Re: Boat Lift Questions
I've had floating lift's since my first boat developed blisters in the early 80's (fresh water lake, North Georgia). I've had a Hydrohoist, Econolift and Float Air. They were all pretty much the same. Do not buy the older hydrohoist that is not a level lift. These early lifts were held to dock with a pole and slide arrangement. When the lift comes up, the bow comes up first, then the stern. If these lifts get hung up for any reason they can dump the boat. Most lifts are "level" lift, they have a 4-bar mechanism that attaches to the dock so they come up level. The only drawback of these lifts is the amount of depth required. Usually 3' to 4'. They do make shallow lifts, that I think use as little as 30". Older lifts for a 2000 lb boat usually run around $1k to $2k in north ga. But you have to move them. Do not try and do this yourself. These lifts are very heavy and really need someone who knows what they are doing to stay out of trouble when installing. Our local companies usually charge around $500 to remove, move and install. On most lifts, the metal frame on the lift that is in the water rusts over time. Some lifts have some stainless, but most of the metal is galvanized steel. Older lifts need to be checked pretty closely. Newer lifts, like Polylift, are designed so that no metal is in the water when lifted. Most companies offer rough water versions if you get a lot of waves. If you are in an area with rough water, you'll find the lift really stabilizes the dock alot. The tanks have evolved over time. From filament wound fiberglass and some galvanized to almost exclusively thermoplastics. The newer pastic ones overcome the obvious problems with the glass and metal ones, but on occasion a muskrat or beaver can decide they are chewy and chew a hole in the tank.. This happened to me a couple of years ago. I currently have a 10,000 lb Float Air lift with 4 tanks. Replacing the tank cost $500.
