Boat Lift ideas, comments, suggestions needed

wish2fish

wish2fish

Active Member
Dec 19, 2006
4,278
Locust Creek, Ohio River mm 433
Boat Info
2003 220BR
Engines
5.0 MPI
I am seriously considering getting a boat lift this winter while they have their prices down. I have found a really nice Shoremaster 50000lb Standing Vertical lift with 14 ft rails.

Some facts about our situation:
  • Our water levels have very little flucuation during the season
  • Winter water levels often exceeds summer levels by 10+ feet so boat house with roof is not option
  • Water level at dock is only 4-5 ft so floating dock or hydro hoist not an option
  • I don't plan on upgrading boats anytime soon.

Is the lift big enough for the boat? Dealer says yes.

SeaRay spec sheet says the dry weight is 4150 lbs.

Boat 4150 lbs
Gas 250 lbs
Equip 500 lbs

Total 4800 lbs

I was wondering if anyone on here has used these types or brand of lifts and wondering what they thought of them. Also if you have any comments or suggestions I would like to hear them.

ShoreMaste Boat Lifts

vertical_lift.jpg
 
Re: Boat ideas, comments, suggestions needed

If the water goes up 10+ feet in the winter, will the mechanical components on top of that lift go underwater? Is that ok?
 
Re: Boat ideas, comments, suggestions needed

You have a margin of 200 lbs? Wow. . . that is not much margin.

I think you REALLY want power for your lift. Cranking by hand will become a real chore after a while. Heck, I have power for my jetski lift, and that is only 800lbs.

And I concur with Gary. . .just where will this lift be relative to your summer and winter water heights? I assume the lift must be above the winter height, and have the reach to let the boat down to the summer height, right? Plus. . you are subject to flooding on the river, right? what happens to the lift if you have an occassional flood?
 
Re: Boat ideas, comments, suggestions needed

I see I screwed up and forgot to put "lift" in the subject line. Is there a way to change that?

Our river bottom here is muddy. The legs/feet will sink down 2-3 and therefore you don't take the lift out during the off season. We don't have a problem with flowing ice so that wouldn't be a problem either.

During the winter the water will come up and down once or twice. Usually wouldn't be out of the banks for more than a few days. Would a little preventive lubrication help this? How would this be different than the rain/snow/ice we normally get.

During the summer we don't have regular flooding. Only 1 time in the 10 years I've owned the place have we had a summer flood. That was caused by hurricane remnants that passed through our area 1 week apart. If that happens again I would have time to go down and get the boat out.

Not being argumentative but just trying to bounce my thoughts off you guys.
 
Re: Boat ideas, comments, suggestions needed

I don't think total immersion would be good for it, but if it was intermittent I guess you could hose it all off later. What if your boat was on it during the flood? Either way you would definitely want a power option. Do they have a (nut type) fitting that you could hook a portable (1/2") heavy duty drill to? That way you wouldn't have a motor that would get wet during the floods
 
Re: Boat ideas, comments, suggestions needed

I have a couple of boat lifts but they are the ones that mount to pilings...

One of my first questions would be "what do other people do in your area?" I doubt you are the first to solve the problem of what type of lift to use and the dealer surely has other lifts in your area. Go find one that is a few years old and see what it looks like.

I asked about the mechanicals on the top of the thing going underwater because they may not be designed to stay underwater. Things such as pulleys, gears, and ball bearings are not going to be happy spending any time under water weather it is fresh or salt water. The reality is that lift mechanicals spend 99.9% of their time out of the water and they are generally designed that way. Again, I would ask the dealer or manufacturer that question. If you get an electric motor (highly highly HIGHLY recommended), you may have to pull it off in the winter at a minimum. My electric motors have covers on them so they do not get wet with "normal" weather if they were mounted out in the open (mine are under a roof so I pullled the covers off as they attract birds and snakes).

I think the load is cutting it close. I have a 20' Key West on a 5000 pound lift and a 20' Sea Doo on a 7500 pound lift. The Key West weighs about 4000 pounds and although it works, it works hard. I'm also worried this isn't much margin of safety as the stainless cables start to lose strength (it happens with age). The Sea Doo lift has 2 electric motors whereas the Key West has a single motor. I think you would be fine but again, I would make sure you find someone else with this lift in your area and ask questions.

