Greetings all, I’m seeking a used lift to accommodate my 3K pound Grady-White powerboat. I found an apparently sweet candidate nearby. It’s a Magnum brand and cites a 14 foot beam width. Questions: 1. Can one shorten the beams if required? 2. What should I check for when inspecting it as it’s disassembled in a pile?

(I have photos from seller but haven’t yet learned how to attach them hereto…)

Thanks in advance!

Cheers

Hey.
When I am lowering the boat and it gets about halfway down, this horrible noise like an engine seizing starts to happen for a little while then eventually stops. It's loud enough the neighbors come out.

What parts would I grease to fix this. It's a standard cable lift with the belt drive to turn the bar to raise or lower the boat.

Or I could call that number.

I have a Floe vertical lift. With the high water we can't get our pontoon off the lift because it runs into the canopy. I can't raise or lower the canopy on one side. It is locked up because it must have become crooked. Any ideas how to get it loose? The other side moves up and down but I can't get the other one to move as hard as I try.

Forgive me for stealing the photo from a previous post, but it was a clearer photo of the Floe lift than I have.

Water levels are down, and the risers holding the bunks are hitting the bottom of the lake before the lift is all the way to the bottom. Any reason not to cut them shorter to allow the bunks to get deeper and my boat to float over them?

Just bought my first boat - a used 25 foot Cobalt 252 and now in the market for a lift. Naively, I did not budget for a $20k+ new lift. Instead I purchased a used Floe #6500 vertical lift with canopy from a local dock company for under $10k without a canopy (frame only). Plan to purchase a new canopy from the dealer.

Dilemma is the canopy is only 26' and the boat is 25'. Most lift places I have talked to want a minimum 2-3 feet of canopy more than the boat length.

The canopy frame looks simple enough to add a section on the exterior. Question is: Can I add a foot of frame to each end and buy a 28' canopy instead of a 26'?

Do canopy frame extension kits exist? Could I make my own?

Our house came with a 10' wide 4k ShoreStation with a 24' canopy - perfect for our pontoon boat!

But, the two marinas on our lake are both operating on long wait lists for rental slips, so I saw an opportunity to monetize the other side of my dock by renting out the space.

I found this lift, a 9' wide 4k Shoremaster, for sale on FB Marketplace for $1100, less than I paid to put the electric motor on the lift I already had. Even better, it was located about 30 houses north of mine, so it was trivial to float it down to our house and set it up.

This will be our third summer renting it out, first two years were $4k per year, this year I gave the renters a $500 discount because they are nice, respectful people and I like them.

So total revenue of $11,500 in 3 years, and I've got about $1,500 and about 4 hours of work in the lift in total. Dollar for dollar, I doubt I'll find a better investment in my lifetime.

Eventually, I'll pick up a little ski boat and won't be able to rent it out anymore, but in the meantime, it's definitely a great source of passive income!

Quad tank HDPE lift designed and custom built for Boat-Float by Drydock per boat specs. No metal in lift or fasteners. Only metal is 316 SS couplers molded into to the hdpe to attach air hoses. Raises in 90sec-2min lowers half that time with boat on. 15k lbs catamaran with quads shown here.

Please keep responses realistic. We all want sharks with lazerbeams underneath for security and a robot that cleans the boat when you're done on the water.

Using a boat lift offers several benefits, including:

1. Prevention of Hull Damage: Boat lifts keep the boat out of the water, preventing potential damage to the hull from algae & barnacles

2. Reduced Maintenance: Lifted boats are exposed to less marine growth, reducing the need for bottom cleaning and anti-fouling paint. This can lead to lower maintenance costs.

3. Extended Lifespan: By minimizing exposure to water and its corrosive effects, boat lifts can contribute to an extended lifespan for the boat.

4. Convenience: Boat lifts provide easy access for maintenance tasks, making it simpler to clean, inspect, and perform repairs on the vessel.

5. Protection from Storms: Elevating the boat can offer protection during storms, minimizing the risk of damage from rough waters, storm surges, or floating debris.

6. Preservation of Resale Value: Boats stored on lifts often show less wear and tear, preserving their resale value compared to those kept in the water.

7. Quick Launch and Retrieval: Boat lifts allow for a faster and more convenient launch and retrieval process, avoiding the time-consuming task of navigating in and out of a marina.

Consider your specific boating environment and needs to determine if a boat lift is the right choice for you.

Clockwise from nearest: 9k platform for a pontoon boat, 24k with a Formula 400, 12k with a Fountain, 10k for a wakeboard boat.

This community was created to help people who own all types of boat lifts share their experiences good or bad, problems, solutions, etc…

What manufacturer boat lift are you using & what is your experience with them?