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School me on lift canopies


oldjeep

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Lots of stuff going on now, and if the stars align i will be looking for a lift for the vtx.  First choice is a floe vsd, but im more wondering about the canopy.  Id like to be able to stuff the boat into the canopy and shield the black sides from as much sun as possible.  Might consider swapping some parts on the g3 to make it a 3.2 so that it can be lowered quick and easy. 

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My only advice is get coverage so you don't have to lower the tower because you won't.. I thought I would with my first lifts never did.. 

Also I don't think you can hold that Tower down unless you strap it down?.. unless the Springs are not strong enough and it falls down.. 

Anyway it's unlikely you will mess with the tower get a canopy that can give you coverage won't cost you that much more in the grand scheme of things and a heck of a lot less than upgrading Tower.. 

Once you have Ample coverage you can never go back.. part of that issue as well would be getting a canopy that has the option to either be open in the rear or zip up.. roll up or what ever.. so you don't have to put the tower down just to get in to the lift.. PIA I see many that have to do so they take the boat out less 

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Tower sits down fine, that is how it lives in the garage.  Goes up and down with every use.   It sits neutral with no racks on, so would definitely sit down if they were on.  No ghetto blasters on the tower. 

Im concerned with wind on a canopy long enough to cover everything with tower up. 

Edited by oldjeep
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That's why if u want tower up and good coverage there is only a few good options that will work...we'll work well..

Add on side Curtains are a joke.. 

Too long valance drop also flaps around a lot. 

2ft valance drop is all u want assuming u have they heavier shelterrite 18oz material or whatever they heavier one is.. 

Floe and Max have the only "super deep" dish options. Max is deeper although not sure how much.. max has a new spring garage door option in back so no more zipping.. ild opt for that part to be screen if I was ordering new so it still had good air flow but good sun blocking.. I may convert mine.. although I keep mine rollde open in back all year because I have 32ft long canopy so good coverage.. 

Floe maxis has screened sides to ease some air flow constraints both due to the canopy size and how it lifts up.. because they cannot have angle supports either because the whole canopy pivots.. 

There is the touchless option. They are pretty expensive they give you a lot of coverage but also collect and catch a lot of wind! 

Some of the boat lift companies have something similar to the touchless but with screens such a shore station.. pretty cool I think you can get these as add-ons for other lifts.. or there's another brand of something almost the same that you can if they don't sell retrofit for existing lifts..

Some of these motorized options will cost as much as a whole deep dish canopy and standard cover though..but def cool.. 

Some people complain that screens still allow some water in at high winds.. 

For pure cost you're not going to be a simple canopy that has a deep frame with actual supports.. also much less to go wrong.. 

Just depends what u want and how much your planning to spend.. decent lift setup will be 18-20k nowadays

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13 minutes ago, The Hulk said:

That's why if u want tower up and good coverage there is only a few good options that will work...we'll work well..

Add on side Curtains are a joke.. 

Too long valance drop also flaps around a lot. 

2ft valance drop is all u want assuming u have they heavier shelterrite 18oz material or whatever they heavier one is.. 

Floe and Max have the only "super deep" dish options. Max is deeper although not sure how much.. max has a new spring garage door option in back so no more zipping.. ild opt for that part to be screen if I was ordering new so it still had good air flow but good sun blocking.. I may convert mine.. although I keep mine rollde open in back all year because I have 32ft long canopy so good coverage.. 

Floe maxis has screened sides to ease some air flow constraints both due to the canopy size and how it lifts up.. because they cannot have angle supports either because the whole canopy pivots.. 

There is the touchless option. They are pretty expensive they give you a lot of coverage but also collect and catch a lot of wind! 

Some of the boat lift companies have something similar to the touchless but with screens such a shore station.. pretty cool I think you can get these as add-ons for other lifts.. or there's another brand of something almost the same that you can if they don't sell retrofit for existing lifts..

Some of these motorized options will cost as much as a whole deep dish canopy and standard cover though..but def cool.. 

Some people complain that screens still allow some water in at high winds.. 

For pure cost you're not going to be a simple canopy that has a deep frame with actual supports.. also much less to go wrong.. 

Just depends what u want and how much your planning to spend.. decent lift setup will be 18-20k nowadays

I would have to disagree on the side curtains.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jdrypfamyfhytwn/IMG_5012[566].JPG?dl=0 

(This pic was still taken while installing, notice the PVC still on my dock)

These were made by a company called Canopy Skirts. I had them around my Great Lakes Lift this entire season and worked awesome. I was too concerned about the wind but the panels have slats in them that help with the wind hitting the sides. I braced it with PVC along the bottom perimeter (except the back door) and it added a lot of strength and rigidity to it. The back door has a pulley system that works like a garage door system so its very quick and easy to use. Its no more than 30 seconds to get everything open (the side door to get in the boat and the back door to back the boat out) and ready to pull the boat out.