Have you thought about just driving in 4 pilings and mounting a more traditional lift with a cradle? You could get the piling tops higher than your flood line...
 
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Re: Boat ideas, comments, suggestions needed

I failed to mention I plan to get the motor. That is one of the benefits of the lift. My goal is as little work as possible at the end of each day. Motors do come with the protective cover in this area to protect from element. I would remove in the winter.

Water levels do not raise that quickly so I would be able to move either the boat or the motor if required. The Army Corps has a website that shows projections 3 days out so I would be able to assess the situation as it arises.

There are 2 lifts on my creek. One was used when he put it in and he has left his in the water the past 2 winters. The other is new and he plans to leave it is as well.

I have never seen a boat lift with pilings in this area. I don't even know if anyone does that work in this area. Pilings would have to be 10 feet or more above the summer pool level to avoid the winter water levels. They might look a little funny at summer pool.

With regard to the boat/lift weight issue. The dealer said the 5000lb is low end of the weight recommendation. He said he could sell a bigger lift be he felt it wasn't necessary. I think I may talk with some other dealers to see what their feelings are.

I guess here are a few questions I could ask the dealer. Please suggest some others.
-What is the expected life of the pulleys and winch with annual submersion?
-What is the cost of winch and pulleys alone?
-What is safe weight range for the lift?
-Can I get a more powerful motor that might be used on a bigger boat?
 
Re: Boat ideas, comments, suggestions needed

I just brought up the piling idea because that is all we see around here. If it's not popular there, then I wouldn't do it.

The other question to ask is how does the thing level out on the bottom? You said the river bottom is soft and it will sink down some... How do you make sure it sinks in the mud at level? I would ask that question.... That may limit boat weight in itself... If you lift a 4500 pound boat up on the thing and it sinks 4 feet and the boat is still in the water, what's the point. I had to ask this question because I had came a few inches from putting a big 60,000 pound lift in for my 480 but once I got a "real engineer" involved, I found out I would have to drive 8 concrete pilings down about 80 feet to hold up the weight of the boat. Just make sure the lift sitting on the bottom can still hold up 5000 pounds without sinking too far.

You'll also find that the parts on the lift are probably nothing more than galvanized trailer parts and are easy/cheap to come by.... at least mine are.

Lifts are great... you'll love it.
 
Re: Boat ideas, comments, suggestions needed

I just don't think there are any experts around here for driving the pilings.

I watched them install the new lift in our creek this year.
They set the lift level, drive the boat on and lift it, let it settle, back the boat off.
They reset the lift level, drive the boat on and lift it, let it settle, back the boat off.
They repeated this process until the legs didn't sink any more.

That lift stayed level for the rest of the season.

These lifts have foot pads on them that help keep them from sinking.

Our boat/travel show is Jan 18-27 so I will be able to talk with several vendors there.
 
- Let's all take a bow to our friendly moderator -

Now back to the subject. . .I am a bit surprised as well over the lack of pilings.

In my area, 10-13,000 lb lifts get 35' pilings. But NJ mush water is NOT the Mississippi!

I think with periodic full submergence, all bets are off regarding life of your components. That will determine the equipment life -> I will bet two nickles the designers don't have that in mind.
 
I had a similiar thread going on in the General Discussion forum. I too am putting in a boat lift over the winter. Actually, putting in a 170ft. pier with boat lift. However, like Gary, everything around here is pile driven, so that is the way mine will be.

That weight limit is what bothers me the most too. What about your weight? Will you or anyone ever be in the boat when it goes up or down? What about the big cooler full of beer?!

And as just mentioned, what about upgrae possibilities in the future? I'm planning on going with a lift much larger than my boat. I know we'll be upgrading at some point, and probably more than once. And if we ever decide to move (we're not!), maybe the new owners will have a larger boat. Cheaper to do now, then replace it entirely.

Good luck; I can't wait for mine. No more trailering every weekend! The permit is in the process; 6weeks to 6 months... sheesh.
 
I don't plan on upgrading anytime soon. I had the last boat for 17 years! This is the right boat for us.

I wouldn't mind pilings but they just don't do it around here.

I spoke with a dealer today. He said the components are made to last 10 years with a 5k load. the more you go over 5k the quicker you will have to replace the parts.
 
Check out airdock.com. I bought one for a 9000 lbs speed boat, and have been using it with no problems for 5 years
 
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