Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

[craig240DA]

The cable to our boat lift snapped, scared the wife out of her wits. New boat, new lift, cable broke (see pictures below). Dock Company came right over helped get the boat safely off the twisted I beams. Now they ordered new beams and cables but they say it is my fault as they could see evidence that I twisted the cables up by lowering the lift too far, causing the cables to get bundled up and then weaken, which is Bologna. Now the company wants me to pay for the replacement cables and I beams. The lift is just a few months old. I say they need to pay for everything, looks like I'm in for a battle

 

[wewefirex2x]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Wow, that is a scary picture with such a nice boat just dangling.

What kind of warranty does that lift have ? If it's only a couple months old they should foot the bill.

 

[gcboat]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Why can't the damn people who install these ever take the blame? Why is it always our fault? I just don't think they want to take money out of their own pockets. Such a sham !!! Anyway, check with your homeowner's insurance and see what they have to say. Quite possibly if you get them involved they may just go after the installer's to recoup there loss. Guess it never hurts to try. Certainly hope you boat didn't get messed up.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Is that even the right size lift?? It might be strong enough for mine, but to support the weight of your boat, It looks like its not heavy enough constructed to hold your boat. I hope they are at fault by installing or ordering the wrong one for your boat, does the model of the lift come with a "Warning max weight" label ? Could it be the wrong one for your boat? We all got your stern buddy, I hope it turns out in your favor >>Pat

 

[craig240DA]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Is that even the right size lift?? It might be strong enough for mine, but to support the weight of your boat, It looks like its not heavy enough constructed to hold your boat. I hope they are at fault by installing or ordering the wrong one for your boat, does the model of the lift come with a "Warning max weight" label ? Could it be the wrong one for your boat? We all got your stern buddy, I hope it turns out in your favor >>Pat

It's an 8,000 lb boat lift. The 240 is 5,600 dry so we should be OK weight wise. Hindsight, we should have went with the 10,000 lb.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Sorry to hear what happened buddy, Some times it seems no matter how hard we try S@#$ Still happens, I still hope it didn't bite you too bad and you can get back out and put it behind you and enjoy the rest of the season >>Pat

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

"lowered the lift too far"?! What horsesh*&%t. If you make a product which, under normal use can get compromised like that, then either install limit switches or redesign it. Tell them you're going after them bigtime for negligence as they could have killed a family member. Spend a couple of hundred bucks on a nasty lawyer's letter as well.

Bet that changes their tune.

I do agree with wavenby2 it looks a little light for your boat but if the numbers agree and they installed it with no qualms, it's all on them.

 

[craig240DA]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Sorry to hear what happened buddy, Some times it seems no matter how hard we try S@#$ Still happens, I still hope it didn't bite you too bad and you can get back out and put it behind you and enjoy the rest of the season >>Pat

No worries Wavenbye2, We are standing by for a storm to pass before we head out to the islands for snorkeling and tubing. This is just another bump in the road.

 

[craig240DA]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

"lowered the lift too far"?! What horsesh*&%t. If you make a product which, under normal use can get compromised like that, then either install limit switches or redesign it.

Great point scoutabout,

Why would they just replace everything without a way to stop it from happening, again? We will be using all this information, and who knows? They may come though and do great customer service and if that's the case, I'll be sure to post that too.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Why would they just replace everything without a way to stop it from happening, again?

Right,... Wrong,... or Otherwise,.......

With many things in our lives,......
If you Don't Know How to operate it,+ Don't bother to Learn,.......
WHY should a manufacturer be liable for Your Screw-ups,..??..??.....

Did this lift come with Any documentation,..??.... Did you Read ALL of it,..??

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Seems a bit harsh, Bond-o. If he deliberately bought and installed an underrated lift or positioned the boat incorrectly, then I could see siding with the manufacturer, but their response in this case is idiotic.

It would be like putting the helm hard over on a new boat, having the rudder fall off, then getting the line "Oh, that's your fault because you turned the wheel too far."

Just as one could reasonably expect to put a helm full over in the normal course of use, one could reasonably expect the lift operator would lower the cradle as far as it will go to ensure a large boat like that cleared the bunks.

If there's something inherent to the cable system design that makes lowering it to the fullest extent possible a bad idea the manufacturer owes it to the consumer to ensure the lift can't be taken that far down. Especially when were talking about equipment failure that could seriously injure or kill people.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

If there's something inherent to the cable system design that makes lowering it to the fullest extent possible a bad idea the manufacturer owes it to the consumer to ensure the lift can't be taken that far down. Especially when were talking about equipment failure that could seriously injure or kill people.

