Boat Lifts Feedback

[Danny R]

I like the boat lift called Jetdock www.jetdock.com looks right for me but very expencive it is suitable because I will need a new dock were I want to install. I was told that you can allow these to freeze in if you are in a calm area. Anybody have experience with the Jet dock lifts?

Will probably go with the more traditional lift (the metal Galvinized)due to price. Questions
1. My location is very muddy I feel type will sink in the mud. A sales fellow sad just a bigger pad at the bottom solves this.
2. What is set up time and break down time?
3. I would like to go with the manual wind up and down any thoughts?
4. I am in a very calm bay in Canada has anybody secured the lift well and allowed thier lift to freeze in for the winter?
5. I believe I have seen lifts with a walking plank for access any feed back here?
Thanks for the Time Danny R

[EricB]

Danny;
I have been in a similar situation as you so I will relate my experieces and what I feel. I've seen the Jetdock style and it looks impressive, but I would not want to run the boat up on and off it constantly. It will sooner or later scratch the hull in the contact areas. If this does not concern you, then it would be suitable.
If you are in a clam bay where the winds do not pile the ice in spring, then it will take the freezing. Remember, most of the time it is not the freezing in of the lift that damages it, It is the ice movement when it goes out for the spring that can exert forces (moving ice) and destroy it.
My final choice was an aluminum lift. Steel was just too heavy and they rust. For the extra money I got an aluminum lift that only requires 2 strong people (vs. a small army). Also, if you insist on steel, look at Shore Station. They have a design that allows you to place a small fishing boat under the cradle and use it as a float. You change the lift cable pull point and it places the lift weight on the work boat and allows easy movement w/o lost of people.
Bottom line is it is best to remove each year. Sooner or later the ice shift will get you, no matter where you are.

[André]

Danny
Here's the link to my lift .
It's the M 3000.Also ,the boat on the lift.You can walk around the boat on the carpeted catwalk.
http://www.quais-bertrand-docks.com/

[Danny R]

Will probably go with the more traditional lift (the metal Galvinized)due to price.
Sorry I was referring to the alumimum types of lifts.
There seems to be a vertical lift type and a cantilever. I can see by the pictures how they work. Is one better than the other?
Thanks Danny

[roddydog]

Andre, where did you get that top fpr your boat? Were the snaps installed or did your boat come with them? My 1990 ProStar 190 has no snaps but I would love to get a top like that. Right now I have a full cover by Sunbrella but it is a bit of a pain to put on for just overnight.
Lemme know.

[roddydog]

Danny you could also try lakesidelift.com, one of TT members owns the co. and could probably answer all your questions. His name is dave.

[André]

Danny
Mine is all aluminium with stainless hardwares. 3600 $ CDN.

Roddydog
I bought my boat use and it came with it.No fabrication tag on iy,i guess it was custom made.Would love to put a canopy on the lift...

[Laurel_Lake_Skier]

As mentioned earlier, steel is a good deal heavier than the aluminum. Moving ice will damage anything left in the water so you will need to pull the lift & dock for the winter. When it comes to pulling the lift, you'll like the aluminum although they are not light they will be less of a struggle to pull out. I use a set of wooden ramps, hook up the 4wd and pull mine out in a few minutes. Putting it in is a little slower. I use a 2X10 to lever it back into position. If you are in an area where other lifts are in use, you might look for a used one. People always seem to need a bigger one and they really don't see a lot of wear and tear. I got this one a year or so ago set up for about $3000.

The soft bottom shouldn't be a problem.....pads on the legs prevent sinking. If you have real shallow water, the catalever style starts the boat out a little deeper and moves forward as it goes up.

[roddydog]

Andre, as I said to danny check out "lakesidelift.com" they have lifts, canopies etc. etc.

[Evan Jones]

I looked at both last year and went with a Hewitt Cantilever lift. I got the 4000 lb model and look forward to putting it in the water this spring. I cheaped out and got the manual wheel. After assembling it on land and setting up the bunks, I have cranked it up and down many times. I plan to order the electric motor any day now. It is a lot of winding to get that lift to move.

The Jetdock was very expensive. It seems like the only way to justify it is if you need a dock and if you are in salt water with tides where a stationary lift won't work well.

Good luck.

[ski36short]

Danny, I'd go cantilever as they are mecahnically more simple - there aren't cables running all over the place in it. I have a ShoreStation vertical lift that I really liked until a cable broke this summer. Cables are much easier to change on a cantilever - mine had to come out and some (minor) disassembly was required. Very unimpressed with the "design for serviceability" aspect of that lift. I'm on a dead-end canal and I never had to take my lift out for the winter or anything so I was extra annoyed at taking it out for a stupid cable!

[sizzler]

i've got a NYMAN cantilever lift.....my one and only ever lift......must say,i think its great.....i am on a private lake,so dont have to worry abt tides.... 8p

[jayderwin1]

Danny
Have you thought about a air lift all you have to do with those is bolt them on to you dock and set up a pump.

http://www.boatliftsanddocks.com/

[Lance]

There is a guy near our lake that is selling ShoreMaster lifts...

http://www.shoremaster.com/lifts/main.html

I have no experience though with them yet.

[AirJunky]

I've seen the Jetdock style and it looks impressive, but I would not want to run the boat up on and off it constantly. It will sooner or later scratch the hull in the contact areas.

