Lowering The Boat Into The Water With A Boat Lift:
You can use a boat lift to get your vessel onto the water safely and conveniently.
A boat lift eliminates the hassle of asking family and friends to help you with boat launching from a trailer. When you invest in a boat lift, they will thank you for it!
Lowering the boat into the water is fairly simple. The boat lift motor has a power switch on it, which you can use to lower the vessel.
Turn on the switch and keep a close eye on the progress of the boat. It is important to keep a close eye on the boat and to do this extremely slowly.
You can turn off the switch once the boat enters the water and begins to float independently.
If your lift happens to be supported by cables, you will notice that the cables become slack when this happens, it is safe to turn the lift motor off.
Your boat is now launched all you need to do is turn it on and drive away from the dock.
Raising The Boat Out Of The Water:
To avoid corrosion, algae growth, and potential in-water damage, it is best to raise your boat out of the water as soon as possible.
Raising the boat should be done with care and of course, as slowly as possible.
Using the lift motor switch, power up the lift motor and begin to raise the lift upwards.
Ensure that you stop when it is safe for the boat driver and any passengers to get off the boat. You can raise it significantly high without worrying too much about stability.
Be cautious about making sure that the boat doesnt hit the roof of the dock.
Repositioning The Boat On The Boat Lift When In The Water:
When you are finished on the water and want to return to the dock, the boat lift becomes most useful.
Leaving your boat in the water could lead to corrosion and algae growth both of which are problems that are costly and time-consuming to rectify.
For this reason, you will want to lift your boat out of the water whenever you can.
The first step is to ensure that you lower the boat lift back into the water to prepare it for raising the vessel.
If your lift is secured with cables, the cables will become slack, indicating that the lift base is lowered enough to lift your boat safely. If you dont have tell-tale cables, you can lower the lift until the lift reaches the bottom.
Once the lift is lowered, switch off the motor. Now turn the boat on and drive it onto the lift.
It is important to slowly do this and guide the vessel into the right position using the lift poles. If you still have your second set of eyes and hands available, make use of them.
This person can watch that the boat is positioned correctly. Once the boat is in position, turn off the motor immediately.
Now you can raise the boat out of the water by following the step below!
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Diy Small Boat Lifts Vs Pwc Lifts
If you have ever considered building a DIY small boat lift, you have probably done a Google search. Most of the results seem to turn up systems made of lumber and several sets of small wheels.
While this type of homemade small boat lift would surely work for a while, the contraption will inevitably become loose at the joints and the wood will eventually rot. This means you would need to manage getting your boat lift in and out of the water as well as your boat. If you can afford it, a jet ski lift will last a very long time and will likely provide a much better experience overall. Read on to see why.
Finishing And Adjusting The Lift
The trailer has hard pivots at about the point the wheels used to be. Normally, the front leg supports the trailers front tongue beam. A limit and movement guard made from sheet metal should come up off the underwater frame to surround the trailer tongue and limit its upward motion. Angled bunker beams under the angled V-shaped bottom should hold the boat upright on the keel rollers. The legs should be adjusted so the trailer is level port to starboard and fore and aft.
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What Capacity Boat Lift Do I Need For Small Boats
For Jon boats, paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, and plastic fishing boats, weight capacity is usually not the issue as it is with a pontoon or ski boat lift. However, some larger Jon boats can be surprisingly heavy when fully outfitted. So its best to speak to the seller of the lift and learn what beam their system can facilitate, what length of watercraft, and the weight it will lift to make sure your small boat will fit.
At LOTO lift, we manufacture PWC lifts for small watercraft weighing up to 1800 lbs on a single lift and 3500 lbs on a double lift. So if you own some sort of PWC or a small fishing boat, a Jet Ski lift doubling as a small boat lift system is great for offering convenience when you want to launch your boat or dock it quickly and easily. These platform lifts can service small craft up to 13 long.
Keep Your Boat Safe And Secure
When it comes time to pack up the water skis and tubes for the day, its important to have the right marine products installed on your shoreline to protect your boat from damage. Among many other benefits, Boat Lifts offer superior protection from waves, dirt/algae build-up, and bad weather. Our Canadian made Cantilever Boat lifts, Vertical Boat lifts, Hydraulic Boat Lifts, Wet Slip, and Hidden Beam Wet Slip Lifts make your summer relaxing and worry free knowing that your boat is safe and secure.
There are a variety of different factors that influence what type of boat lift is best for your shoreline. We serve our customers on an individual basis and work with them to present the best possible options for their needs.
