I am buying a house on a lake and it has a dock but no boat lift. Is it OK to buy used or should we look new? We have a 2016 Crestliner 1850 Sportfish, so I for sure want it to have a canopy. Also, any opinions on hand crank or electric?
Thanks for the suggestions!
Rick
We’ve bought 4 used lifts in the past few years, and I would say that if you can find a used lift, go used.
While hand crank wouldn’t be terrible on that boat, electric is really nice.
I have no experience with lifts, but if you are buying used, PLEASE follow the rules on transporting the lift from one body of water to another. Personally, I’d be worried that 21 days is too early for moving a lift from a zebra mussel infested lake into another.
Moving docks, lifts, and equipment to another waterbody
If you plan to move a dock, lift or other water equipment from one lake or river to another, all visible zebra mussels, faucet snails, and aquatic plants must be removed whether they are dead or alive. You may not transport equipment with prohibited invasive species or aquatic plants attached. The equipment must be out of the water for 21 days before it can be placed in another waterbody.
Maybe more critical is steel vs aluminum. No right answer here as it’s tradeoffs. The lighter weight of aluminum may pay off when taking it in and out each year. That might be worth the additional cost.
While hand crank wouldn’t be terrible on that boat, electric is really nice.
Hand crank that is working well is just fine but yes the electric is very nice. Hand crank that is sticky or generally hard just sucks. We were hand cranking a 20′ glass boat for years without issue. Our neighbor bought used and a crank that was not in good condition. Good fun to watch him swear 
Electric is definitely nice even if it’s the bolt on motor/wheel style. If going aluminum make sure it is quality. The cheaper brands of aluminum lifts will split at the welds often, do a serious inspection of the structural integrity of the lift, but used is much cheaper and and lifts do not have many wear parts so not too much to worry about going used. I know in our area a lot of the dock installers will turn down potential clients due to having steel docks and lifts, I guess they are busy enough to do so, but something worth looking into as well.
Will you be the one putting it in/taking it out? If yes, then get a Floe VSD lift. They are pricey, but worth every penny as the legs go up/down via a power drill and the wheels stay on the lift. I also purchased the wireless keyring remote, so I step out of my cabin and press a button and the boat is ready in the water when I get to the dock. I can also remotely turn on flood lights to light up the boat and dock from inside the cabin. Floe VSD lifts run off 2 x 12 volt batteries and can do 370 up/down cycles before needing a recharge… I love mine!
If you pay somebody to put it in and take it out, then get whatever you want, I’d stick with either Floe or Pier Pleasure (I’ve owned both and they are by far the best imo)
Cantilever lifts are less troublesome (a single cable on 2 pulleys) but you should crank the boat up to the top everytime, leaving it partially cranked puts alot of stress on the cable and frame. Vertical lifts are a little more complicated (cables run though the framework) but you can crank them up partially if needed and they work in deeper water..
One thing to keep in mind is how much lifting height you will need. This depends on your water depth and lake conditions. This will help you determine if you should purchase a cantilever or vertical style lift. The vertical lifts will have a higher lift height.
Used lifts are good as long as they were taken care of. I would definately go with an aluminum lift. We had an old steel lift growing up and it sucked to move.
As far as electric or hand crank. The hand crank is fine. However keep in mind the lake conditions. The electric with wireless remote is really nice when trying to put the boat on in high winds. We are on mille lacs and I purchased a shore station lift last year with the wireless remote. On the days with wind, it would be difficult to keep the boat in position while you crank it up. The wireless remote allows me to stay in the boat and hold it in position and raise it all the way up.
Used is fine as long as it’s a quality company with a quality product (e.g., Floe, Pier Pleasure).
Word to the wise: Don’t max out the weight limit on the lift – unless you like dealing with broken cables at the most in opportune times. In other words, if your boat, gear, fuel, motors together weighs 4,000lbs, don’t buy a 4,000 lb. max capacity lift! Take it from a guy who just had to buy a 5,000lb. lift last week. I think the recommendation is 80% of the max capacity of the lift. Just imagine a cable failing at night during a bad storm while you are away. Not good!
As far as electric, don’t think twice. Cranking sucks! And the wireless remote is worth it’s weight in gold as mentioned above. Spend the money. You’ll never regret it…or find yourself saying, ‘Boy, I wish I was cranking this boat up by hand’ as you are pressing the wireless remote button.
Only other issue with electric, besides the additional cost, is if you lose power often at your place. However, ancillary power sources can manage that risk (battery backups, generators, portable power supplies).
Let’s us know what you decide to do!
Only other issue with electric, besides the additional cost, is if you lose power often at your place. However, ancillary power sources can manage that risk (battery backups, generators, portable power supplies).
We have two Shore Stations–one with a crank w/ add-on power wheel and one with no crank. Occasionally, we’ll lose power or have an electrical outlet issue–you’re SOL with the lift without the crank (unless you have a cordless drill with the correct socket handy).
That being said, I prefer the non-crank model usually.
We also have one cantilever and one vertical. I prefer the vertical, but both serve their purpose.
One more piece of advice. Beware of leaving your lift without a boat on it (like if you take your boat somewhere else). Always take the canopy off. A few years ago, I had to pull my MIL’s pontoon in for some repairs. Well, a storm blew in overnight, and when I woke up, our dock was upside down and the lift was about 50 yards away on the opposite side of the dock that it had started on.
One more piece of advice. Beware of leaving your lift without a boat on it (like if you take your boat somewhere else). Always take the canopy off. A few years ago, I had to pull my MIL’s pontoon in for some repairs. Well, a storm blew in overnight, and when I woke up, our dock was upside down and the lift was about 50 yards away on the opposite side of the dock that it had started on.
This happens ALOT, you can get anchors that screw into the lake bed
and then strap to the lift frame or get mesh ends on the canopy fabric, but any good wind storm will flip it no matter what…. This is why I haven’t put a canopy on…
This happens A LOT…
Let’s just say it’s not the first time it’s happened to us. The canopy now comes off whenever a boat is pulled off the lake. A pain in the butt, but better than a phone call to the insurance company and finding a new lift.
thanks for the advice guys! I will let you know how it turns out!
Any body familiar with a pneumatic boat lift? There is one on my lake for sale that uses air and suspension airbags and is rated to 4500lbs. It is made by a local shop, not some custom job. But I have never seen a lift that uses suspension air bags. Not sure if it is a good idea.
Cheers
James
I would stay away from a pneumatic lift, so much to go wrong with leaking air or punctures…search for a used Floe lift, the screwjack legs are awesome and their design is the best imo.
The only thing I would check for on used lifts is if there’s anything bent or cracked welds on the stress points, that would tell me the lift was likely abused when pulled out/put in the water.
Go with the Floe. The wheels and screw jacks are great, 12V battery for the lift, awesome.
Go with the Floe. The wheels and screw jacks are great, 12V battery for the lift, awesome.
Daka also makes lifts with screw jacks. We bought a Daka 3000lb vertical in 2017 and it has been great.
I think the Floe 12v electric motors are fine for lighter loads, but for a heavier boat, I would spend the extra $$ and get a Floe VSD lift instead.
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