Boatlifts Come in Three Choices - Which One is Best For You?       CLICK HERE FOR GREAT BOATS

Boatlifts come in three types: standing, floating, and mounted. Good boatlifts can last 25, or more, years.  To give you a better idea of the choices, each type  needs to be clarified before you can make a decision of the type you need.

Standing boatlifts are great for those lucky few who can enjoy living on a lakeside with a gradual grade and firm bottom and no discernible fluctuation of water level. Their frame needs the firm bottom of the lake.  They are especially ideal for northern lake areas because they are easy to install in the spring and remove in the fall to prevent ice damage.The standing lift will raise your boat with a large wheel attached to a winch, and can be either vertical or cantilevered.  If you need only about three feet of lift, the cantilevered lift is probably your best bet because of the pivoting action, which transfers the weight more easily and has very few moving arts.

Those of you who have to deal with fluctuating water levels of more than three feet will find  vertical boat lifts are the better choice.  Conversely, if your water level is shallow, the vertical lift can be lowered to about 12 inches of water clearance.  In addition, with boats over 4,000 pounds, you can add either a hydraulic or electric power assist to help you lift your boat more quickly - and there are no cables to wear out.

Boat owners mooring on floating docks are familiar with  floating boatlifts. Originally designed for the south central and south eastern United States boaters using inland reservoirs, they are a good choice wherever the shoreline is marked by deep water or any water that will fluctuate more than a few tidal feet. 

There is no need to think that the floating boatlift is only for use with a floating dock because they can also be attached to standing docks and seawalls. In order to use a floating boatlift, you must have a minimum of four to five feet of water to allow the tanks to submerge and the boat to enter the lift.

Floating boatlifts use a set of air-filled tanks which raise the boat, and then lower the boat as the air is released. The lifts are attached to the dock and typically used year round.

The Mounted boatlift is your best choice for shallow salt-water boaters mooring their vessels between pilings or on a seawall.  Mounted directly to the piling or seawall, a motorized winch is used to lift or lower the boat. A combination of slings and a cable-mounted frame lifts the boat from the water.   

Boatlifts can help reduce the amount of marine growth on the hull of your vessel, as well as make it much easier to access for repairs and maintenance. The downside is that, unless the boat owner is careful, toxic solvents and petroleum can easily enter the water.

Although  boatlifts can sometimes protect your craft from moderate inclement weather, wind and ice damage, or areas with high fetch, it would be foolhardy for the boat owner to assume his vessel is completely safe.  Regardless of the height held above water, the boatlift cannot ensure that a storm surge or high winds won't engulf it and throw the boat off the lift causing serious damage to both the vessel and any other  nearby craft.

It is important to know the regulations or your locality in choosing among the boatlifts for your vessel. They differ as to height and location.  For instance, marine elevator systems are usually prohibited at all residential boating facilities, because of their obstruction of scenic views and important visual characteristics of the property.Lift superstructures and joist-like structures are also prohibited.  Most residential rulings prohibit more than one floating boatlift per residence. In addition, the actual height the boat is raised will be determined within the rules and most prohibit any form of lift that brings gunwales above the height of the dock or pilings. 

Understanding these differences in boatlifts, as well as checking into the local boatlift regulations of your State and county, should help you determine which one is best suited to your needs. In addition, the size of your vessel will determine the location of your mooring and the right boatlift may already be in place at the marina, saving you the worry of wondering whether or not you've made the right choice.