Boat Lift Move

[2Valve]

I got a new place on the lake just a stones throw down from my old place, so I'm looking for the best way to "float" my boat lift over there. I was thinking of getting 3-4 truck tire inner-tubes, inflate 'em and just walk it over. It's a Lakeshore 40109 (4000 lb. cap., 109" beam) lift, weighing about 600 lbs. I guess. Any better ideas would be appreciated.

 

2Valve

[wramsay]

I moved mine by borrowing 4 of those square black dock floats. Two people can lift up one end to slide them in. Would the tubes wiggle out too easily?

[h2onhk]

We did the tube thing for a few years....if you don't get them centered and tied down they have a tendancy slide out. The foam raft pads work the best. We use 5 of them. 2 under the winch corner and the others on each of the corners. Much more stable.

[Wish]

We moved one 10yrs ago a mile down the lake with inner tubes. Key was having more then 4 (can't remember how many ..maybe 6-8) and have them under inflated so the cross members smashed the tube flat in the middle so the air filled part of the tube is above the cross member. That way they do not slip out. Sort of like this only more tubes less inflated. The other key was moving very slow.

 

 

 

[DynaSkiPete]

Take a 1/2" 4' by 8' sheet of treated plywood and cut it in half. Do the same with a 4' by 8' sheet of 2" pink insulation. Put the plywood on the outsides building a foam sandwich 4" thick. Bolt it together with carriage bolts with all the round heads on one side. Two of these will float fairly large lifts. I've used 4 to float lifts across lakes several times. Do not move in rough water or windy conditions.

 

 

[Skirvind]

I move mine with a 3 or 4 person tube.

Put it under the lift bunks and lower lift until the lift floats with the tube sandwiched between the bunks and frame

[WBLskier]

Borrow a small fishing boat no motor. Out in on the lift where the ski boat would go. Stand in the boat and lash it across the near the front and near the back. Get out and it’s floating. I’ve moved huge lifts like this...it’s super easy

[WBLskier]

Put it on the lift.

[vtjc]

I have used many things to move boat lifts, inflatable diving bags, floating docks and a 14’ aluminum boat.

For seasonal install and removals on our small lake, we use the floating dock, using hand winches to pull the cradle down lifting up the legs of the lift, towing the lift with the aluminum boat. Can also work with cantilever lifts.

I put the lift on the aluminum boat to move the lift several miles when I bought it, the seller thought I was crazy.

 

[2Valve]

great ideas. thanks y'all!

[oldjeep]

On another board, guy strapped a couple 55 gallon drums onto the bunks.

[MISkier]

We just had to move a lift that had slipped off its concrete pads and was stuck in the mud. We used an aluminum fishing boat and a custom-made aluminum cross member (3" square hollow stock about 8-10 feet long) that was placed across the gunwales amidship. It had a winch in the middle and a pulley on each end with cables and hooks. There were two J shaped angle iron sections with eyebolts that went under the lift rails and connected to the cables. We put the boat in the cradle area (as though it would be when it was on the lift) and cranked on the winch. It pulled the lift out of the mud and floated it easily back into place. If you do it right with some extended handles on your J sections, you might not even get wet.

 

Note: as the lift raises up, make sure the bunks are lowered or the boat will eventually rest on them and impede any further lifting.

[foxriverat]

Moved my shorestation with 14 foot rowboat 2 miles down river some years back. Shorestation made a winch to sandwich boat between the cradle and support bars on bottom. I used 2 come alongs.

[fu_man]

@foxriverat A buddy of mine has one of those and we used it to move my lift. Works perfectly. It floats the lift on the rowboat without much effort at all. Pretty amazing. I tried searching for what the heck that thing is called but I couldn't find a trace.

[rayn]

I use 2 old windsurfer boards perpendicular underneath the bunks of my cantilever lift.

[foxriverat]

@fu_man I found it. Not sure how old this ad is. http://www.2040-parts.com/shorestation-ha0014-on-water-boat-lift-transport-kit-i852502/

[foxriverat]

Here is the manual screen shot.

[Spuddy]

Many years ago we moved one that sat on top of two floating docks. Was done on a day with no wind at all. We started to tow with a boat but quickly discovered they even just in gear the flat front of the docks was going to submarine and we risked the lift going to the bottom so my dad and uncle ended up just walking it along in waist deep water. We had to move it over 2 km (over a mile) but it worked, just took awhile!

[MISkier]

@foxriverat, that ShoreStation kit looks almost identical to the one I used. Whoever built ours must have borrowed the design.

[2Valve]

I have my rowboat on the lift now. So I'll try that "lash it down" approach first.

thanks again everyone. Hope to get a set in this weekend. Still sore after skiing in FL last week. :)

[WBLskier]

I’m going to build one of those which contraptions Just even for minor adjustments will be worth it. I found everything to build one except the “J” hooks. Any ideas on where I could find a pre made hook like that for each side?

[Bdecker]

I have used a number of methods over the years including a pretty long haul on a row boat. Last season was my first try with the inner tube method and it was so easy. I think we used six truck tubes.

[braindamage]

We used an inflatable trampoline a few years back and had to float about 5 miles. It has a slow leak so time was of the essence. The local marine patrol thought they would “help” and stopped me above the deepest part of the lake: 75’ deep. The exact quote was “I think...this might...be...illegal”. To which we replied “Nah...we do this all the time”. The other cop in the boat thought it was hilarious.

 

They let us go on our way with the warning that we’d have to pay for recovery should she sink.

[m_pags]

I've used a homemade version of the Shorestation lift kit with a swim platform for years. It works pretty good but when the lift settles in the muck its had to get it reattached in the fall. So I'm going to use this "http://www.boatlifthelper.com/" this year. Definitely more expensive.

[RAWSki]

I have looked into the lift helper, very slick but pricey.... have been using one of these "lift jack" devices for many years. It's a back saver. Use it to pull the hoist out of much with no problem, we get the back end about a foot above water then ease an old wooden swim raft under it, then repeat the process on the front and can put the entire lift on the swim raft. Store it there for the winter tied to shore. (started tying it after a spring wind storm floated it across the lake anchor and all!) Have moved hoists across the lake either completely on an 8'x8' swim raft, or half on the raft and half on a swim platform. No problems.

[Zman]

Also, check YouTube videos on moving boat lifts. There is a real good one where a guy just used two 10 foot sections of 10 inch PVC pipe (with caps glued on both ends) for his floatation. Each 10 foot section will provide about 330 pounds of lift, total of 660.

[harddock]

 

 

 

 

googl boat lift helper . inflable/removeable lunching aides

 

[DmaxJC_ski]

Float and roll by Floe, we have adapted it to work on all makes of lifts. We can float 4 lifts 1/4 mile and set in about 20 min each.