment 112081
Welcome aboard. Good to have you here.
Our new to us has the following problems. When lowered the port side is much lower in the water. When raised the port side takes longer to lock in position. Over time, maybe 24 hrs, the port side may lossen from the locked position. What part should I be looking to repair?
Thank you.
Welcome aboard. Good to have you here.
Our new to us has the following problems. When lowered the port side is much lower in the water. When raised the port side takes longer to lock in position. Over time, maybe 24 hrs, the port side may lossen from the locked position. What part should I be looking to repair?
Thank you.
Hi There Larry, Frank the Hydraulicpro here. Sounds like you might have a leaking piston seal inside of the Port lift cylinder. The best way to tell is to do a pretty simple test. When the lift is all the way up and locked, remove the hose marked "BEP" on the top of the hydraulic unit. That hose is the one used to make the Lift go down on the Port side. Put a #4 JIC Steel cap on the manifold fitting where you removed the hose. Put the hose in a Bucket and push your "UP" button. If you get oil coming out of the hose in a steady stream (even a small amount but steady) you have a bad piston seal. GHS uses a single piston seal design so we really only have to do that in one direction. GHS will tell you to purchase new cylinders and that they are worn out. Surprise! They are not worn out they just need to be rebuilt. Send them to us the next time you haul out and we will be able to save you over $1,000 bucks probably. We have a rule that if the repair cost exceeds 50% of the cost of a new cylinder we will advise you to purchase a new one. Let me know how your test goes. Have a great week! Frank (Hydraulicpro)
 
Welcome aboard! I have many questions but I’ll start with this. I’ve often questioned the position of our locking mechanism(not sure of the technical name). It’s a GHS lift. Should I be looking to replace these? They don’t seem to be marking contact. I don’t see much if any play in the platform in the locked position. But this looks questionable to me.
View attachment 112080 View attachment 112081
Hi Hydraulicpro here. You are absolutely spot on. The internal return springs are getting weak. The best fix is to replace them. I don't stock the lock cylinders because the parts add up to more than 50% of the cost of a new one from GHS. I would recommend that you buy them direct from Rick at GHS. His number is +1 (727)571-1065. They work from 0700 to 1630 M-Th Weekly. Fire away if you have more questions. Have a great week, Hydraulicpro
 
How difficult (and expensive) is it to add a hydraulic lift to a boat without one? I'm looking at a new swim platform next year to replace my worn out and small OEM platform. I've gotten a quote from swimplatforms.com that looks pretty good, my main question is do I want to rethink my davit solution at the same time. I've gone through Weavers, Roskelley-Olsson and am now on a Hurley, and none of them have been ideal. Having friends that do have the hydraulics has convinced me that is the ideal solution, so I'm curious about whether coupling that with a new platform is something that can be done.

Thanks,
Kevin
 
How difficult (and expensive) is it to add a hydraulic lift to a boat without one? I'm looking at a new swim platform next year to replace my worn out and small OEM platform. I've gotten a quote from swimplatforms.com that looks pretty good, my main question is do I want to rethink my davit solution at the same time. I've gone through Weavers, Roskelley-Olsson and am now on a Hurley, and none of them have been ideal. Having friends that do have the hydraulics has convinced me that is the ideal solution, so I'm curious about whether coupling that with a new platform is something that can be done.

Thanks,
Kevin
Hi Kevin, Hydraulicpro here!
Yes I have to agree with your friends about going with a hydraulic powered swim platform. They work great and last a long time with little maintenance effort and expense. Having seem many many lifts, I would recommend that you take a look at the Sealift. The Lift mechanism just goes on the outside of the Transom and is held in place with through-bolts. Of course it is sealed. The Hydraulic unit goes inside and your controls are wireless. The person you need to contact is Stephen Johns (321)302-5804 Cell). He can recommend exactly which lift you need based on your yacht and what you want to put on the Lift (Like a Dingy or Jet Ski) or nothing at all. He is the pricing guy. I really think that their design is the best going right now. It is simple and the more weight on it when it is up, the more it wants to stay locked in place. Also there is no way the lift will get uneven from side to side like some others out there. I have installed the hydraulics on quite a few 93 ft. Lazzara Yachts with the Sealift Super Lift. Some of them lift a 900 lbs Jet Ski. I might add they also have a 2-stage lift for special applications.

