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Hoist Opinions


MALI-MONSTER

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I am looking for a used hoist for my Echelon (~2,500 lbs dry). I have two leads right now. One is a 3K lbs Shore Station vertical that is about 8 years old and looks to be in great shape. The seller will deliver it to right where I need it. The other is a 4K lbs Harbor Master cantilever that is about 14 years old and looks like it needs a good cleaning, new bunks/carpet, and maybe replace some rusty fasteners (cable looks good). I will have to pcik it up from a tricky spot or pay to have it delivered. Both are roughly the same price. I have heard that vertical lifts operate easier and are perferred to cantilevers. I am inclined to good the delivered, Shore Station route, but I am concerned about being so close to the weight limits. Thoughts...

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I think these are the coolest lifts ever. My father inlaw has one under his Nautique. You can walk around on the "pontoons" when the boat is up and wipe down the entire boat and it raises and drops faster than anything I've ever seen.

http://www.sunstreamcorp.com/floatlift.htm

That does look cool. If I see one on those in my budget I'll consider it. Do you have experience with vertical vs cantilever and capacities listed above?

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And to your original question, I'd steer clear of being right at the limit with the shorestation. Once you add fuel and sometimes people they get to be a pain to raise. My Father in law has a shorestation canteliver up here under his response (the other lift/boat is in FL). He is close to the max capacity of his lift and has already snapped a cable and had to replace the pulleys once with it.

Edited by oldjeep
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I'd go with the bigger one. I have a 3,600lb Harbor Master cantilever for my Echelon and would not go any lower. Loaded up with people stepping in and out of it, etc. I'd rather have a 4k lb, but it was a steal. It's probably close to 20 years old, and I've had it since '98 I think. I've replaced the cable twice, and the pulleys once. I added deep water extensions, different bunks and guide-ons.

Prior lift to that was an older Great Lakes lift, had poor range of travel, but otherwise OK (never had the Echelon on it, just my prior I/O).

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I've been looking into this a lot lately, the hydrohoist looks like a really good one and is pretty popular, but what appears to be the most common around our lakes are sling hoists, which don't really work with out boats at all.

I was looking at the shorestation boat house lifts, but cables kind of worry me a little.......

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coming from a cable lift and going to a hydraulic lift was the best move ever. Spend the money and go hydraulic, it's well work it in my opinion. A little more maintenance.....yes, easy....yes.

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I also would not go under the 4,000lbs lift. Do you have any reason to go with any style ? Depth of water?

I wanted a vertical as the depth drops very fast for me so using a vertical the lift is very close to the sea wall. A cantilever moved the lift out feather to clear the boat from the sea wall.

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I also would not go under the 4,000lbs lift. Do you have any reason to go with any style ? Depth of water?

I wanted a vertical as the depth drops very fast for me so using a vertical the lift is very close to the sea wall. A cantilever moved the lift out feather to clear the boat from the sea wall.

From what I am told either vertical or cantilever will work well with my slip area. It is sand with gradual depth change and 5 feet deep at the end of the dock. Looks like 3K is not enough. Anybody with a 3K vertical out there not have issues???

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The best benefit I found with the cantilever lift was when it is down, and you are going to crank up the boat, the bow is a few inches from the pier and at about the same level. But when you lift it, the bow goes up over the pier about a foot and a half, and about mid thigh height. So getting in and out of the boat is soooooooo easy, especially for little kids - no climbing from the pier to the bunk or to the gunnel.

Here's a pic with it partially cranked up, in it's daytime mooring position with the tower up. You can kinda see how the bow is over the pier. In the fully cranked up position (tower down or off), it's way over the pier.

post-8942-0-99430700-1396541146_thumb.jp

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The best benefit I found with the cantilever lift was when it is down, and you are going to crank up the boat, the bow is a few inches from the pier and at about the same level. But when you lift it, the bow goes up over the pier about a foot and a half, and about mid thigh height. So getting in and out of the boat is soooooooo easy, especially for little kids - no climbing from the pier to the bunk or to the gunnel.

Here's a pic with it partially cranked up, in it's daytime mooring position with the tower up. You can kinda see how the bow is over the pier. In the fully cranked up position (tower down or off), it's way over the pier.

That's a beautiful set-up you have. I will have no dock section in front of my boat, and it is closed bow. We, kids included, will have to board from the side over the gunnel. Kind of worries me that a kid is going to fall between the dock/hoist/boat actually. Yours look nice and safe.

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That's a beautiful set-up you have. I will have no dock section in front of my boat, and it is closed bow. We, kids included, will have to board from the side over the gunnel. Kind of worries me that a kid is going to fall between the dock/hoist/boat actually. Yours look nice and safe.

Thanks, we love it there. Maybe make a rail on your dock? Or have something drop down from the canopy if you have one? We we get on and off from the bow we grab onto the canopy frame, and encourage grandma/grandpa to do the same. It's the perfect height when partially lifted up.

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We used to have a 4K lift under our 06 VLX (3600 dry) without any problems for 4 years. The lighter lift wouldn't bother me any, just keep up with any aging parts (especially the drive chain/cables).

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That's a beautiful set-up you have. I will have no dock section in front of my boat, and it is closed bow. We, kids included, will have to board from the side over the gunnel. Kind of worries me that a kid is going to fall between the dock/hoist/boat actually. Yours look nice and safe.

Our Hydrohoist has rails on each side that raise and lower with the lift. It makes getting in and out of the boat very easy. My 70+ year old mother gets in and out much easier with this when the boat is on the lift than she does off the dock.

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Thanks for all of the input guys.. I think that I am going to go with the 4K lift. Now I just have to figure out how to move it ... new thread ...

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