Best boat lifts and where

I need to pick up a boat lift for my '07 Mobius LSV. 21'6" and over 3,000lbs. Any recommendations on the best for the lowest cost?

Do you have a floating dock or a pier? If you have a pier, I have no complaints with Hewitt lifts and you can save a ton installing it yourself. I have the #5200 model.

http://www.hewitt-roll-a-dock.com/lifts07/hyd_cantilever.html

Most of my neighbors have Hewitt lifts, and they are horrible. Two of us have RGC lifts and they are much better.

The cheapest are probably the cable kind that install in the roof of stationary docks and there are usually plenty of local dock builders that put em in. Usually 2k.

If you have a floating dock and its not too deep, a used cable lift may be the way to go. Can you describe a little more where you are putting the lift and what kind of dock you have?

Carolina Boat Lifts $5000.00

Not the cheapest, but go to summitmarine.com. Jim will take care of you. I would not own anything else. Hydraulic, push a button, even has a remote for the keychain.

I have an: http://www.itsadoozie.com

Great lift...

this sux!

what lake is that

redlinewatersports.com has some awesome ones on their site

www.tigerdocks.com. Tell them wakeboardSTL sent you over. Ask for Marv or Nick.

Sunstream Boat Float lift (www.sunstreamcorp.com).

I have the 6,000 lift and it is simply amazing. In and out of the water in less than 30 seconds.

i have a stationary pier that goes out about 60ft. the water is only about 3.5-4ft deep at the end of the pier. i want to put the lift at the end of the dock.

For shallow water that doesn't vary a lot, cantilever style lifts are the way to go. I wouldn't consider a hand crank style and would go with pneumatic. Def. get something with a roof - most offer canopies, but you can have a custom truss built and put on a permanent style tin roof. If you do not have power, you can use a solar / battery system.

I have shallow water like you and if at all possible, I would extend the dock so you at least have enough dock next to the lift for people to get on and off. Getting into and out of the boat directly from the lift is a hassle and is an impossible task for those without climbing type skills like grandparents, young kids etc.

"By wakeboardSTL (jmuthafnp) on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 7:29 pm:

www.tigerdocks.com. Tell them wakeboardSTL sent you over. Ask for Marv or Nick. "

Those are my dad and brother. They have helped quite a few people out on this site. My dad sells (direct, consignment, broker) used lifts and if you need rock bottom price, used cable lift is likely the way to go for your setup. I don't recall what he has available used right now, but call him and he can help you out. They make trips to Chicago on a regular basis, so location is not an issue.

"By Tom Howard (prostartjh) on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 8:01 pm:

Sunstream Boat Float lift (www.sunstreamcorp.com).

I have the 6,000 lift and it is simply amazing. In and out of the water in less than 30 seconds."

I have a sunstream too (my dad is a retailer for them) and yes they are by far the best. But also one of the most expensive lifts available and I believe tom is looking for the cheapest. If you did want the remote control and speed convenience of a hydraulic, I would recommend the sunlift, not the floatlift due to your water depth. Its cheaper too. That's the one I have. Water not deep enough to need a floatlift.


(Message edited by c640947 on September 19, 2007)

aquaholic, i don't think the water is deep enough for something that floats. I have not seen your setup before - looks like a clean lift. I like it.

manzo - your setup is what most people here in houston have. however you have to have a fixed dock with a roof to put it in, and i think tom want to put it off the end of his dock.

michael definitely demonstrates what can happen with a cable lift. not sure if they pulled that xstar way to far forward or the front cable broke. That's why I don't like cable lifts - I have seen the cables break before and you wake up the next day wondering where your boat went since it floated away. I recommend clipping a rope from the bow hook to the dock for all lift owners so if the water rises or your lift breaks your boat doesn't float away. Floating lifts like aquaholics are immune to this problem for the most part. Has anyone's floating lift ever leaked and lost all it's air?

summit marine lifts... the remote is the greatest thing ever, super solid lift

cool...thanks alot andrew i'll give them a call...should i avoid cranking the lift 1/2 way? i guess im thinking that since the water is so shallow, cranking the boat all the way up would lift the boat into the canopy or like 5 feet off the water. if i leave it 1/2 down, it might give out.

I don't think how far you lift the boat up (on a free standing cable lift) affects the potential for the cables to give out. If you own a cable lift you have to periodically inspect as much of the cable as you can to check for sections that may have worn down or had bound and may be frayed.

When I had a freestanding cable lift with my old prostar (before the tower), I cranked it all the way into the canopy to keep rain and debris out of the boat. With those canopies you don't need to use the boat cover. One thing that stinks about wakeboard boats is with the tower you can never lift em high enough. You still have to put the cover on.

I also have a Sunstream 6K lift and it has worked well. All aluminum, so no corrosion, and rubber/vinyl bunks so no carpet to replace.

Tom:

I live in your area and have a similar situation. My Shore Station has been bullet proof for 17 years.
Cranking gets old and some of the newer hydrolic lifts are nicer. But there are a ton of used shore stations around and you should be able to find one for under 2K. Especially right now, people don't want to pull them out!

Sunstream lifts, hands down.