Building a boat lift?

[nola mike]

I've decided that taking my boat in and out of the water is more of a PITA than I'd like. I don't want a full on pier for a number of reasons (limited beach front, large initial cost, gone in a hurricane, etc). For some reason it only recently occurred to me to just have some pilings driven right off shore and install a lift kit on it. Would power it with DC/solar. Contacted the permitting office--once again, everything told to me by neighbors is wrong, and it looks like permitting won't be a big deal (bonus--since the pier won't touch the land, the permit costs $50 instead of $550!). Has anyone done this? Neither the marine construction guy nor the permitting office had heard of a free standing lift, but no one seemed to think it was a bad idea.

I'll be lifting my 19', dry weight listed at 1770#.

Any advise on piling spacing? The beam is 7'4", and 19' length. I'd like to future proof it to some degree--maybe capable of a typical 21' bowrider/center console.

Has anyone installed a DIY lift kit? Recommendations?

Other thoughts? It's going to be as close to shore as possible, at the end of my breakwater. Depth at low tide will be probably 1-2'. Doesnt sound like much, but the lift arms are lifting from the sides of the boat, not the low point, so I'm pretty sure that won't be an issue.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Building a boat lift?

So are you going to swim out to the boat to get to it? Use a dinghy?

Just paint the bottom and moor it. Cheaper, easier, less risky.

I'd be surprised if solar power can fully power a lift like you want (and since it's not attached to you need lights as a haznav?)

Keep in mind that lifts can't touch bottom or the cables get sprung. The structure under water is about 2". So you are out of luck at low tide--can you work around that?

There are dozens of ways to use a piling or two to moor a boat and give you access from shore, keep the bow out, etc.

Your structure without a pier will be subject to more damage from storms and ice. it doesn't take much to topple or lift out pilings. If you build it strong enough to protect your investment in the equipment, you are better off painting the bottom or building a real pier.

 

[nola mike]

Re: Building a boat lift?

So are you going to swim out to the boat to get to it? Use a dinghy?

Just paint the bottom and moor it. Cheaper, easier, less risky.

Then how would I get to the mooring I have a mooring now. It gets pretty rough out there. I have to go much farther out to moor to account for the heave of the bow and the draw of the lower unit (sucks at high tide). The boat gets water in it no matter what when moored. Plus on a lift, I could flush the engine when done and get the whole lower unit out of the water. I could fashion some type of cover on the lift to keep the sun off, and it would be much easier to cover during the flash storms we get. Even as it is, I think I'm the only idiot who moors their boat even overnight that I've seen. Plenty keep them on lifts for extended periods. I have a breakwater that I can walk out to the pilings worst case. Otherwise it would only be 15' to walk out.

I'd be surprised if solar power can fully power a lift like you want (and since it's not attached to you need lights as a haznav?)

Yeah, not sure about the power. I'll have to do some calculations. I'd like to get a couple of deep cycle batteries and a solar panel/inverter. Hmm. Don't know about the nav lights, but that should be relatively easy. I'm just starting to look into permitting, and the inspector didn't mention anything about that. I have either a 15 or 20a outlet near the sea wall, so that might not be a huge deal to run conduit out there. But I'd still prefer a DC solution.

Keep in mind that lifts can't touch bottom or the cables get sprung. The structure under water is about 2". So you are out of luck at low tide--can you work around that?

Well, the total height of the structure is 17", but 12" of that is the bunk, which is offset from the center of the boat. One of the vendors I was talking to said 2' should be plenty.

There are dozens of ways to use a piling or two to moor a boat and give you access from shore, keep the bow out, etc.

Your structure without a pier will be subject to more damage from storms and ice. it doesn't take much to topple or lift out pilings. If you build it strong enough to protect your investment in the equipment, you are better off painting the bottom or building a real pier.

Not sure I agree with you here. How would a pier make it less susceptible to storm damage? After a storm around here, the pilings are the only thing still standing...
Ice isn't much of a concern.
And what are the dozens of other solutions? Certainly willing to consider options, but between tidal variation and huge swings in wind/storm direction, I can't think of anything other than a well-designed mooring, with the drawbacks as noted above...

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Building a boat lift?

well your lake boat on tidal water is a square peg in a round hole to begin with. I assume you are on the Potomac or Rappahanock? Look at the boats the natives use--self-bailing, no need to cover or flush, OB that can sit on the bottom at low tide, rides a mooring fine. No good boat should get water in it when moored properly.

Running current out to a free standing platform in the water is asking for all kinds of trouble. And you also want to run water to it, too, for flushing? Not that you should need to there.

I can't picture the "breakwater" you can walk on to get to the place you want to build the lift--is the breakwater liek a jettym, and functionally a pier that you are adding a lift, roof, power and water to? Can you build a catwalk on the breakwater to serve as your pier?

Yes, ice will be a problem for 4 unbraced pilings. Not every year but in your case it only takes one. it's usually the out-flowing ice that takes you away, but you can get lifting.

Talk to some local watermen, not transients from Mecca, about how to rig pully and piling mooring systems (or why you can't on your particular water). Again, too many methods to guess at some here. And I know that lots of you all lose piers but there are ways to build them better. For example, you leave spaces between the boards to avoid the water pressure from up-lifting wave action--not as pretty as your bowling alley piers, but they last. Hot dipped galvanized spiral nails, extra bents, shorter spans, all help.