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How wide is your boat lift?


Indyxc

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Hello all,

I need some guidance from those who store their boat on a boat life. How wide is your lift?

With my current boat, 04 VlX, beam of 93 inches, I bought a 108 inch boat lift (rated for 4,500 lbs). They also make a 116 inch lift in the same style, which I should of boat.

Fast forward to now, I am considering upgrading my boat in the near future. My lift stays in the water all year around, and I don't really to move it/upgrade it.

So the concern is the width of the boat. Right now we have a 98" beam pontoon on their, and there doesn't seem to be much clearance. So my newer boat would have to have a narrower than wider beam.

And now all the boats have wide beams:

New VLX 100"

New VTX 98"

SANTE 210 98"

Mobius LSV 97"

So it looks like wider is going to be the way of the land. Anyone keeping a wider boat on a 108" beam lift? How is it? Do you have to slowly walk it on every time?

Thanks!

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Keep in mind that your pontoon's widest point is probably lower than where a ski boat's widest point is. Depending on the configuration of your lift that might let you cheat a little. Have any pictures of your lift?

That being said, if you're thinking about upgrading to a NEW boat the cost of upgrading the lift should be a drop in the bucket. If it were me I would focus on the boat you want and deal with changing the lift out if needed.

Edited by Jimmypooh
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I just went through this last weekend. We had a 2008 Vride (93.5" beam) and have a 2013 VLX (100" beam) on order. Our slip (inside dimensions) is 114" wide. We had a 5000lbs Basta lift in the slip which had bunks that were 36" wide and the inside dimension of the canopy posts were 106".

I don't like cutting load ratings even remotely close, since people like to get in the boat before it is lowered. So, we traded the old 5048 Basta Lift in for a new 6XV Basta lift last weekend. This lift has a 6000lbs load rating (and more reserve capacity on top of that) and the bunks are 41" (center-to-center). The chines in the hull of the 2013 VLX are 45" a part, so my chines wont fall on the bunks (good thing). The legs in both lifts are 110" center-to-center wide, but the new lift is 11" longer (6XV is 130" long).

Also, we ordered some custom extension brackets from basta that widen each canopy post by 4.5" for a total of 9" additional inches in width. This will help with clearance issues when we inevitably forget to rotate the board racks inward when we enter into the slip between the canopy posts.

All and all I'm pleased with the upgrade.

New Lift:

IMG_0421.jpg

Old Lift (this picture is before I cut off guide post ends and before I installed the canopy):

DSC02522.jpg

Edited by Cory
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I had a covered boat dock built two years ago and the dock builder told me that a 10' opening is standard and that a 9' cradle was pretty standard for most boats so that's what we built.

If I had to do it all over again I would build the slip 11' wide and still use the 9' cradle. Sometimes 6" on each side can be a bit tight when docking.

My 9' cradle is rated at 6,000 lbs so that ought to cover most boats up to 23' easily. A 24MXZ might be pushing the weight limit with fuel and people.

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JoeA, I am curious how docking is going to be this summer. The 2013 VLX is a bigger, heavier boat than my '08 vRride. Do you have centering posts on your lift? They help a lot. I also found that if I raise the lift a little before entering the slip, it helps guide the bow in. Then I drop it back down a few inches to proceed the rest of the way into the slip.

Still, I am wondering whether docking will be more difficult this summer...

Edited by Cory
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Yes, the canopy posts were an issue for the new boat. But, I widened the outer four posts (you can see the extension brackets in the pictures). I added 9 inches of width to the canopy posts, but the new boat is only 6.5" wider, so I'm hoping it will be even better than what it was before.

Edited by Cory
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JoeA, I am querious how docking is going to be this summer. The 2013 VLX is a bigger, heavier boat than my '08 vRride. Do you have centering posts on your lift? They help a lot. I also found that if I raise the lift a little before entering the slip, it helps guide the bow in. Then I drop it back down a few inches to proceed the rest of the way into the slip.

Still, I am wondering whether docking will be more difficult this summer...

We'll be adding centering posts before boating season starts. Last year was our first year on the water so we did a bunch of learning and will continue forever.

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Sorry guys, I was out of town on work.

As far as the lift I realize a new lift isn't the end of the world, but mine is only 2 years old, and it has settled perfectly in my backyard (I don't need to remove it in the winter). So I would really like to use it.

I was looking at my pontoon on their today. At 99.5 inches, it still has decent clearance on the sides. Maybe 4 inches per side it looks like. I'd have to improvise some new guide posts and slowly move it on.

Of the boats I am considering now:

05-08 VLX, 98" beam.

07+ Nautique 210.

I'd love to stick with Malibus, I just can see myself buying another boat with an Illusion tower. This is the worst engineered tower ever. Actually, no engineering went into it, someone just drew a concept, and said lets do it.

Here is my boat lift setup.

img0554zg.jpg
img0551hg.jpg
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I'm going through this too.

I have a model 5108 Shore Station lift that is 108" wide rated at 5000 lbs.

While visiting, my buddy put his 2012 V-Ride 21' boat on it no problem. That boat has a 98" beam and I had a couple inches to spare on each side. I think I can fit a 100" VLX on my lift with no problem, maybe even the 102" LSV.

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I'm going through this too.

I have a model 5108 Shore Station lift that is 108" wide rated at 5000 lbs.

While visiting, my buddy put his 2012 V-Ride 21' boat on it no problem. That boat has a 98" beam and I had a couple inches to spare on each side. I think I can fit a 100" VLX on my lift with no problem, maybe even the 102" LSV.

Good to know, that's the exact kind of info I was wondering about. Did it seem like it would be difficult to pull in and out often?

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No, it actually fit on there perfectly. My concern is with a boat 100-102" wide. I think the 100" would fit as configured, but my guess is the 102" would require some adjustments to the lift frame and possibly the bunkers.

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05-08 VLX, 98" beam.

07+ Nautique 210.

I'd love to stick with Malibus, I just can see myself buying another boat with an Illusion tower. This is the worst engineered tower ever. Actually, no engineering went into it, someone just drew a concept, and said lets do it.

You might find a '10 Vride in your price range - that would get you the G3 tower. I've seen '05-'08 VLX's for sale here with the T3 as well, so that would be another option.

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You also mentioned an '07+ SANTE. At 98" this boat fit on my lift as well. My neighbor at the lake has one and used my lift from time to time.

I'm going back and forth between a new VLX or LSV vs. a new/late model SANTE as well. Shoot me a PM if you want to discuss

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I'll add the the 21' V-Ride is a helluva boat. My buddy bought a 2012 last spring and we surfed it all summer. It produced an amazing wake for surfing and was great for wakeboarding too. The fit and finish is top notch, but without all the bells and whistles of the Wakesetter. I really don't think you'd have any less fun in a V-Ride than from a top of the line WS.

Also, the Malibu stereo systems are just amazing. Blows away the Nautique systems in my honest opinion. This might not be a big deal to many, but with large groups of teens at the lake every weekend they love it! :)

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We have a 132" lift that we bought with the boat. It is overkill for a Response but the carpeted steps on each side act as guides and make putting the cover on at the end of the weekend really easy. I think bigger is always better for a lift.

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