If you have an existing boathouse or are planning on building a new one our Wet Slip and Hidden Beam Lifts offer a great solution to keep your boat protected and out of the elements.
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Benefits Of A Hydrohoist Boat Lift
HydroHoist boat lifts are considered the best in the business for a reason. We spearhead the lift industry by staying on top of boating innovation, revolution, and technology. As the industry evolves, we evolve with it. Whether your boat is used in fresh or saltwater, we have the boat lift you need. Our selection includes:
- Pontoon and Tritoon Boat Lifts
- Wake and Surf Boat Lifts
- Center Console Boat Lifts
- HarborHoist
- E-Series
We also offer three JetSki docking platform options for personal watercrafts including the HP Epic, HP Extreme, and HP Pro. These products help ensure your PWC is quickly and easily accessible and helps protect it with our exclusive bow bumper, soft rest for the keel, and rollers that help center your PWC. In an upcoming blog, we will document the benefits of PWC SeaDoo docking stations and their installation process.
How To Use A Boat Lift
If you dont already own a boat lift or if you have never used one before, you might be a little concerned about how things will go.
Most users find that it is even easier than using a boat trailer.
The best thing that you can do is be prepared and have some background knowledge of what to do.
Do you want to have a bit of insight into how to use a boat lift before you are faced with the task?
Please familiarize yourself with our top tips below:
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What Is Pontoon Boat Lift Conversion
As the name suggests, pontoon boat lift conversion involves making a few adjustments so that an existing boat lift becomes pontoon compatible. A boat lifts design usually accommodates a V-hull vessel. But because a pontoon has two hulls in the form of tubes, it might not fit into a boat lift thats intended for a standard single V shaped hull.
These days, you can buy a conversion kit to turn a boat lift into a pontoon boat lift, but they can also cost quite a pretty penny. Fortunately, there are DIY methods you can try to cut back on costs. Of course, it will require some level of skill. But with the right tools and instructions, you should be able to accomplish the task just fine.
Boat Lift Installations: Your 8 Biggest Questions Answered
Boat lift installations are not something to be taken lightly. Trust uswe know a thing or two about boat lifts. Though we can be sure of the quality of our boat lifts, boat lift installations are just as important as boat lifts themselves to securing all manner of vessels all year long.
To dig a bit deeper into the topic of boat lift installations, we tapped into the president of Hi-Tide Boat Lifts himself, Carlos Quinones, to answer the top-eight questions we get on the subject.
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Build A Homemade Boat Lift
- Written by Niki Hampton on Nov 06, 2009To ensure our content is always up-to-date with current information, best practices, and professional advice, articles are routinely reviewed by industry experts with years of hands-on experience.Reviewed by
Building a homemade boat lift is far less expensive than buying one. Here are some steps to help you build a boat lift that is functional and affordable.
Step 1: Fix the Beams
The first thing that you will have to do to is fix all four I beams together. Use the cutting torch to cut 45-degree angles on one end of all four steel beams. Weld the 5-foot beams to the 10-foot beams at the edges which have been cut. When all four beams are welded together, it will form the davits. This will look like a rectangular framework.
Step 2: Weld the Plates and Eyebolts
With the drill press, drill ½-inch holes in all the corners of both the steel plates. The steel plates need to be about 5 inches in length and about ½ inch in thickness. When you have drilled holes in the flat steel sheets, weld one plate to the bottom of each 10-foot beam. When this is done, weld steel eyebolts on the end of each of the 5-foot beams. These eye bolts are meant for suspending the riven tackle.
Step 3: Attach the Davits
Once you have all these in place, you can bolt the davits to the pier or walkway of the dock. It is important that the davits are one boat length apart, according to the length of your boat.
Step 4: The Finishing Touches
Pontoon Boat Lift Conversion
If you thought buying a pontoon boat was expensive, you should see how much it costs to maintain one. Aside from the upfront cost of the boat itself, youll find that youre going to have to shell out cash for a variety of other additional items and equipment to enjoy a seamless pontoon boating experience.
One of the big ticket items youll need to spend on will be the pontoon boat lift. But if you already have a boat lift, you can actually convert it to fit your pontoon so you wont have to spend so much. Heres everything you need to know about pontoon boat lift conversion.
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Why Should You Convert Your Boat Lift
Why would you choose to convert a boat lift versus buying one specifically for your pontoon? Well, there are a few reasons. The first and obvious one would be cost. A boat lift can cost $12,000 or more, which makes it about a fifth of the price of your boat. Needless to say, they can be pretty expensive. So if you already have a boat lift, converting it instead could save you that extra expense.