Is this your experience or your feeling? I've used the Jetdock off & on for more than a couple years & don't have any marks on the boat at all. I can see how it would cause a problem if there was something on the dock, even bird crap would do it, but I was always carefull to hose it off if needed.

[Evan Jones]

Ignore please. It was a duplicate

[EricB]

Junky;
Just my feeling. I would assume it would be similar to on and off the trailer.
I looked at alot of lifts before I bought one 4 or 5 years ago. I had a steel lift, but wanted an aluminum one. I looked at the Hewlett lifts, and they are made very well. It would be a good choice.
I bought a Newman cantalever lift. It was priced good, 3400 lb capacity and it fit my Canopy set-up. There is nothing like a good canopy! I'll post a pic tomorrow if I can find one.

[AirJunky]

I wish a lift was an option...... Our docks are floaters & get moved a couple times every year. Theres no power on them either. I'm debating the AirDock as it is...... purely because it's a floater, runs on DC, and can be tied off to the dock & anchors.

[Danny R]

Is this your experience or your feeling? I've used the Jetdock off & on for more than a couple years & don't have any marks on the boat at all. I can see how it would cause a problem if there was something on the dock, even bird crap would do it, but I was always carefull to hose it off if needed.

I was at the boat show today. I saw a system similiar to the Jet Dock and they said that the plastic doesnt mark the boats at all. AirJunky do you remove yours for the winter or is this not a concern in your area.
Thanks Danny R

[c640947]

Also check out http://www.tigerboatdocks.com. My Dad owns the company and has owned Mastercrafts for many years. He sells every type of lift and has lots of information. Also feel free to call and ask one of the sales guys your questions.

[Rockman]

We have a lift made by R&G. I spent alot of time when we bought our MasterCraft researching various lifts. We went with R&G because of the craftsmanship, warranty and because their lifts do not have all these funky bars that prohibit you from getting in and out of the boat easily, like the Shorestation. We looked at Shorestation but didn't like the quality of the lift itself or the plastic canopy.

The R&G canopy prevents the sun from coming through very well and itcomes down pretty far on the sides so we never have to cover our boat during the summer and have very little dirt get in the boat. Also, the boat can be cranked up very high under the canopy as well.

We bought a 4600lb aluminum/metal lift with a 24 foot canopy and that works out great. A bit overkill for our BF200 but it makes it alot easier to crank up after a long day on the water. We have not had any problems with the lift at all since we bought it in 1997. Just oil the gear box in the spring and you are good to go.

Good thing also, they ship anywhere! We had the dealer in Indiana drive the lift up to our cottage in Wisconsin and put it in our garage during the later part of February. They were great!

This is my :twocents: Whatever you buy, just be comfortable knowing that your MC will be sitting on it :D

R&G's site is: www.rgcproducts.com

[PeteS]

Bill,

I'm in a very similar situation to yourself, in fact I think there's a post about it somewhere. I'll try to dig up the link.

I can't put in a cable or cantalever lift where my boat is docked due to the associations policy -- the lake bottom is peat. A new Jet Dock goes for around $10,000 -- eliminating it from my budget. With the bladder style Air Lift, there will always be mosture trapped between the rubber air sacks and your boat hull -- that concerns me, and almost makes me thinking that floating it is just as good of an option. The Ultra Lift looks nice, that is the type with poly-pro hard plastic tanks, fill and empty to raise the boat. Don't have too much detail on prices and feasibility, but I know that they are available used.

It's a tough call, and I can relate to what you are thinking. Let us know what you deciede, sorry I can't be of much other help.

[PeteS]

http://www.tmcowners.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=1282

[Leroy]

I use the Hydrohoist. I'm in 26 feet of water and it is tied to the dock. It was around $5k installed. To move it they used a flat trailer and launched like a boat and pulled around to the slip. First winter with it in so will see how that goes. You do need to fasten it to something, so you need some way to hold it to a dock or from the bottom. I've been very happy with it. I watched the video from the jet dock and that would scare me. Looks like driving your boat on the trailer with the trailer almost out of water, in other words skill in the amount of gas, has to be a few wife stories of driving through the jet dock somewhere.

Post from: http://www.tmcowners.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=1282&highlight=hydrohoist

http://www.hydrohoist.com/index.php

Have the 4400UL
http://www.hydrohoist.com/lift/ultra_lift.php

[AirJunky]

Unfortunately my slip on Liberty Lake was only about 3' or 4' deep. It's possible I could get a slip further out, but it wouldn't be more than about 7' deep. The slip I kept the boat in for 5 years on Sammamish was only about 4' deep too. So the lifts with the big submersible tanks wouldn't work at all.

Even mooring whips don't work as they push the boat out away from the dock & into the other side of the slip. So last year I made some of these mooring standoffs (http://www.overtons.com/cgi-bin/overtons/detail/pdetail2.cgi?r=detail_view&item_num=26386) out of PVC. Worked like a charm & cost just a few bucks. Now there are like 4 other guys on the dock doing the same thing.

I guess I understand about the moisture using the AirDock, but I've talked to 3 different users, none of which reported any damage to their boats. All were happy with what they got for the price. Same with JetDock owners...... never met one who didn't love it. I have a line on a used JetDock, but even that is like $6k or $7k.

[roddydog]

Airjunky, those standoffs look great. I also have a slip at the marina (our place is water access). I hate tying it off 'cause the water can get a little choppy and you never know if it's banging against the dock. Did you make yours adjustable like the ones at Overtons? Maybe you could post some DIY instructions, I'd like to make a couple of sets.
Thanks