lifts witch one

[hockeyref74]

looking to buy used lift for my MB190,manual no power at dock whats best cantilever or vertical ?

[swc5150]

Depends on the depth of your water. If you have the depth, I'd go vertical. I'm a Shorestation fan, but Floe has a really nice leveling system and is a great lift.

[oldjeep]

If it works with your water and it is in your price range I would go with the FLOE VSD vertical lift. I've been looking at a lot of lifts recently and it is the one with the best features I've found. If we can ever get this house deal closed I'll be ordering one soon.

[BraceMaker]

Floe probably has the most "thought out" except for maybe RGC.

 

However for the money and ease of use check out Harbor Master lifts they are arguably the easiest hand cranking lift I've used, plus they have low minimum draft, are inexpensive and have almost no moving parts.

[Andre]

Just checked those Floe VSD lift site.

Seems very nice and well done but the price tag must be heavy...No prices on their site.

For a light boat like a MB190,i would choose a regular vertical lift with the winch and the big wheel... but i'm cheap! :)

[ALPJr]

@hockeyref74 I can't help with lift advice, but I will say that you have one of the nicest looking boats ever.

[BraceMaker]

http://www.harbor-master.com/elite-lifts.html

 

@Andre - the trouble with lots of verticals is that the weight of the boat is on the cable due to the fact that the cradle is only held up by the cable tension. The way that a harbor master works is that the majority of the weight of the boat is on the aluminum tube that angles up from the water, this means that the cable bears very little weight comparatively and thereby the tension in the cable is less and the effort to crank it is reduced.

 

A cable can be replaced on these lifts in less than 15 minutes by removing the boat, lowering the cradle against a ratchet strap so it stays above water, unbolting the pulley, unwinding/unclamping the cable, then replace and crank it up.

 

Simplest I'm aware of, but they do lack the nice leveling features of a floe (but also weigh about 200 pounds less)

[oldjeep]

Brand new floe 5000 vsd with a standard canopy, and 24vdc solar system runs around 10k. With your little boat a 3800 would do it, not sure how much cheaper they are.

 

VSD is a screw drive, no cables. Been close to a cable cantilever lift once when the stupid cable broke. You couldn't give me a cable lift.

 

[DynaSkiPete]

A lift with an exposed cable is much easier to fix when the cable breaks and it will eventually unless you replace it often enough.

[6balls]

I've run a porta-dock for 16 years, one cable replacement, on my second canopy cover. Current cost maybe $6-7K new.

[Wayne]

@oldjeep are you sure Floe VSD has no cables or do you mean it had no main lifting cable?

 

@hockeyref74 if you will be going with a manually operated lift, cantelever lifts are “generally” a little easier and faster than a vertical lift. If you are going with battery power, look for a 24V lift as they are faster than 12V lifts.

 

Since you are looking for used it may come more down to what is on the market. I wouldn’t shy away from a used shorestation, floe or hewitt that is in good shape. If buying used, go through all the cables/pulleys and replace anything that looks worn or doesn’t move freely and it should serve you well.

[seveet]

I have to agree with the comments about the Harbormaster lift. I have owned 2, and they have been great. I think they are a better option than a true cantilever lift. I you add a motor, I definitely agree with a 24 volt set up. My lift tech has worked great. I did recently purchase a craftlander lift for my ski boat. For the the money they seem like a very solid lift with a very easy crank mechanism. There are more cables to maintain. If you are in West Michigan, I am selling this due to moving for $625. It is a 3500/108. No canopy, but that could be added.

[BraceMaker]

@Wayne they have cables. Just no winch cable.... partly marketing but the vast majority of cable breaks occur on the portion of the cable that is being wound in the winch due to the forces of bending and twisting inside the hoist. Which the flow has cables which do need to be inspected and are inside the tube.

[oldjeep]

@Wayne if you look at the video in my post it shows how it works. There are no winch cables running around it. There are enclosed cables at the corners.

[Wayne]

@oldjeep yep I know how it’s built, I just saw your comment of “no cables” and it caught me off guard. You still have cables bearing weight it’s just not how a traditional cable winch vertical lift is set up.

 

@BraceMaker I agree a bit on marketing and every system seems to have trade offs. I cannot fault Floe for coming up with it, certainly a nice alternative.

 

[DynaSkiPete]

I own 6 Port-A-Dock lifts. They seem to work well for Dyna-Ski Boats. Two have canopies. All were purchased used at good prices. My lake is a big shallow one so the cantilever style is better suited to the area my three docks are in.

[BraceMaker]

Ya they're nice lifts. But you can by hand lift a harbor master 3' up in about 30 seconds of really fast by hand as they crank so easy.

 

What's not really mentioned here is that boat lifts are very regional - most areas if you go to the marinas you'll find 2-3 lift brands Shore Station, Floe, Someone Regional.

[Sethro]

I’ve bought a few lifts used over the years. I don’t think I’d ever buy new given the cost. I’m not afraid of a cable lift, as one just needs to keep an eye on things. But I am afraid of the price of the no cable (almost) Floe lift. But they are very nice, no doubt.

[vtjc]

I have been very happy with the used RGC I bought years ago. I agree with Sethro look for a used lift that meets your needs.

[Sethro]

I got to thinking.....in the 50+ years of lift ownership between my dad and I, we’ve replaced the cable 4-5 times on the original cantilever steel shore station we had for nearly 40 years, one on a Hewitt cantilever when I bought it, and the lift cable on his current vertical shore station once.

[hockeyref74]

thanks for all the helpful comments this what makes BallOfSpray the best