Best Boat Lifts

[wts123]

I have a fourwinns 5000 pound boat, 24 feet long(with swim deck), and will need a vertical or hydro lift. I looked at all the lifts (hewitt, shorestation, shore master, aquamatic, pierstation, etc) at the boat show in Milwaukee, and remained confused. All the salesmen were nice and "mine is the best". Anyone have any real good advice or really know what are the best lifts, and the best bang for the buck? Or other tips to look for?<br /><br />I would really deeply appreciate any advice, and/or good previous experience.<br /><br />BTW inland lake, more or less steady level, 4-6feet of water will be this lifts home, and yes, lakes freeze here(wis) in winter, 17 inches right now, so probably in/out spring/fall.<br /><br />thanks in advance<br />bill

 

[Reel Appeal]

Re: Best Boat Lifts

Take a look at what Overton's has to offer.....

 

[sfels]

Re: Best Boat Lifts

I have a Nyman water lift and I'm delighted with it. I believe Basta Marine in Bellevue, WA bought Nyman out and they are now selling lifts that run from a solar charged battery using a hydraulic ram. My neighbor put one in last year for his 22 footer with a weight of over 5,000 lbs. His has 5ft. of lift and raises and lowers the boat in seconds. Mine takes several minutes to raise or lower, bu then, I only have a garden hose hooked up to it for its "power source".<br /><br />They are among the best designed, simplest to maintain and best priced on the market.

 

[BillP]

Re: Best Boat Lifts

I won't comment on brands because it looks like many use the same parts under their own label. <br /><br />What's REALLY important is the setup. I'll make some comments based on owning two different lifts for a total of 33 yrs on a river that gets 1-2' chop at the dock.<br /><br />How the boat is lifted is a big one...slings, cradle or straps attached to eyes. Choppy water is not good for cradles because the boat bounces on the cradle before you can raise. Cradles also are narrower and harder to center on when rough. If you have guides on cradles it turns into a thread the needle situation when you are entering the lift. As you can tell I don't like cradles and have good reason for using straps (actually wire rope)to eyes on mine.<br /><br />If you have roof, build it high enough to let you hoist without lowering the bimini top, etc..It is a lot taller than most folks think. Along with this make sure the roofer does not use nails that will penetrate completely through the roof deck. What happens here is the end that protrudes will start rusting and drop pieces of rust on your boat (unfortunately, I know this to be true).<br /><br />Make sure the slip is wide enough...many build their slips too narrow and have a hard time docking.<br /><br />A hoist placed near the end of the dock so you don't have to parallel the dock too far to enter. You won't get "pinned" to the dock this way.<br /><br />Place the lift motor where you can easily access and inspect...some I see are tough at best to work on. <br /><br />That's enough for now.