And then theres protection. Theres no question that keeping your pontoon boat out of the water can be beneficial in that it keeps your boat protected from extended moisture exposure. This keeps corrosion and marine pests at bay, especially if youre storing for a long period of time. Versus the trailer, the boat lift also provides much greater convenience.
Finally, theres space. Sure, you could always just buy a second boat lift for your pontoon. But is there space enough to accommodate it? Boat lifts have quite a large footprint, and if you already have one installed, setting up a second could eat up most of the area around your dock. Simply converting the existing lift cuts out the space considerations.
Benefits Of A Boat Lift
A boat lift is a smart way to protect your investment in your watercraft. Owning a HydroHoist boat lift means you get the best boat lift in the industry because we stand by our products. With a boat lift, you get these amazing benefits:
- Lower maintenance costs
- Faster and easier passenger boarding
- Freedom from tangled ropes and lines
- Protection from water-borne oxidization
- Limit water absorption and hull damage
In addition to these benefits, you also get the peace of mind that comes with knowing your boat is safe and secure from marine-life damage, vandals, and theft. You will also benefit from the possible damage that can happen in your boat knocks against the dock which can happen without a protective boat lift.
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Jon Boat Lifts And Other Small Fishing Boats
Many Jon boat owners would love to have a boat lift system that would work for their little fishing boat. And in many of these cases, a jet ski lift will work well. But, bear in mind that some Jon boats are quite long and very heavy. If you have one of these, we would recommend that you find a small boat lift for sale rather than a PWC lift.
On the other hand, you may have a personal plastic fishing boat thats very nice. So, if you have an outboard motor and a trolling motor and battery on it, its still packing some weight. Rather than taking the motors off and putting them back on every time you want to dock or launch, fishermen find that its much easier to use lake boat lifts. Plus, you dont want to leave that type of small fishing boat floating freely in rough waters. And no matter the size of the boat, if you use it a lot and have a dock, you may prefer to have fast and easy access rather than having to unload and load at the boat ramp every time you go out.
Trust The Installation Of Your Lift To Our Certified Hydrohoist Installers
Installing a boat lift correctly and securely requires an impressive number of tools as well as specialized training and hands-on experience. When our highly qualified team performs your installation, we carefully ensure:
- Your lift is assembled on a flat, level surface
- The installation site is thoroughly and accurately prepared
- The boat hull configuration is accurate
- Tanks and brackets are accurately aligned
- The fronts End Channel is carefully reinforced
- All arms and assembly are thoroughly inspected
- A final inspection is performed post-installation
- Lift operation is double-checked and systematically tested
We leave nothing to chance when installing your boat lift and help you get familiar with its simple operation.
That is why the best tip we can offer for installing a boat lift is to let our team do it for you.
We proudly build and install our entire line of boat lifts and personal watercraft docking platforms and demonstrate how they work to make sure you can enjoy your boat as often as you like with simple operation and ease.
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What Are These Boat Lift Air Bags Made From
Military grade, industrial rated reinforced polyurethane material is what the Boat Lift Helper system is made from. We have been using our very first prototype bags for going on 13 years now and they are still working as good as day one. See our TESTIMONIAL page for photos of our first system.
The rest of the air lift system is made from stainless steel, brass and aluminum hardware.
High Abrasion Resistance.
-Military grade fabric. Durable, rugged, mold and mildew resistant.- Fully adjustable L-brackets for with high securement operation.- Low profile when deflated for easy moving to shore, compact storage.
Looking for more of a Detachable System? We do sell a different system that uses straps and hooks instead of the L-bracket mounting hardware. Contact us today to find out more about the Detachable System.
Like A Standing Trailer
Many elaborate lifts are on the market. In this case, simpler is better. This unit both looks and works similarly to a boat trailer frame albeit without the axle and wheels. Instead, it has three legs where the wheels would normally be. The legs are adjustable galvanized square tubes with length adjustments being locked by top-mounted through-bolts.
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Hidden Beam Wet Slip Lifts
A unique design that finally allows you to have a Wet Slip Lift without the overhead beams that are normally associated with this type of lift. This new style of boat lift gives you a clear unobstructed view around the deck when the boat is in the down position.
This new design should be incorporated into the initial design and fabrication of your permanent dock, boathouse or boat port. We can if necessary retro fit it on some existing permanent steel docks and boathouses. This type of lift can be designed to handle boats ranging from PWCs up to 12,000 lbs.