I couldn't justify buying a brand new lift so buying a used one and adding these curtains was the best option. Even with the cost of the skirts its way less than a equivalent new lift. 

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43 minutes ago, blytle473 said:

I would have to disagree on the side curtains.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jdrypfamyfhytwn/IMG_5012[566].JPG?dl=0 

(This pic was still taken while installing, notice the PVC still on my dock)

These were made by a company called Canopy Skirts. I had them around my Great Lakes Lift this entire season and worked awesome. I was too concerned about the wind but the panels have slats in them that help with the wind hitting the sides. I braced it with PVC along the bottom perimeter (except the back door) and it added a lot of strength and rigidity to it. The back door has a pulley system that works like a garage door system so its very quick and easy to use. Its no more than 30 seconds to get everything open (the side door to get in the boat and the back door to back the boat out) and ready to pull the boat out.

I couldn't justify buying a brand new lift so buying a used one and adding these curtains was the best option. Even with the cost of the skirts its way less than a equivalent new lift. 

These are not what are referred to as side curtains because these are more like the touchless they are supported and roll up and down..or some are stationary but supported with bottom frame/bars etc.. side curtains are just extra fabric that hangs down from the side no supports..ie they flap in the wind. What u have is much better than just side curtains

Edited by The Hulk
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36 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

From what I've seen, a floe 6500 vsd and canopy is going to be in the 13k range.  Floe is made in mn so they are a tad cheaper here. 

Was that optioned up with guides/walk one /bow stop/ and other goodies or bare bones? Which canopy for 13k? Surely not their deep dish or maxis ?

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40+mph side/back/side  winds, back is fully open and boat is aprox 2ft below all the way up.. pop up storm and wanted to see how it faired without having the boat all the way up.. if you close the black in obviously it won't catch as much air.. granted I have 144 inch wide so it wasn't an issue swim platform was wet that was about it.. but again if you close or ZIP down the back then it won't collect much air in the side/front.. this is with only a two foot valance dropbelow the frame.. in the front it's a little bit sideways because again catching so much winning from the back being open if you close at it keeps it all much tighter.. note flag pole..

20170619_192316.jpg

Edited by The Hulk
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I have a floe lift system and am super satisfied. I have a 26 foot canopy with the post extensions and side curtains (my curtains have a frame that they attach to so they can’t flap or move in the wind) and find it to be fantastic over my vtx. I can’t recommend it enough. I have not had any issues with the curtains or water being blown into the boat from different wind angles during rain storms. 

The easy level legs are a must for me and my location as well. 

Edited by SouthsideBoarder
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I know of someone that went with the Schneider 5500 lift with a Hewitt canopy and the combination worked to cover the boat with tower due to the deep Hewitt canopy option or tower canopy.

 

I am looking at similar for my 2016 22vlx

 

Alan

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You will never get as good of coverage as you do with a cover, and depending on your prevailing winds that might mean a lot of pollen in the spring/summer.  Otherwise you should be good to go with a standard canopy, just look for one that has decent coverage.  Put the tower down and crank it up tight.  Just plan on cleaning it more.

post-8942-127896316722_thumb.jpgpost-8942-127896352254_thumb.jpgpost-8942-127896334216_thumb.jpgpost-8942-127904054644_thumb.jpgpost-8942-047256100%201293555627_thumb.jpg

I did a mod on mine where I removed the back aluminum panel but kept the fabric.  I had velcro sewn into the fabric so that I could have it "slit" and separate to get the tower thru.  Then I'd just crank it up a foot or so, and leave the tower up.  That was nice when you know you are going to head back out shortly, rather than putting the tower down again.  Or - leaving it up to move around in the boat while you clean/empty it for the day, before putting the tower down and cranking it up tight for overnight.

 

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Check out the FLOE Maxis at www.floeintl.com

Someone mentioned earlier that the Maxis has screens on the sides.  Only the earliest versions had this.  The sides are solid and have been for some time.  The covers fit perfect so your lift and canopy has a tailored appearance.

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38 minutes ago, MinnesotaBoater said:

Check out the FLOE Maxis at www.floeintl.com

Someone mentioned earlier that the Maxis has screens on the sides.  Only the earliest versions had this.  The sides are solid and have been for some time.  The covers fit perfect so your lift and canopy has a tailored appearance.

well - if you want to spend as much on the Maxis as you are going to spend on the lift ... that setup will add around 8K to your lift ...