With Any cable,+ drum system,.......
If you Unwind it far enough,.... It'll reverse the rotation of the cable,+ wind up Backwards.............

Your reasoning is Why a common Step-ladder has about 30lbs. of Warning Stickers on it,...........
So that some Moron won't Walk on a Paintcan Shelf............

I don't think that Any manufacturer has to make Anything Totally Idiot Proof..................
What I Do Believe is,... That people should take responsibility for their Own Actions...............

 

[tommays]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

I am supprised a product for the general public does not have travel limits


Or at least some warning markers on the cables for the low limit


it is not like every garage door in the world does not have a high and low stop


Tommays

 

[rob711]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

wow!!! thats a picture for the good boats gone bad section....good luck!!

 

[craig240DA]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

Right,... Wrong,... or Otherwise,.......

Did this lift come with Any documentation,..??.... Did you Read ALL of it,..??

Bond-o,

Here is the only mention of this from the 4 pages of information from the lift company:

"Avoid allowing the lift to come into contact with the bottoms as this will foul the lifting cables"

That's it. One sentence. What the heck is "fouling the cables"??????? What is should say is something like "NEVER NEVER NEVER ALLOW THE LIFT TO TOUCH BOTTOM OR THE CABLES MAY BREAK AND KILL YOU AND WRECK YOUR BOAT (and we won't be responsible ever for anything)."

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

I believe your still not at fault, even though I do understand what BOND-O is trying to say "operator error" I worked on the river "Line boats, Barge lines" It is possible to run the winch all the way out and does "can" strand your wires or reverse direction. Maybe you could bring to the attention of the manufacturer that the cables "wires" need to be longer so this will never happen again to you or any one else and (maybe) they might help you with your situation. By looking at the picture, If that happened to your boat at that short of a distance it could be their fault (installers/manufacturer) by not supplying enough cable. What if the water level was lower? Oh just wait for the water to rise to use your boat?? What is the draft on your boat(2-2 1/2 feet) to be able to run out the wire?? sounds like wires weren't long enough!!

 

[craig240DA]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

I believe your still not at fault, even though I do understand what BOND-O is trying to say "operator error" I worked on the river "Line boats, Barge lines" It is possible to run the winch all the way out and does "can" strand your wires or reverse direction. Maybe you could bring to the attention of the manufacturer that the cables "wires" need to be longer so this will never happen again to you or any one else and (maybe) they might help you with your situation. By looking at the picture, If that happened to your boat at that short of a distance it could be their fault (installers/manufacturer) by not supplying enough cable. What if the water level was lower? Oh just wait for the water to rise to use your boat?? What is the draft on your boat(2-2 1/2 feet) to be able to run out the wire?? sounds like wires weren't long enough!!

The boat was up on the lift and still had about 2.5 feet to go up. We were lowering it at the time and there is a lot more cable than needed, that is why it allows itself to lower too far and get the cables "fowled" which I know now means that they will break and kill you and wreck your boat.

I also understand Bond-o's point and appreciate hearing both sides.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

If it was me and our boat, I still say it's design flaw, should have a anti -fowler to prevent the wire to fowl to begin with. what if your hand gets caught so the wire doesn't fowl down?? Design flaw< just my opinion

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

This is a cut and past from their Specifications page; Here is the spec page

Specifications and Features

Every Boat Lift U.S. Lift is equipped with these standard features:

Stainless Steel Motors

Grooved Cable Winder
—Protects the drive shaft and winds the cable without overlap

Aluminum Bunks
—Without wood, nothing floats. There is also no carpet to replace.

No Weld Construction
—Welds weaken structural aluminum, so why weld? None of our lifts are welded, so you know they are strong.

Aluminum Back Plates
—The back plates won’t rust. Ever.

Stainless Steel Drive Shafts
—Other manufacturers use galvanized water pipe. Our drive shafts were designed to bear the weight of boats.

Structural Bronze Bearings
—Not just attached to the top of the beams.

All Bronze Bearings
—Bushings are not just bored out aluminum. We use only bronze and stainless steel.

All Bearings offer Grease Fittings
—Others use nylatron or other plastics, which can swell or break down in humid environments. We don’t. We use greased bronze bearings. They won’t rust, they won’t break down, and they won’t swell.

Cradle Ends with Solid Extruded Sheave Enclosure
—Not welded onto or into cradle I-beam.

 

[tommays]

Re: Help! New Boat, New Boat Lift, Cable broke!

The grooved cable winder protects drive shaft and keeps cables winding without overlapping.



i guess not unless you make your own marks after the pros install it


Tommays