If you have a Davit Crane then now would be an excellent time to make it hydraulic also if it isn't already. We design custom systems using the same hydraulic components that are used on the Lift systems for commonality when possible. We also design the Davit system to run off of the same hydraulic unit which has emergency hydraulic hand pump capability. You could add the Davit now or just let us know you want to have the option to add it at a later date. We will make it so that the Davit is just a Plug and Play to your existing Hydraulic System as an additional option.

I hope I answered your questions. If not then please let me know. Have a GREAT week! Hydraulipro
 
Hello Frank
I have a 2000 48 sea ray with a TNT lift. the port side swim platform lift started slowly moving downward a couple of inches in 3 weeks . usually when i would bring platform up ,it would even up when starboard side topped out port side would catch up.Just came up to boat and port side is down significantly, tried to raise and port side will not go up but goes down. i do notice small oil residue in water when trying to use hydraulics. I thought i heard a leaking noise when starboard topped out prior to this but couldn't find any oil or leak in lazarette.what should i check first ?
 
Welcome aboard! I have many questions but I’ll start with this. I’ve often questioned the position of our locking mechanism(not sure of the technical name). It’s a GHS lift. Should I be looking to replace these? They don’t seem to be marking contact. I don’t see much if any play in the platform in the locked position. But this looks questionable to me.
View attachment 112080 View attachment 112081
Your load holding valves are working great and your system is leak free. You are good to go. If you did develope and internal or external leak then the lock hooks would hold the platfrom up so that it would not drift.
 
Hi all, Hydraulicpro here!

I am a new member to Club Sea Ray. I wanted to let you all know who I was and what I can do for the members that have Hydraulic operated Swim Platforms. I have been formally educated and working now in the field of Hydraulics, Pneumatics and Control systems for the past 45 years. I own a company that has supplied just about all of the Yacht manufacturers directly or indirectly with the Hydraulic and Electrical Control Systems for the Swim Platforms made in the USA. I have supplied systems to some that you all are probably familiar with in one way or another like, Sealift USA, GHS (General Hydraulic Solutions), TNT Lifts back when Tony owned the company and I also designed and manufactured all of the Hydraulic and Controls on the Lazzara "LSX75 and 92" yachts as well as other Lazzara models. I have even replaced Nautical Structures Systems. If fact another one is going through the shop now including all of the cylinders for rebuild.

I have history with the Transom Lift industry back as far as 1998 when I moved to Florida and helped get GHS (which is a division of Southcoast Marine) into the Lift business. I also worked with Sealift to get them into the Lift industry. Sealift has been sold a couple of times since then but, I have been along for the ride with them. Currently Sealift is owned by Freedom Lift. Stephen Johns runs the Sealift side of the business which is out of the Space Coast here in Florida. They have one of the best designed Lifts that I have seen. I still supply pumps to Sealift and I am their customer support Tech Hotline.

I usually stock all the parts necessary to build a complete new Hydraulic and Control system including the Harnesses. These are OE systems, not patched together parts with lots of fittings that could leak. My Lead-Time is typically about 1 week unless there is a line. All the new systems have a 2 year warranty and we don't have many warranties. I tell all of our customers that if they have a problem after 2 years to always call me because I might just cover it under warranty if I think the part should not have even thought about failing.

Just a quick note about the cylinders. Cylinders do not wear out if properly installed. The seals get old and tired and may need to be replaced but the cylinder itself is usually good. 99 percent of the time the hydraulic Lift and locking cylinders can be rebuilt and be good as new. We have never had one come back. We stock all the original seals necessary to fix most of the cylinders. If we don't have it on our shelf then, it will only take a couple of days to get it using standard ground shipping. We usually buy extra seals to make up stock seal kits for anybody else that might need a rebuild in the future. The price of us rebuilding the cylinders is 1/2 of what they cost new. Yes, we even rebuild the ones that are completely welded up.

