Lift and dock question

[armysgt1]

Hi guys, I just bought riverfront property where the water level can fluctuate by a few feet (Kankakee River). It has a concrete seawall already in place. The problem here is that I want to keep my 2014 Tracker Pro Team 175 TXW in the water for most of the year since I fish the river all time. It is on average 7 ft deep at my seawall, therefore I do not believe a stationary lift would work. I really don't know much about docks and keeping boats in the water. I have been looking at the drive on lifts like jetdock and the like. The problem with those is that I do not believe I will be able to put my trailering cover on the boat without swimming, if that cover should even be used for storing the boat on the river. My idea is to buy one of those drive on lifts and place it inside of a u-shaped dock that I will most likely have to build. The problem there is a canopy. I have searched for quite some time and have only been able to find canopies that also include a lift. The drive on lift I will probably buy is from Carolina floats. If I can somehow happen to find a canopy frame and cover, would it be terribly difficult to either attach it to that drive on lift, or to a u shaped dock? If you guys can give me an easier way to keep my bass boat out of the water while protecting it from the elements and the fluctuating water levels I will appreciate it more than you know. I have spent 2 weeks straight searching for a solution. Thanks for any help!

 

[ahicks]

I can see where a covered lift that might be used on an inland lake wouldn't work well for your application, but they have some pretty fancy covered lifts used in tidal areas, where tides change the water level 2-3' or more a couple of times a day. The ones I'm thinking of have the lift mechanism/cables up in the cieling of the lift, and are generally installed on pilings. Have to be expensive, but not sure how the cost would compare to a U shaped dock and some other type of lift. Might be worth looking into?

 

[GA_Boater]

Before spending any more thought or money on this, check river regulations and authorities. You may not be able install anything.

 

[Illinoid]

I remember seeing quite o few on the Rock River Rockford and further north, might be worth taking a cruise up there and look what people are doing or call some dealers up there. Check first right now as I am pretty sure it is flooded with no wake. Best place to launch is Sports Core.

 

[armysgt1]

Sorry I haven't been able to respond, haven't had much spare time lately. There are plenty of docks and lifts around my property along the river. A lot of them are stationary cantilever or powered lifts, a couple of floating lifts, but none of them are bass boats. Thanks for your help guys, I am going to speak with the local marina and ask their opinions also.

 

[armysgt1]

Do you guys have any opinions on dock blocks?