Looking for Recommendations for a Boat Lift

3

320Bob

Active Member
Nov 2, 2009
1,314
AZ
Boat Info
2012 Chaparral 267 SSX Sold
Engines
Boatless
I am looking at buying a boat lift for a 26' sport boat that weighs 5,300 lbs since I am not buying a trailer or bottom painting the boat. It will be wet slipped in fresh water. I know zilch about boat lifts and would appreciate any advise on types, brands and features to look for.
 
You can sort of see my lift in my sig pic. It is custom made by a local welder. It uses ACE motors and GEM remotes. Everyone I know has had their's custom made for their slip. I have seen a few with a single motor and a central lift point that are commercially available but know one I know personally has one. Mine is bigger though to accomadate up to 15,000 pounds. My steel is painted with bolts and smaller pieces made of galvanized.

The only advice I would give is to make sure yours has enough capacity to get the boat to the water in the winter as well as the summer, if you lake has fluctuating levels.

http://www.gemremotes.com/

John
 
Are you looking for a lift that sits on the bottom with cables and crossbars or a lift that lifts from above like in a boat house?
 
Bob, you want a lift that has very little metal in the water. Hydrohoist, I believe has the best lifts. Here is a link: http://www.boatlift.com/
 
The previous owner of my boat threw in a hydro-hoist lift. He told me that he purchased it in the early 90's and he has not once had any trouble with it with the exception of having all the rubber hoses and clamps replaced about 10 years ago... so it's probably due for that again... mine has the old style metal tanks (new hydro-hoist use plastic tanks) I wonder how much longer it will last but honestly it looks pretty good and works great...

the dry weight of my boat is 5100 lbs per Sea Ray's spec's and the hoist has no problems getting my boat out of the water and keeping it there....
 
I guess I am not a boat lift ignorant as I thought since I found Hydro-Hoist on the internet. The marina I will eventually be moving to is on Bartlett Lake outside Scottsdale AZ and is a reservoir lake with fluctuating depths. The lifts I saw there were the pontoon type like Hydro-Hoist so I am guessing these are a good fit for lakes where the depth can change significantly. In the case of Bartlett Lake I think it can change 40 feet over a season. Also there is a Hydro-Hoist dealer I believe around Phoenix. What do boat lifts typically cost for a 26' boat like what I have just purchased?
 
I had a Hydrohoist 4500 lb lift about 10 years ago. It was in the $5,000 range back then. Not sure if they've changed the launch/retrieval process any since then but I had a few "pucker up" moments with my 26' boat.
 
I think that you would want to go with at least an 8000 pound lift. My boat shows a dry weight of 5,800#, but, when I had it weighed on the trailer recently, it came in at about 8800#. A dealer can tell you better what would be suitable for your boat. You need to know if you want a model that allows you to back into the slip or go in bow first. You also need to know the slip width. I'm guessing that they are in the $10-12K price range.
I have a 20+ year old Hydro-Hoist that has served me well. I just had it re-built this year with a new blower motor, bands (not used on new models), bushings, safety chains and hardware. Re-build cost was about $2,500. Well worth it to me to keep the boat high and dry.
 
Last edited:
320Bob said:
I am looking at buying a boat lift for a 26' sport boat that weighs 5,300 lbs since I am not buying a trailer or bottom painting the boat. It will be wet slipped in fresh water. I know zilch about boat lifts and would appreciate any advise on types, brands and features to look for.
Click to expand...

So you did the downsize already? I remember a post about you doing it but I thought it was something you were just considering. How are you doing with the transition?
 
HUMPH said:
So you did the downsize already? I remember a post about you doing it but I thought it was something you were just considering. How are you doing with the transition?
Click to expand...

My transition to a smaller boat is completed except for the actual delivery from the factory sometime in Janurary. As far as my geographical transition not even close since our house here in IL is still on the market and have had only two showings with no offers. I am not optimistic that we will be able to sell the house before Winter hits so I will have to put the snowblower on the John Deere in about 6 weeks as I have for the past 16 years. :smt089
 
Btw my lift has no metal that remains in the water after retrieval. Cost was $5000. You are in a rented slip that sounds like it floats so my type lift is not an option. I only see the hydro list lifts in rental slips where a no wake zone is in force.

John
 
My 2000 - 260 Sundancer which weighed around 6000 lbs dry sat on a 8000lb lift well. The biggest issue is will the marina have rough water? If so you want a good lift like a Hydrohoist. You can pickup nice used ones. The lifts are adjustable. Personally - I would hire a professional to move and adjust the lift if you buy used.
 
Skolbe,
I would purchase the lift once we sell our house and actually move to AZ. Where can I find good used lifts since this would be my preferred route?
 
There are usually one or two on Craigslist. You may also find that the dealer has a few used lifts on hand.
It has to be able to fit the width of the slip. Also, the frame configuration is different for a "in forward" versus "back in" lift.
Depending on age, a used lift may have bands that may need to be replaced. Also, you need to check the bushings closely to determine if any are cracked and need to be replaced. Also check over the hoses to determine their condition. Other than that, it is just a motor and hardware. In our area, they charge $900 to move and re-install a lift. Once the bunks are set and alignment ropes are properly placed, it is a piece of cake to load the boat.

Here is a listing for an #8,000 lift in Atlanta. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/boa/2628571847.html You should be able to find the same thing in AZ.
 
Last edited:
Did you ever buy your lift? I'm four months late on this topic, but I have a Polylift and it has been great. I bought it in January 2005 and have had no problems. It still looks new compared to a lot of other lifts on my dock. I got a 6000# lift for my 240 sundeck and it ran close to $6,000 with the first mate system.
 
BrentJones said:
Did you ever buy your lift? I'm four months late on this topic, but I have a Polylift and it has been great. I bought it in January 2005 and have had no problems. It still looks new compared to a lot of other lifts on my dock. I got a 6000# lift for my 240 sundeck and it ran close to $6,000 with the first mate system.
Click to expand...

After looking at prices of new lifts and examining other options I decided to have my new boat bottom painted for a fraction of the cost of a new lift. I am still grappling with the issue of how to clean and polish the boat out of the water but I can wait until I actually move and see what the marina in AZ can offer as lift out service for this purpose.
 
You need to do your home work here. I have a 260 sundancer, it is 6200 lbs.
beam is 8 and 1/2 feet wide. check out the width of the lift if it is to wide you won't be able to get on your boat if you have the boat in the middle of the lift.
Check out the water depth. with the lift and bunks all the way down can you get your boat on in low water conditions? if that is a concern
If you plan on pulling the lift out in winter how will you do it? need retractable wheels.
I have an RGC made in Buffalo NY. Good lift, but when I purchased it all they had was a 5000# or 10,000#. I purchased the 10,000#. Now they have a 7500# and they redesign it for a smaller beam boat.
Boat lifts cost about $1.00 for every pound they lift. Do your home work. They are costly
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,253
Messages
1,429,373
Members
61,133
Latest member
Willbeckett
Back
Top