We are not in business to make a living at selling repair parts and hoses. We have them in stock and we sell them at a very reasonable price just to support our great customers. BTW, Technical support is always free so don't hesitate to give me a call (+1 (727)781-1924) email: Sales@PDTIntegration.com . I love to talk Hydraulics, Controls and Hotrods.

Thanks for taking the time to read all of this and maybe it will help save you time and aggravation in the future. Happy, Safe Boating from Frank the Hydrauilicpro, IFPS Certified.


We LOVE our Sealift. I live right down the road from them. Stephen and Matt and crew are great people. The only issue I’ve ever had is when they were using rubber hoses.....they bubbled up and finally ruptured and leaked. I replaced with stainless and been working great since.
 
Welcome aboard. Good to have you here.
Our new to us has the following problems. When lowered the port side is much lower in the water. When raised the port side takes longer to lock in position. Over time, maybe 24 hrs, the port side may lossen from the locked position. What part should I be looking to repair?
Thank you.
 
Sorry for the late response. It sounds like you might have a leaking piston seal and or Rod seal (oil in water). Some lift cylinders use 2 piston seals. One seal works for lifting and the other workings for going down. The other possible, but unlikely thing is the load holding valve. I would recommend doing a test on the cylinder or a rebuild. We can do it here for half the price of a new cylinder if the hard parts of the cylinder are in good shape. We won't know until be see it. Let me know if you want to proceed. We are located in Palm Harbor, FL.
 
Sorry for the late response. It sounds like you might have a leaking piston seal and or Rod seal (oil in water). Some lift cylinders use 2 piston seals. One seal works for lifting and the other workings for going down. The other possible, but unlikely thing is the load holding valve. I would recommend doing a test on the cylinder or a rebuild. We can do it here for half the price of a new cylinder if the hard parts of the cylinder are in good shape. We won't know until be see it. Let me know if you want to proceed. We are located in Palm Harbor, FL.
I have a GHS lift with problems I'm in St. Pete area who can I call to discuss Dick
 
I have a GHS lift with problems I'm in St. Pete area who can I call to discuss Dick
He’s got a phone number and e-mail in the first post. Have you tried them?
 
Hi Frank,
I have a GHS lift on my 2008 Sea Ray 44 Sundancer. I bought the boat three years ago and was thinking about replacing all my hydraulic lines since I have no paperwork showing it was ever done. How often should they be replaced and do you stock them? Boat is still out of the water and would like to get them changed out in the next few weeks. Also, can you explain how to bleed the system after the installation of lines?
Thank you
Rick
 
Hi Rick! Did I get back with you? I loose track sometimes. The hoses should be changed once a year if they are the stainless braided type. This is what the OEMs recommend. We have hoses that are good for at least 5 years. They are also rated for a higher pressure. They are a little more expensive but not anywhere near 5x the cost of the other hoses. Shoot me an email if you are interested and I will send you back an estimate. Pdtintegration@ij.net Thanks and have a great week, Frank
 
Purchased Searay 42AC, Fremantle Western Australia,
Found Nutone blender jug in original package, under floor storage.
It needs a new home as we have change from 110v to 240v as needed in Australia.
 

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Frank, I have a smaller boat (2017 SeaRay 250 SLX). This model has an option for a hydraulic swim platform that I didn't upgrade/buy when I bought the boat. I thought this would be something easy to "buy a kit" and install myself or by a tech after, but no luck. Do you have any recommendations on where to find a kit (parts) or who could install other than the names you've provided for larger boats? Attached is a pic of what it 'would' look like and what I'm looking for.....it's installed under the swim platform and would extend out for the step. Thanks!View attachment 125783
 

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