I'm on my 2nd Floe - first one was a 5000VSD and now I have an 8000VSD.  First one was with original Floe canopy - wouldn't do that again as it runs at 2+K.  2nd lift had no frame/canopy as I bought it used.  Went out on craigslist looking for used Floe canopies and found a 30ft (or so I thought) for 500 bucks - thing was brand new so pretty excited ... measured it in the garage to make sure and then ordered canopy frame accordingly ... come to find out that when I put canopy on that I needed 2 more feet of frame.  So ended up buying an aftermarket canopy for about 1K.

However more important is this.  My first original Floe canopy didn't hold up too well - after 3 years it started to leak so I cleaned it, resprayed it with 303 etc. but kept leaking.  Wouldn't buy a Floe canopy again except I get it for 500 bucks at the right length.

this is what I got and works well - is pretty light and easy to put on

http://www.boatliftanddock.com/p-1783-30-x-126-floe-weathermax-cover.aspx

They are actually made by the company below in Fergus Falls, MN - see link below - regret a bit that I went with grey instead of yellow as it would have matched some our patio furniture but then the thought of fading etc. took over :(

http://shoretexfabric.com/products/boat-lift-canopies

And if I were in your shoes - go longer than 26ft - even if you just look for the VTX right now - the cost is minimal but anybody having a 23ft boat will pass on your lift because of that - it won't cover enough.

Last - if you want your boat as clean as possible - fold tower and lift it up as far as you can.  Curtains on the side help as others have pointed out ...

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I've got the stock cover, and fully intend to have that on as well.  My main concern with a potential lift canopy is keeping the sun off the sides of my mostly dark blue/black boat.

This is all pretty academic at the moment, we're looking at a few options that we can afford in the radius we defined around my wife's work.  One of them would have us on a lake more suited to kayaking and paddle boarding but leave the boat in the garage a 1/2 mile from the launch on another lake.

Edited by oldjeep
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On 2/12/2018 at 8:29 PM, oldjeep said:

From what I've seen, a floe 6500 vsd and canopy is going to be in the 13k range.  Floe is made in mn so they are a tad cheaper here. 

Jeep I have a Floe canopy with the side extensions.  It kept the G23 pretty dry on the sides and totally dry on the inside.  And, I'm sure the G is about twice as deep as the VTX.  The canopy extensions velcro on to metal brackets so they are stable.  I  also never lowered the tower on any boat.  Overall, I am happy with it after two years.

 

More importantly, you need to get more length than you need.  For a 20 foot boat I would go 26 foot canopy.  The front and rear seem to be more susceptible to rain on mine than the sides.  I have a 30 footer and it is overkill for the G21.  Perfect for G23. 

Edited by bamaboy
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Just another thought on canopies.  If you end up with a house that has waterfront be aware of how the canopy impacts your view, especially with side curtains or extensions.  Ours used to block the entire left side of our pier, which was kind of a bummer, because we were on a point and you missed the whole other half of the lake.  At my parents place their main living area was only 6 or 8 feet or so above the lake level so the big canopy would have really obstructed their view looking out their front window.  When we moved to a marina I ditched the canopy but kept the lift mostly due to not using the boat as much with it not outside of our front door, but also so that I did not obstruct everyone's view (small 22 slip marina, several other lifts, none with canopies).  In our current set up (deeded access) we will likely not purchase a canopy, this time partly to be a good neighbor and not obstruct the neighbors view (they have to pretty much look thru our boat, frontage runs at a weird angle to the lot lines) but also because after being at the marina I like how clean the boat is when I pull the cover off now.  Our plan is to invest in an Evolution cover with sides and platform cover when the current cover becomes worn out, maybe 2019.

 

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Currently, I am finalizing the details on our third Floe (8,000 #). We have had two 5,000# lifts up until this point and have had a couple different canopy configurations. I have posted pictures of the two we have had so far. The extended drop on the side was certainly an upgrade over the framed extensions. The new 8,000# lift will likely have curtains as the extended drop made our current canopy suppppper heavy. I have tons of pictures so feel free to ask questions. I realize this is a long shot due to distance but both of these lifts are for sale if you were interested. 

The first picture is our original set up - 26' Canopy with FLOE canopy extensions. 

Second picture is our most recent set up - 28' Canopy with long drop on canopy / has sleeves with chain that are attached with industrial zippers to keep the sides from flapping) 

Last picture, is the set up we will be going with on the new lift - 30' canopy with curtains (not the lift but gives you an idea of the set up). 

 

IMG_0398.JPG

IMG_5275.jpg

GLL CURTAIN.JPG

Edited by BlknYlwT22
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