Travellift vs forklift

[Eagle 1]

The marina that my boat is in just bought a forklift that can lift 15 tons. The operator wants to use it because the forklift gets more boats into his area than his travellift was able to. My concern is that I own a 30 ft sailboat. Can a forklift be used on a heavy sailboat? Do you know of a site that describes the proper procedere for hauling sailboats? Thanks.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Travellift vs forklift

I dont like the use of a forklift and never did.I have seen damage and scratching and goughing from the forklift because the operator cant see underwater what and where he is lifting from.Tell him to use a travel lift for you and a forklift for the boats along side of you.Charlie

 

[masonjar]

Re: Travellift vs forklift

Eagle One,<br />I would not use a forklift for a sailboat because the hull is rounded which means the contact patch or area that the straight forks touch will be small therefore putting a lot of pressure on a small area. Make sense? A powerboat has a relatively flat hull, from the stern up to point where it starts turning up, so the forks touch a larger contact patch, which spreads the load out.<br /><br />Use a travelift because the slings conform to the curved hull. I have seen marinas pick sailboats with a forklift with straps hanging down from the forks, but that is tricky to do in some situations.<br /><br />I truck boats for a living so I see a lot of boat lifting.